Upsets Galore in Week 7 of FPF Junior

After a perilous 90 minute bus and metro ride from NDG all the way out to Kirkland, I was thrilled to a) not get lost on the way and b) see this seventh week of FPF Junior action.  I saw seven fantastic games in Kirkland. Among those, were a few upsets. The biggest upset was probably a six-man Tar Heels team beating the second ranked Thunder in the Varsity division. Enough about that game for now. Even though week seven brought us within one week of the playoffs, it did very little to clarify the final standings. The stage is perfectly set for a dramatic final weekend of action and I cannot wait to see how it will all turn out. However, before we get to the final weekend of action, we still have our week seven recaps and team of the week.

Honourable Mention

I would just like to highlight a great act of sportsmanship on the part of Lions’ coach Terry White. His opponents, the Spartans were just six players and one was missing a mouth guard which meant he was not allowed not play. Terry White could have done nothing and let his opponents play a man down for the whole game but he was a bigger man than that. He offered the Spartan’s player one of his extra mouthguards and let him play the game.

Also, a friendly reminder that mouthguards are mandatory in FPF Junior and players cannot play without them.

Week 7 Recaps

Tar Heels (31) vs Thunder (20)

As promised, let’s get back to what I consider to be the biggest upset of the week. Coming into this game, the Thunder were flying high with only one loss to blemish their record while the Tar Heels were having a bit more trouble. To make things even more complicated for Tony Khoury’s team, they had only six players. However, on Sunday, they dug deep and fought for the whole game. Despite only playing with five on defence to give players a breather, I was impressed to see them consistently march down the field and put points up on the board.

Leading the effort for the Tar Heels was definitely quarterback Garner Ross. The Tar Heel’s QB led the league in passing yards this week with 198 and set a personal best with 5 TD passes. To cement those already impressive numbers, Garner Ross protected the ball and threw no interceptions on the night. After watching him play all season, it was clear that Garner Ross had the talent to excel. However, what was missing, was chemistry with his receivers. Well, this week, he was clearly on the same page as his receivers since he completed a staggering 74% of his 27 attempted passes. The Tar Heels were six players on the night. That means five receivers and one passer. Impressively, Garner Ross completed multiple passes to every single one of those five receivers. In terms of receiving yards, it was Emanuel Feldman who led his team with 56 yards and was tied for the lead in touchdowns with two. While Emanuel Feldman may have led in terms of yards, Jonathan Jagermann led his team in terms of receptions with six, two of which were for scores. What was also impressive about the Tar Heel’s offence was the fact that they consistently scored. Every time they got the ball, you had a feeling that the ball was going to wind up in the opposing end zone. Even as their energy levels were dropping and their coach was worrying, they continued to get the job done.

The same went for the Tar Heels’ defensive effort. They were not flashy but once again, they got the job done. After struggling in past weeks, their defence finally gelled as a unit. They made very few mistakes and gave the opposing receivers very little separation. To go along with his 46 receiving yards, Eric Lavarovitz led his team in tackles with five. However, it was Emanuel Feldman who made the biggest difference. His interception gave his team’s offence that extra chance of putting points up on the board all the while taking the wind out of the opponent’s sails.

I have not seen the Thunder play as much as I would have liked so far this season but from everything I have heard, they are a well oiled free scoring machine. While I did see that version of the Thunder come out to play in the second half, they got out to a sluggish start which is ultimately what cost them. They fell behind early and with their opponents scoring on each drive, there was very little they could do to get back into the game. The Thunder’s offence has two parts to it: the passing and the rushing game. In terms of passing, the only blemish on Simon Boudreault’s record was the single interception. Other than that, he had a solid outing with three touchdowns and nearly 150 yards through the air. As I said before, passing is only half of the Thunder’s offence. The other half is fuelled by Simon Boudreault’s electric ability to move the chains with his legs. In past games, Simon Boudreault has rushed for over 100 yards. He has never put up less than 30 yards and leads the league with 330 rushing yards. However, on Sunday, he only rushed for 13 yards in two attempts. If we turn our attention to the receiving corps, Félix Joly did all he could to lead his team to victory. While his three catches for 52 yards and a score were impressive, it was not quite enough for his team to get the win. What ultimately hurt the Thunder other than their slow start was their inability to create turnovers. After falling behind, the easiest way to regain the lead is by giving your offence more chances to score. The closest the Thunder came to an interception was a defended pass by Mathis Foczeny to go along with his five tackles. One thing that was working for the Thunder was their tackling. Six players all had multiple tackles on the night including Mathis Gauthier who had a solid defensive showing with his four tackles.

