Playoffs Round 1 Review

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Category: The Sentinel

Created: Wednesday, 26 June 2019 14:49

Published: Wednesday, 26 June 2019 14:49

Written by Patrick McGovern

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The first round of the playoffs have come and gone. Were there upsets? Oh my yes there were. Every hour of the day ended with at least one MAJOR elimination that no one saw coming. For some, the ending to their season was anticipated, for others it was a relief, while for a decent number the abrupt conclusion still has them shaking their heads wondering what went wrong. The day was beautiful so there could be no blaming the weather (save that excuse for the fall session). Nope, the teams moving on to next week earned their spots and if this past week taught us anything it’s that it is anyone’s game.

In Breakfast Club, the semifinal rounds resulted in Schilling Em Softly taking the win over EmC Hammertime, 47-37. Ricky Austin was back for his team but could not connect with his receivers when it counted. Drew tried to put the team on his back but came up short. Colorado Mike was clearly under-utilized and could have made all the difference if his talents were recognized sooner. SES continued their run-and-gun strategy. Award-winning Tommy Hughes was back in the lineup and helped Matty Ice run the offense. Employing simple slants, outs, and post routes, SES was able to march down the field and into the championship next week.

Over on Field 2, Bern Them All suffered a close defeat to Hot TaMolly’s, 33-34. Garrett and Travis both played well, but BTA took too long making adjustments on defense. Garrett was able to recognize and exploit mismatches resulting in Boccio and Josh scoring numerous TDs on post routes and gos down the sideline. HT used their females well to move the ball down the field. BTA could not find an answer for the deep balls and were unable to punch it in at the end of the game.

Also at 9am, Come From Behind and Pink Pteratacos battled it out for a spot in the R3 finals. Paul LoVullo was back in action after missing the majority of this session.  They appeared to have their main cast of characters but could not stop PP on defense. Joe played a great game and his receivers made some phenomenal catches. As sad as we are to see CFB knocked out, PP is a team that’s easy to root for. They will also be a team to contend with as they are finally coming together in the last couple weeks.

Marketing Mayors just barely missed having the bye this week despite the same record as Eyes Downtown. They lost the head-to-head match up, however, and had to play 1 Todd Too Many for their shot in the semis. Fortunately for MM, they had 1T2M outmatched and took the win, 31,16. 1T2M had all their weapons but MM was able to exploit the weaknesses. Mark Dalfanso and Topper had their pick of skilled receivers to choose from. Any other QB watching this game was salivating over both of their options. Drew and Pete played well but they could not keep up with Delecki, Andy Smith and even Corey Turner, who had some impressive looks of his own. There was no shortage of female talent either; 1T2M has 3 solid females who look right at home in C1. Topper clearly has complete faith his girls as he spread the ball out to each of them. Carissa was back for MM, giving them arguably the best female tandem in the league between her and Julie. Next week will be a huge day for MM as rumors are swirling Bobby McConnell will not be in attendance. Their chance to finally get a win over ED has never looked so good.

Bullet Club destroyed Money Ball in a game that was over by half time. Travis played exceptionally well and his females all had amazing games. Tommy Nodler had a big game as well, scoring TDs and adding a couple picks to his stats. MB tried 3 QBs throughout the course of the game but none of them could get the job done. They continued to try to go deep every play aside from the 2 yard dump passes to their females. Team turmoil appeared to occur early in the game. Tim Dove pulled Scotty Pinto after he refused to follow his play calling, putting Rick in at QB. Rick had some early trouble when he threw 2 picks after leading a touchdown drive. Talk on the sideline was that Rick is colorblind and couldn’t see the difference in shirt color between his teams’ pink and Nodler’s blue. Tough break Rick. Up next, Radon went in at QB. He also tried for the long ball right away. The game was well over by this point though, and Bullet Club moves on the semis following their 46-18 win.

