The second season has begun: Divisional Round Preview

The Division 6 regular season is now officially in the books, and what a season it was. We saw 20 teams compete this year, with 13 of them new to the league. Despite the huge amount of newbies, the competition in D6 was at an all-time high. Good job to all the teams that came out. I look forward to seeing some familiar faces and teams, as well as some new ones this coming Spring Season.

With the close of the regular season also comes the elimination of some teams from playoff competition. With that being said, I would like to thank the Ravens, Gronky Kong, Victorious Secret, and the Trojans for their time and efforts this year. Despite falling short of making the playoffs, there are a lot of positives that you guys can take out of your first go around in FlagPlus Football. Make an addition or two to your rosters, and you guys should be able to qualify for the playoffs in your next season!

As I’ve been saying over the last few weeks, each game takes on even more importance, as teams battle to not only get into the playoffs, but to get better positioning. Week 10 was no different, as the Goonsquad, Fourth and Twenty, and the Smokin’ Axolotls used victories to qualify for the- what I like to call- second season, while Sabrfc, Jean Guy, and N.W.O separated themselves from a cluster of teams in the 6-8 spot.

With all the changes we saw with teams and their seeding in the standings, we saw Tip Top Shape stay the same. Another week, another dismal performance by the team who looked to be the class of D6 only a few weeks ago.

Quarterback David De Andrade continued to struggle as he threw two more interceptions, which brings him to a total of 15 for the season. More importantly, he has now thrown INTs in 4 straight contests, including 6 out of his last 7 games.  

Even the Tip Top Shape receivers who had been making plays and coming up with clutch catches all year, have been feeling the pressure as well, as they have been dropping passes in an alarming rate as of late.

Oh how the mighty have fallen. If Tip Top Shape doesn’t get their act together ASAP, they won’t have another chance to get up.

So now the playoff matchups are set. The action starts Monday night at Stade Hebert at 9PM.  

Instead of the usual picks section, I will give you guys my picks for each game, along with a preview.

 

CONFERENCE A

 

(1) Tip Top Shape versus (8) Goonsquad

Previous Meeting: 25-6 Tip Top Shape (Week 4)

Back when Tip Top Shape was in the discussion for the top team in D6 (yes the pun is intended) they knocked off the Goonsquad in easy fashion. The game was over by halftime as T.T.S jumped out to a quick 19-0 lead, and didn’t look back despite giving up a TD in the second stanza.

Obviously, that was a long time ago as Tip Top Shape has fallen and haven’t been able to get up (Urkel reference) since they lost for the first time this season in Week 9 vs PB n’ Jelly.

The Goonsquad on the other hand are in this position courtesy of beating the Ravens 18-6 in a win and you’re in battle last Saturday night at Catalogna.

To pull off the upset however, they will need to A) hope that Tip Top Shape is still playing like the dysfunctional unit they’ve been in recent weeks, and B) generate some offense. Out of all 16 teams that qualified for the post-season, Goonsquad have scored the least amount of points with a staggering low 139.

To do that, they will need Wide Receiver Simone Marzella who over the last 5 weeks of the regular season, has really stepped up his game and come through for his team with 18 receptions for 228 yards and 6 touchdowns, to put up another big game. During the Week 4 contest, he only produced 1 catch for 7 yards. He’ll obviously need to contribute a lot more than that Monday night if he and his team want to get the win.

Goonsquad QB Massimo Cicchini who for some unknown reason didn’t play the position during the first game between both teams, was nearly flawless last week in his teams’ win over the Ravens, as he went 11 of 18 with 3 TDs.

The teams’ defense also had a big performance in the do-or-die game as they shutout a Ravens in the second half that had put up 82 points in their previous 3 contests.

For Tip Top Shape, it will come down to which team will show up. Will it be the team that looked like a good bet to be representing Conference A in the Finals just a few short weeks ago? Or will it be the fragile team that has showed up in recent weeks that is making tons of errors and lacking execution?  