IB Vikings (12) vs X-Men (18)

The X-Men came into this match as the clear favorites with a perfect record. This time, there would be no upset, but the Vikings did give the X-Men a run for their money. It was a great game to see because each team was missing their top player. The X-Men were without Phoenix Thomas while the Vikings were without their all-star sibling duo of Aleena and Jaiden Chopra. While it is fun to see talented players like those three do their thing, I find it interesting to watch new players emerge.

One player who certainly emerged from the shadows was Frida Llaguno. After going six weeks without catching a single ball and barely being used on offence, the X-Men decided to use Frida Llaguno as a receiver. Her coaching staff could not believe the numbers she put up on Sunday. She caught four balls for a staggering total of 82 yards and two touchdowns. Her first reception of the night and of the season was a catch and run for an electrifying 40 yard touchdown. Not too bad for a player who hasn’t caught a ball in FPF since 2017. If the X-Men can continue to get this sort of production out of Frida Llaguno and Phoenix Thomas maintains his outstanding production, the X-Men will be nearly unstoppable. Just like Frida Llaguno, Justin Swaminadhan also tallied four catches on the night. He didn’t accumulate 82 yards like his teammate but he offered a pair of sure hands to his quarterback. Each passer needs a trusty receiver to whom they can complete easy passes and slowly but surely move the chains. For the X-Men, that receiver is Justin Swaminadhan. On defence, it was those same two players who had the biggest impact on the game as well. Both Justin Swaminadhan and Frida Llaguno managed an interception and to go along with his key interception, Justin Swaminadhan also led his team with seven tackles. Just behind him was his brother Noah Swaminadhan who had a solid outing of his own, posting six tackles.

The Vikings’ Kevyn De Serres-Payne had a strong showing in what was ultimately a losing effort. He put up more passing yards than his opposing quarterback (129 yards vs 103yards) and completed more passes (16 vs 9) and passed for just as many touchdowns. Despite posting what would appear to be superior numbers, he did not manage the victory. While the Vikings did a great job of moving the ball, they just weren’t as efficient as their opponents at getting the ball into the end zone. It’s fantastic to be able to move the ball down the pitch but if you cannot get it across the goal line, all those yards before are useless. There are no points for passing yards, only for touchdowns. One player who did a great job at getting the ball into the end zone was the electrifying James Dorzin. The deceptively fast receiver scored both of his teams touchdowns and accumulated 16 receiving yards in the process. However, it was Simmion Hyde who led the Vikings both in terms of receptions with 7 and receiving yards with 50. Simmion Hyde left just as much of a mark on the defensive side of the ball with an interception and four tackles. While Elliot Luft didn’t catch a pass, he did everything he could to help his team win with a strong defensive showing, the young man managed a tackle, a defended pass and most importantly, an interception. Not to be outdone, Aladdin Baroudi led his team in tackles with six.

