The Wrath of Khan (D2) – Finals Recap

 

And then there was one. What did I learn from the weekend? That after 14 weeks of play, after 211 D2 games, the Texas All-Stars can lay claim they are the best team of the bunch.

Unstoppable

Without a doubt the All-Stars were the best team from start to finish. Besides the minor hiccup loss to the Kingz, it seemed no team could match the output set forth by this squad.

It was evident from the get go in the opening minutes of the D2 championship that no one was going to stop the All-Stars. Not even Matt Norzil’s shorts were going to deter him from a huge gain, as he made a few Wolfpack players look silly in pursuit of his flag.

The focus was there for the All-Stars. In the first two series it seemed the Wolfpack were stuck on second gear whereas the All-Stars were on tenth gear. Pascal Murray could never get comfortable in the pocket, as Norzil made it awfully difficult for him to see his throwing lanes.

It seemed, Murray had to hold onto the ball for an extra split second. As a result, the All-Stars were able to pounce on the majority of his throws.

Determination

The All-Stars were not going to be kept out of the end zone. Norzil’s ballet run down the field, reminded me of watching the old NFL Films videos, and seeing Steelers great, Lynn Swann running down the sideline.

No one was going to stop Norzil’s teammate, Nathan Taylor from gaining the tough yards, as he continuously knocked over his opponents (in a good way) to gain the first down.

Even when the All-Stars dropped a ball, or committed a turnover, it did not discourage them from going for the big play on the next possession. The look in their eyes said it all, that no matter what the situation was, they would end-up with the football in their hands.

Goodfriend a Champion

For as a classy a guy Benny Goodfriend is, everyone had to feel good for him to finally win a title as a quarterback on an FPF team. Yes, he has played with some great ones from Carmine Pollice, and learned the ropes from him on how to become a complete quarterback.

But without a doubt, and it was further cemented by Matt Norzil comments during the post-game celebrations (which we will get to very shortly), what a difference he was on the team. Finally, Goodfriend is moving up to a new apartment in the FPF tower, and is one floor below the penthouse that houses Pollice, Kevin Wyeth, and Rick Nincheri.

Towards the end of the season, there were some good gestured arguments on why Gino Di Fazio should have won quarterback of the year. But in the end, Goodfriend proved his value, as being the last piece the Texas All-Stars needed to win the D2 title.

Maturation Process Has Come Full Circle

When the All-Stars first entered this league, it mainly comprised of young players who everyone knew could be explosive, dangerous, and downright incredible on the football field.

Last night, the fruits of labour came full circle for this football team. If the old Buckeyes/Texas All-Star teams were playing for Sunday’s title, the probability of them blowing up, and taking irresponsible penalties would be a lot higher. But Sunday night it was not the case to be.

Some will attribute the All-Stars ascension to Nathan Taylor’s leadership and maturation during his time on Montreal’s Finest. To be around a stalwart cast of players from Karim Binette, Kevin Challenger, Andre Knights, Akked Moore, Kishon Thompson, and Kevin Wyeth will do wonders to the psyche.

But for those who have followed him from afar, and closely. It was coming, he has a firm grip on this team, and his teammates will listen to him no matter what. But again, this team has seen its lows, but now are reaping of the benefits by learning from their past mistakes.

Post-Game Rants

After their on-field celebration, the All-Stars had by far one of the best, funky, and unique post-game interviews. Matt Norzil came with a prepared speech on his iPhone; (even though the screen was cracked) It seemed liked he just had won every major award at the Oscars (including best supporting female actress.)

In fact, he had so much hardware in his hands, I thought one of the items would have been dropped by the sure handed super freak athlete!

Underrated All-Stars player, Oliver Phillip proclaimed that this was the best defense ever in FPF history. He was more than certain that this was fact and not fiction. But I am sure there are past champions that would lay claim to this title.

As I was signing off, I felt like I was in a concert with a mosh pit of fans, when the All-Star players all gathered around to show off who they geographically represent on the Montreal map.

By far, one of the better post-game celebrations I have seen in FPF Road Show history.

Wolfpack

Where do the Wolfpack go from here? Just like the grey ashes that is spewing from the Iceland volcanoes. They have developed the Buffalo Bills mantra of losing the big game again.

But, credit must be given to a team that was on life support in the last third of the season. For them to beat the top three teams in Conference A, and to go on a run in which they could have been the first ever sixth seed to win a title. Congrats are in-store for the Wolfpack.

What more can they accomplish in D2? Well, if they feel they have some unfinished business, then it will not be shocking to see them comeback for another crack of trying to win the championship.

But on the other hand, what more can they accomplish in D2? Very rarely do teams have the chance to reach two consecutive finals. Added to the fact, with the new FPF scheduling formula where teams who did well the previous season will have a tougher schedule the following year.

They could make the leap into D1. But are they willing to do so, even though they still have some unfinished business in D2?

Texas All-Stars

Where do the All-Stars go from here? By winning the D2 title, league rules encourage the team to move up. We have seen the fair share of teams stay put for another season or two. But will they move up?

The All-Stars had a “no comment response” when asked about the spring season. My gut feeling is they will move up come Winter 2011. They have some very talented players on their roster. But for now, they just want to enjoy being champions.

The Final Assessment

I write this with all honesty and say it was an honour to cover D2 this season. From week one right down to the championship weekend, there wasn’t one bad game to cover.

The D2 community was really cordial to give me any tidbits pertaining to their team. It was a blast to see how close the competition is amongst the D2 teams. Really, there isn’t a huge gap from first place to the tenth ranked team in D2.

D2 has come a long way since its inception, where on any given day; the best team might not win the game. This year’s edition of the playoff was apparent where the Monarchs could have pulled off a huge upset over the now championed Texas All-Stars. The defending ’09 winter champions, Waterbuffaloes were ousted in the opening round of the playoffs by the Kingz. The sixth seeded Wolfpack defeated the top three teams in the playoffs to reach the finals.

With that, I say thank you for allowing me to write about the D2 season, and I hope you enjoyed my work. For those coming back for the Spring season, see you in a few weeks. For those who I will not see next month, see you in 32 weeks time for a new D2 winter season.