Week 10, Outdoor Football and the Playoff Race tightens

Welcome back Div 4! We had a short week in FPF with only a handful of games, yet, there was still some action to report on, including the beginning of outdoor games and a shift in the playoff positioning, so let’s get right to it.

Speaking of outdoors, we had outdoor games on Monday April 18th and the weather conditions played a role. It was cold and windy, and it impacted the first game of the night. Punting was a big part of the game, as teams were pinning opponents on their own 1 as they tried to play the field position game. Trust me, it was tough to catch those hardened balls curving with the wind and with the lights shining in your face.

On Tuesday it was too cold and too much snow on the ground to play outdoors so it was back inside the Loyola Dome, and on Wednesday, the warmest day of the three nights, I have no way of explaining how cold it was inside the Loyola Dome. Being inside, you could have sworn that it was -27 outside. It was truly like being inside a a refrigerator; so much so, that upon exiting the Dome, it felt warmer outdoors, and like I said, I have no way of explaining it.

4B – Rapid Fire

• The last playoff spot shifted from Los Locos to Team Ethink, who once again made their lives uneasy, as they gave the Eastside Boys a chance into their game by throwing a pick with 3 plays left in the game. Nonetheless, a win is a win, is a win, and Ethnik finds themselves inside the playoff bracket.
• On the other hand, Eastside Boys wasted their own chance to make a push for the playoffs as they failed to pick up a single point in their Week 9 double header inside the frigid Loyola Dome. Their last chance to squeak in now, is to beat The U and hope Mofos can beat out Los Locos.
• The other team that beat Eastside Boys, the Golden Eagles are also thankful for the win, as it seems them climb the standings and into a playoff spot, pushing the Ballers down in the red.
• The Golden Eagles look like a completely different team with Felix Goulet at QB. This might be the new darkhorse team in Division 4B. With a win over Honey Martin this Saturday, Golden Eagles can find themselves in the #3 seed after being in the basement all season.
• Finessers are fighting for their playoff lives and don’t have it easy against Beer Belly Brigade this week.
• Ballers vs. Voodoo is a huge game for both teams as it’s the 7 and 8 seeds in Conference B duking it out.
• Los Locos, Bandits and Team Ethnik have a 2022 NFL-end-of-season scenario that may play out. Check this out. Los Locos absolutely need the 2 points by beating Mofos to keep their playoff hopes alive. If that happens, Bandits are playing Team Ethnik this week, with both teams currently holding the final 2 playoff spots. If those 2 teams were to play to a tie, the 3 teams would have identical 4-5-1 records. If that happens, then Mofos would stand at 4-4-1 and if they lose their last game of the season to The U, they too would finish with a 4-5-1 record… 4 way-tiebreaker for a playoff spot anyone!? Conference A looks like it’s coming down the wire!
• When William Bissonnette is leaping towards the sideline and taps both toes in, he sends the “Ohhhhhh’s” through whichever complex he’s playing in. He might be the hottest receiver in the div with 9 TDs and 284 yards in his last 3 games. 🔥🔥🔥He also now leads the div in XP1 converts with 6.

4A – Roundtable Discussion

• The Bruins’ Rocco Christiano quietly has put up over 400 yards and 16 TDs in 7 games.
• Small week in 4A, as there was only 1 game on tap; Mongoose beat up LBB 38-26 outdoors at Loyola on Monday night.
• With the win, Mongoose has solidified their playoff position, sitting in the 4th seed at 4-4.
• On tap this week, we’ve got a battle of the #2 seeds from both conferences as Blackouts face The Stoics, should be a great battle!
• Wanna see a fireworks show? Forget LaRonde in the summer, go see Takeover vs. TOPSZN Sunday in Lachine.
• Week 10’s got a lot of great games, as Bruins face off against the rising Spera’s Cougars.
• Both Les Blues Branleurs and Nomads season is on the line this week. A loss for either team spells the end of their playoff hopes.