Despite their recent struggles, I think Tip Top Shape rights the ship and gets back on track for at least one week.

Prediction: 28-6 Tip Top Shape.

 

(2) Diablos versus (7) Smokin’ Axolotls

 Previous Meeting: Diablos 32-19 (Week 7)

Don’t let the final score fool you, as this game was extremely close, as the Diablos held a slim 18-14 lead at halftime.

The loss to the Diablos has seemed to serve as a wake-up call for the Smokin’ Axolotls, as they went on to win their final 3 games of the season to close out the regular season. In those games, S.A was successful by coming up with big plays on defense, and having their best playmakers in the Rossie brothers (Jason and Jordan) along with Chris Brockwell, Jason Kokolakis, and Joseph Sifakis come up with huge plays on both sides of the ball when their team needed them most.

The Diablos come into this one having won 2 out of their last 3 games. Truth be told however, the Diablos are a bit of a mystery to me. They beat the teams they should beat, and with the exception of blowout losses to Tip Top Shape (when T.T.S was the team to beat) and the Gamecocks, they were within a play or two of beating the Spartans and Team Laval (I watched that game in person, and it was a shootout that saw 4 TDs scored in less than 5 minutes.)

The Diablos don’t reek of a team that can only beat the weaker squads, and fall flat against serious competition. While both their offense and defense revolve around the talented two-way threat Georges Elie-Voyer, the rest of the crew especially Vincent Lajoie and Michael Deguire have talent as well, and they should not be taken lightly.

Prediction: 32-19 Diablos.

 

 

(3) Team Laval versus (6) Sabrfc

Previous Meeting: Sabrfc 14-13 (Week 7)

This game was a tough defensive dogfight that saw both teams make chest-pounding plays on defense. The Quarterbacks were running for their life, as both teams combined for 6 sacks.

Defense enthusiast everywhere (including yours truly) could really appreciate a game like this as each side only let up 1 touchdown a half. As expected can be expected in a game like this however, it came down to conversions, and Sabrfc was able to get one more than their opponents, curtesy of a Max Marini throw to his brother Mickey Marini in the second half to give his team the win.

The Marini combo will obviously have to be the first thing Team Laval looks out for defensively in this rematch. They will perhaps need to put their best Defensive Back, the INT king himself Maxime Turpin-Lalonde on Mickey, due to the WRs obvious chemistry with his brother, as well as his ability to stretch the field.

Team Laval will need another big game out of Olivier Bourgeois who had 2 sacks in the Week 7 contest if they want to get the win, because Max Marini despite only having 28 yards on the ground in their first meeting, he finished the regular season as Division 6’s leading rusher with 582 yards. More importantly, he uses his legs to keep plays alive and buy time for his brother as well as the other Sabrfc Wide Receivers to get open.

Despite having an extremely talented squad, Team Laval has struggled offensively coming into this game. In their last 4 contests they have only scored more than 20 points once (a Week 8 36-20 win over the Trojans) In fact, they have only put up more than 20 points 5 times the entire season.

The 1st game between both teams was symbolic of their entire season in it was a matchup between the team who struggles to score, versus the team who plays up and down to their competition.

I think Sabrfc, who is coming off of a big win against a reeling Tip Top Shape squad, will do just enough to get the victory in this one.

*In case you were wondering, this is my pick for Game of the Week.

Prediction: Sabrfc 21-20.

 

TDs and Beer (4) versus Spartans (5)

Previous Meeting: Spartans 42-32 Week 10

 

As you can see above, this is the second time in 2 weeks that these two teams will be locking horns. TDs and Beer got the win as their QB Brad Evans, the perfect definition of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, had a Jekyll-like performance as he dissected the Spartans usually stout defense to the tune of 5 touchdowns, and gave his squad a 28-6 lead at the end of the first half.

The Spartans made a game of it as they rallied back by putting up 26 points of their own in the second stanza, but it wasn’t enough to cap the comeback.