NS Hurricanes (18) vs Dusters (12)

The Hurricanes, led my quarterback Nicholas Masella upset the division leading Dusters in week seven. The Dusters showed their first signs of weakness last week when they fell at the hands of the uber talented Sun Devils and they continued to falter this week. The Hurricanes took full advantage and did just enough to secure the win. QB Nicholas Masella completed eleven passes for a respectable 93 yards. Three of those passes found the hands of athletic Kevin Beaumier who finished the game with 25 receiving yards and a score. Ashton Philistin proved this year that he is a complete two-way player. We all knew just how dangerous he was on defence but with another 25 receiving yards and a TD to add to his record, he continued to prove he can get the job done on both sides of the ball. The Hurricanes other score came courtesy of the speedy Brenden Urquhart who, to go along with his TD grab, had two other catches for a total of 24 yards. While Brenden Urquhart had a solid offensive game, he was phenomenal as a rusher. Having played as a rusher this week, I can tell you just how hard it is to get a single sack. Many rushers are happy with just pressuring the opposing QB and forcing him to get the ball out quickly. Well, Brenden Urquhart did all that and more. He managed a ridiculous four sacks. The fact he managed that many versus a nimble quarterback like Adam Malinoff is even more impressive.

On the Dusters side of things, they were able to move the ball. Quarterback Adam Malinoff passed for nearly 100 yards all while avoiding throwing an interception. What did hurt the Dusters was Brenden Urquhart’ four sacks. One thing Adam Malinoff could work on to avoid future sacks in his footwork in the pocket. He has one of the best arms in the division but his feet are too often immobile. If he learns how to keep those feet moving and avoid pressure more easily, he could move from the good to great quarterback status. The Dusters passed for a total of 133 yards. Nearly 70% of those yards came courtesy of the very talented Matthew Fixman. He caught a whopping eight passes for an impressive total of 92 yards. While he is not a big play threat, he will make you pay with consistent play down the middle of the field. He will get the job done and slowly but surely move the chains 10 or 15 yards at a time. The Dusters lost by one possession. You can only wonder if an interception would have given them the extra possession they needed to win this game. The closest the Dusters came to an interception was a defended pass courtesy of  Andrew Backler. Adam Lieblein also made his presence felt with a sack. Not to be outdone by the other Matthew, Matthew Leutner led his team defensively with three tackles.

Week 7 Team of the Week

Offence:

QB Garner Ross (Tar Heels): 196 passing yards, 5 TDs, 0 INTs

RB Noah Swaminadham (X-Men): 66 rushing yards, 1 TD

WR Oren Arbel-Wood (Mustangs): 10 receptions, 68 receiving yards, 2 TDs

WR Nicolas Vandem-Abeele: 6 receptions, 103 receiving yards, 1 TD

WR Matthew Fixman (Dusters): 8 receptions, 92 receiving yards, 1 TD

WR Frida Llaguno: 4 receptions, 82 receiving yards, 2 TDs

Defence:

Rusher Noa Diamond (Bruins): 2 tackles, 4 sacks

DB Jedaiah Ward (Falcons): 7 tackles, 1 PD

DB William Bradford (Sun Devils): 4 tackles, 3 INTs, 1 PD

DB Jaeden Edghill (Thundering Herd): 2 tackles, 3 INTs, 1 defensive TD

DB Jonathan Atlan (Buckeyes): 2 PDs, 3 INTs, 1 defensive TD

DB Nicholas Di Maulo (Spartans): 6 tackles, 2 PDs, 2 INTs, 1 defensive score

 

With that, another week of FPF action draws to a close. We are now only a few days away from the last games of the regular season. However, there is still so much to be decided when it comes to the final standings. Whatever the final standings, the beautiful thing about FPF Junior is that every last team makes the playoffs. No matter how your regular season went, you still have a chance to win the championship. Especially since the playoffs are all played on the same day, whichever team is the hottest on that day, has the best chance at the championship title. While regular season does have a big impact on the playoffs, FPF Junior has already seen bottom of the table teams win it all. So, to all the teams who had a rough season: do not give up, there is still hope, you never know. And to all the teams who were flying high in the regular season, don’t rest on your laurels, anything can happen in the playoffs.

Like usual, I will have the pleasure of taking in this final week of action from the sidelines at the Kirkland Dome while Marc-André will take charge of the games at Stade de Montreal.