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Playoff Picture – 4A

Clinched Playoff Teams

Conference A:

1. KGP Ra* (7-1)
2. Blackouts* (6-2)
3. TOPSZN* (6-2)
4. Bruins* (5-3)

Conference B:

1. The BrotherHood* (6-2)
2. The Stoics* (5-3)

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Playoff Picture – 4B

Clinched Playoff Teams

Conference A:

1. Les Montagnards* (9-0)
2. The U* (7-1)
3. Les Verges Folles* (5-4)

Conference B:

1. Beer Belly Brigade* (7-1)
2. Vultures* (7-1)

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Game Recap

Team Ethnik 38- 31 Eastside Boys

In what was a frozen Loyola Dome, Will Bissonnette heated things up for Team Ethnik as Eastside Boys had no answer for him. He ended the night with 4 TDs on 6 receptions and 84 yards and was scoring in every way: Sideline go, post-corner tip-toe sideline TDs, you name it, Bissonnette turned it into TDs.

The game actually started well for Anthony Lazzara, as he scored on his first series in just 3 plays, the bulk of which came through a deep ball to Bekim Borova. They then forced a 4-and-out, but were unable to score to go up by 2 scores early. Instead, Bissonnette scored his first of the night for Ethnik, but were still down 7-6.

Early on, Lazzara failed to complete key 3rd and 4th down plays, which were responded with TDs by Team Ethnik. That, and then a late 1st half TD by Ethnik, combined with starting with the ball in the 2nd half (and scoring) to punch 13 points unanswered, and then next series Lazzara throwing a pick 6 to, guess who, Will Bissonnette (who baited Lazzara to throw the sideline hook) was enough for Ethnik to get the win.

However, as Moe Khan eluded to on CTA, Ethnik was in complete control of this game, but let the Eastside Boys right back in the game with a combination of quick scoring (Lazzara scored in 4 plays after the pick 6) and then Lawlor threw a pick 6 of his own to Angelo D’Onofrio, but it was too little too late.

Team Ethnik Player of the Game: William Bissonnette – 6 reception, 7 targets, 84 yards, 4 TDs, 4 tackles, 1 INT, 1 Def TD

Eastside Boys Player of the Game: Bekim Borova, 4 receptions, 7 targets, 67 yards, 1 TD, 3 tackles.

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Game Preview

Small Giants (4-2-1) vs. Backyard Bullies (3-5)

Both teams are looking to secure their playoffs positions, as the #5 seed Small Giants face off against the 6th and final playoff seeded team in Backyard Bullies. With the win, Small Giants can officially book their ticket to the postseason, whereas if the Backyard Bullies can pull off the upset as the underdog in this game, they would only clinch a playoff spot if both Big Fun and Hurley & Sons lose their respective Week 10 matchups. That’s actually a possibility as both Big Fun and Hurley play the #1 seeds from both Conferences.

Small Giants are an interesting team. There’s no doubt about their talent, especially offensively. That said, Lerner has thrown 3 INTs in 3 of his 4 last games, which is a bit of a concern going into any matchup. But if you ask me if I trust Lerner scoring points, the answer is an unequivocal yes. To compliment Lerner, the team has a very balanced receiver core, but when Theo Bekelis is in the lineup, he’s a game-changer. He actually is tied for the team-lead in TDs with 9 and is 2nd in receiving yards in just 5 games played. Not to mention the defensive turnover element he adds; he also leads the defense with 3 INTs on the season.

As for Jordan Allard, he’s had a mix of good and bad games. In the good games he’s thrown (TD-to-INT): 5:1, 4:0, 4:1, but in the bad games, he’s thrown: 2:3, 3:2, 3:4. Needless to say that if they want to win this game, they need the 0 or 1 INT Allard to play. They’ll alsoneed help from the depth receivers, above and beyond Steve Sanner and Rich Humes. More importantly, the offense needs to find the endzone, regardless of who scores the TDs. Backyard Bullies have scored the 3rd least points in the div and the Small Giants have been susceptible (especially as of late) to allowing opponents run up the scoreboard. Allard needs to ensure drives end in scores and for the defense to give him extra possessions via turnover, whether it’s in the form of interceptions or turnover on downs, the former being more likely. BB have 10 INTs on the season, just under the 11.5 INT season average per team in the division, but will certainly need the extra possessions to increase their likelihood of scoring TDs.