One of the reasons for the Spartans’ loss, besides being asleep at the wheel to start the game was the performance of their QB James D’Andrea. While he did match the aforementioned Evans with 5 TDs, D’Andrea could’ve had at least 2 more, but as has been the case for much of the season, his accuracy or lack thereof, didn’t allow him to connect on passes to his receivers, who in some cases were wide open.

Both offenses have lots of firepower with the likes of Andrew Grant, Charles-David Martel, Alexis Bessette for the Spartans, along with Myles Keiller, Scott Booth, and Thomas Mascarenhas for TDs and Beer. The difference on that side of the ball, will come down to which QB brings his A-game Monday night.

On defense, even if you ignore last week’s games, the matchup appears one-sided for TDs and Beer as their experience, turnover ratio, and points against are all better than the Spartans. This is playoff time however, so although regular season numbers should be thrown away for the most part. D’Andrea will need to watch out for Brandon and Myles the Keiller brothers, as well as Pat Deschenes and Edward Cohan, who ran back one of his the QB’s picks to the house last week.

An old football and sports saying is in my head as I write this: it is tough to beat a team twice in a row. I’m sticking with it, as I don’t think the Spartans will get off to such a poor start in consecutive games.

Prediction: Spartans 24-22.

 

CONFERENCE B

 

(1) PB n’ Jelly versus (8) Fourth and Twenty

Previous matchup: PB n’ Jelly 42-14 (Week 6)

The first meeting between these guys was essentially over at halftime, as the number 1 seed dominated on both sides of the ball and ran away with a 27-6 lead. The second half of the game wasn’t all that different, as Fourth and Twenty still only managed to put up 1 TD there as well, while the friends of sandwiches everywhere scored double digit points (15).

To get to this matchup, Fourth and Twenty snuck into the playoffs by virtue of their 18-0 victory over Gronky Kong. While a shutout is impressive no matter who you play, the win itself wasn’t all that great considering that the score at the half was 0-0. Nonetheless, for all their hard work of qualifying for the second season, they get to face the top team in D6. Needless to say, the severe underdogs will need a MUCH better performance on offense if they even want to dream about pulling off the upset.

For the aforementioned number 1 seed, they achieved that label by being the only undefeated team in the entire division. They’ve proved throughout the season that they are sound and efficient on both sides of the ball, as they have won in multiple ways this year.

While Fourth and Twenty have two solid Receivers in Mark Haggarty and the rangy Eric Ciaccia, I just don’t see how they matchup and outduel the best QB in D6 in Joseph Kano, and his stable of game-breaking WRs in Dylan Catellier, Alex Mashaal, and Jay Strachan. Also, keep in mind that PB n’ Jelly are the only team in all of D6 to crack the 300 point barrier for points scored. The odds of a Miracle On Ice upset happening for Fourth and Twenty doesn’t look to good here.

Prediction: PB n’ Jelly 42-12

 

(2) Gamecocks versus (7) CMS Laval

Previous Meeting: Gamecocks 19-12 (Week 10)

This is yet another matchup of teams that squared off just last week. The surprisingly close affair saw the Gamecocks escape with a 19-12 victory.

The game could have very easily been called the Kyle Tanzer show, as the FPF rookie continued his amazing play over the last 6 weeks, by hauling in 6 passes for 105 yards and 2 TDs, to go along with 2 INTs, and 3 tackles Wednesday night at Stade Hebert.

Those INTs along one each by teammates Zach Aaron and Greg Sigler proved to be too much for CMS Laval to overcome, as they were only able to put up 1 TD each half. Needless to say, the underdogs will need a huge performance out of Quarterback Laurent Denis, who since taking over at the position fulltime in Week 7, has led his team a 2-2 record, thrown an impressive 17 TDs, and came within a play of beating both the Trojans, and the Gamecocks.

Despite the near upset to close out the regular season, the Gamecocks, come into the matchup as arguably the hottest team in D6, having not lost a game since all the way back in Week 2 when they lost a nail bitter to PB N’ Jelly 25-19.