In the end, I trust the Small Giants offense to score more points as that’s not their isse, having scored the 6th most TDs in the div (36). Particularly, I see them capitalizing more than Backyard Bullies when they are inside the Red Zone. That’s enough for me to give them the edge in this matchup and predict them to clinch a playoff spot on Sunday.

Prediction: Small Giants 31– 19 Backyard Bullies

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(Mini) Fantasy Team of the Week (4B)

Quarterback (1):

QB1 – Felix Goulet (Golden Eagles): 13/26, 50% completion, 159 yards, 3 TDs, 0 INT, 107.7 QBR, 2 Rushing attempts, 20 Rushing yards, 1 Rushing TD

*

Receivers (3):

WR1 – William Bissonnette (Team Ethink): 6 receptions, 7 targets, 84 yards, 4 TDs, 1x XP1

WR2 – Kevin Lubin (Golden Eagles): 4 receptions, 5 targets, 43 yards, 2 TDs

WR3 – Bekim Borova (Eastside Boys – Game 1): 4 receptions, 7 targets, 67 yards, 1 TD

*

Defensive Backs (2) + Rusher (1):

DB – Ashtin Philistin (Golden Eagles): 2 tackles, 2 INTs, 1 PD, 1 Def INT

DB – Angelo D’Onofrio (Eastside Boys – Game 1): 2 tackles, 1 INT, 1 PD, 1 Def INT

Rusher – Antoine Charlebois (Golden Eagles): 3 sacks

*

(Mini) Fantasy Team of the Week (4A)

Quarterback (1):

QB1 – Alexandre Gaudet (Mongoose): 17/29, 181 yards, 4 TDs, 1 INT, 2 Rush attempts, 10 Rushing yards, 1 Rushing TD

*

Receivers (3:

WR1 – François Deslauriers (Mongoose): 6 receptions, 8 targets, 75 yards, 3 TDs

WR2 – Olivier Laberge (Les Blues Branleurs): 5 receptions, 8 targets, 76 yards, 1 TD

WR3 – Frederique Brunette (Les Blues Branleurs): 2 receptions, 4 targets, 35 yards, 2 TDs

*

Defensive Backs (3) + Rusher (0 – No one recorded a sack 🤦‍♂️):

DB – Marc-André Lapointe (Mongoose): 1 tackle, 1 INT, 1 PD, 1 Def INT

DB – Xavier Therrien (Mongoose): 4 tackles, 1 INT

DB – Olivier Pilotto (Les Blues Branleurs): 1 tackle, 1 INT

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No Power Rankings this week since only 3 games were played combined in the division! But here are my Game Picks for Week 10!

Week 10 Game Picks 

4A Games (My Picks are in Bold Green)

Big Fun vs. The BrotherHood

Blackouts vs. The Stoics

KGP Ra vs. Hurley & Sons

Small Giants vs. Backyard Bullies

Nomads vs. Mongoose

Takeover vs. TOPSZN

Centaures vs. Les Blues Branleurs

Bruins vs. Spera’s Cougars

Small Giants vs. Nomads

4B Games (My Picks are in Bold Green)

Honey Martin vs. Golden Eagles – NA

Finessers vs. Beer Belly Brigade

Ballers vs. Voodoo

Los Locos vs. Mofos

Sphinx vs. Hot Sauce Sports

Les Montagnards vs. Les Verges Folles

Bandits vs. Team Ethnik – Tie

Arouch vs. Vultures

Eastside Boys vs. The U

Epilogue

Well, that does it for this week! I know the article wasn’t as long as usual but there wasn’t too much content, but next week’s should be juicy, as we head into the last week of the season and the playoff picture could be quite complex! Hope you enjoyed the read! Feel free to reach out to me on socials @iggymanz or Ignacio Valdes-Manzanedo on FB messenger if you’ve got any feedback on what you want to hear about.

Want more FPF? Here’s CTA from this past week as the classic duo of Moe, Peeze and Eagle were back at it!