I have the Gamecocks as one of my dark horses the make the Finals. While they almost fell flat on their face last week, I don’t think it’ll happen again. I also don’t think that D6 sack leader Jamie Steinmetz who recorded 18 QB takedowns will go without one for a second week in a row.

Prediction: Gamecocks: 24-18.

 

Bricksquad (3) versus Nighthawks (6)

Previous Meeting: Bricksquad 21-14 (Week 8)

This game was a close game that saw the Bricksquad use a dominant performance by their defense and timely plays by their offense in the second half, to overcome a Nighthawks 14-0 first half lead, to escape Stade Hebert with the victory.

Things will be a little different this time around for the Bricksquad as they will be without Quarterback Nick Madimenos, who is ineligible to play after only playing 4 regular season games. Taking his place will be dual-threat QB Jarred Stewart, who has played the position in 6 games so far this year, and thrown for 8 touchdowns and has scrambled 15 times for 200 yards and 3 TDs.

Although the Bricksquad lost 27-6 in blowout fashion to PB n’ Jelly in the regular season finale, they still come into this one as one of the division’s hottest teams, as they won their previous 6 games before that.

The Nighthawks, come into the game losers of 4 out of their last 5 games, with their sole victory coming in the form of a 28-26 upset victory over the Spartans. For the underdogs to advance to the second round, they will their Most Valuable Player, Vincent Alessandrini to put up the same monster numbers that he has posted throughout the season.

Although he did record an interception the last time both squads met, he put up a pedestrian numbers offensively (by his standards) as he registered 3 catches for 55 yards and 1 TD.

While I expect another close contest, I don’t think the Nighthawks defense which has given up nearly 30 points a game in their last 5 contests, including a whopping 33 last week to a Jean Guy offense that only scored more than 20 points twice the entire season, will be able to come up with enough stops to knock off Bricksquad

Prediction: Bricksquad 28-12.

 

(4) N.W.O versus (5) Jean Guy

Previous Meeting: N.W.O 25-19 (Week 7)

It feels like these guys play each other every year in the playoffs. In the first matchup between both teams, FPF veteran Alex Holowach was the difference-maker for the N.W.O, as the Quarterback turned Wide Receiver had 5 catches for a game-high 54 yards and 2 TDs. Fortunately for jean Guy, they won’t see Holowach this time around, as he ineligible to play in the playoffs.

Besides stopping the aforementioned Holowach, Jean Guy must also avoid turnovers on offense. To do that, they will need to do two things. Firstly, they should go with Emile Lamy at Quarterback. While the team’s other QB Alex Guernon has thrown more TD passes, he also has a penchant for throwing interceptions at the absolute worst time.

Lamy is also the faster of the two pivots when it comes to making plays out of the pocket, so for a team that needs to keep games close because the struggle to put points on the board, they should take any advantage they can get.

Secondly, whether it’s Lamy or Guernon, both QBs need to avoid throwing in the direction of N.W.O Defensive Back Domenic Benevento. Not only is he second in D6 in picks with 9, but 2 of them came off the hands of Guernon that proved to be huge in the outcome of the game.

The N.W.O’s offense while prone to bad performances occasionally, are simply more productive and more explosive than their opponents. That should be enough to get them through to the Quarter-Finals.

Prediction: N.W.O 28-12

 

That’s it for this week. I will be back next week with my recap of the Divisional Round, and my preview of the Quarter-Finals. Good luck to everybody Monday night. Let the fun and the second season begin!

Sorry for the delay this week, there were a few technical difficulties on my end that delayed me finishing up the article. Technology can be great sometimes, but as I am sure most of you can relate to, it can also be a huge pain in the ass, at the absolute worst time. My apologies!

If you loved the article, hated it, or just felt like I left something out, you can shoot me a tweet at BADNEWS51, or send me an e-mail at [email protected]