In perhaps the biggest upset of the week, End Game was eliminated from playoffs by none other than Puckett All Stars, who won 35-16. PAS, who were 3-6 at season’s end, lost to EG earlier this session but as history has shown us, it’s tough to beat a team twice. This is certainly an upset but PAS is a talented team. They had attendance issues all session but unfortunately for EG, everyone was there when it mattered. I noticed some impressive play calling, particularly in the red zone. At QB for PAS, T.J Ferguson utilized all his receivers and their female players stepped up to the occasion. Perhaps the outcome of this game shouldn’t come as too much of a shock as PAS were tied in 17^th for one of the best offenses in the league. Granted EG was in 7^th (thank you Power Rankings). EG picked the wrong day to have a bad game. They struggled to move the ball and Dave tried to force it deep when he had the short play wide open. Not saying the loss was completely on Dave, defensively this team was the best in the league, allowing only 18 points a game on average. This week, there were too many miscommunications and PAS capitalized on them. Let’s see if they can ride their momentum into next week.

The TMA/pAssless Chaps game was another upset not many people would have bet on. TMA had everyone except Rob but could not get anything going on offense. They had 3 dropped passes in the end zone that would have been gender touchdowns. But the loss wasn’t exclusively due to what TMA failed to do. pAssless Chaps played an outstanding game. Coach Jay played inspired, picking apart the defense and calling plays to get his receivers where they needed to be. There was one guy on their team who played out of his mind, helping to carry his team to their 47-14 victory.

Slytherin that End Zone narrowly beat Morning Wood, 34-32 after double overtime. Newman was on point as he led his team to victory. Dawson had a great game, using his hands and blazing speed to keep his team in the game. Their girls have played well all season and Newman showed complete trust by firing the game-winning touchdown to Kelsey on 2^nd down. It should be noted that last week, Mo Saleh was overheard to say that MW was walking into the playoffs and going undefeated now that they had JJ back. Well Dave Wilbern and Mo were MIA this game. JJ did everything he could to put the team on his back, putting on a show with their QB but it clearly wasn’t enough. SITE took an early lead but then had trouble down the stretch. MW was able to tie it up but was stopped on the conversion that would have won them the game. SITE started with the ball in OT but could not punch it in. MW took over and they too could not finish. As per our OT rules, MW got the ball again and scored a guy TD but once again could not complete the conversion. That gave SITE the ball and, as mentioned, Kelsey came through huge for her team and they will advance to the semis.

Tight Ends in Motion knocked XTC out of the playoffs with a 36-28 win. This game was back and forth for the duration. Sooch played well but it was ultimately XTC’s defense that let them down. Seth was in at QB for Tight Ends but XTC played as if Alex was back behind the line. Defenders lost their receivers in the back field resulting in several deep catches. TE scored at least 4 deep tds, which leads me to wonder how the game would have played out if Alex had indeed been in attendance. 

GLBS (#2) was the favorite in their game against Indecent Exposure (#7) but as I’ve heard said, anything can happen any given Saturday. Glenn talked a big game about being 2-0 at QB for his team following the injury to Josh Hochadel, despite averaging a pick a game. Playoffs, however, are a different game. The windows get smaller, the defense gets tighter and the pressure increases tenfold. Glenn was feeling that pressure as he threw 4 interceptions and missed several open receivers. IE came to play on defense, making big plays when they needed to. Coming into playoffs as the 16^th worst defense in the league, they picked the right time to turn it up. While they were not scoring at will, they managed to put up 27 points and hold GLBS to 21, moving them on to the semis while GLBS will have all of August to think about what went wrong.

The Godfather predicted the outcome of the Energy Buff/Title Shot game based on who would show up for both teams. Well, EB was able to field pretty much all of their impressive roster. Unfortunately, for the 7^th week in a row, TS was unable to get their team to show up so they rolled with Dubey, Rogo, Garbacz, one other guy, Jill and Devon. EB’s biggest issue this session is their inability to utilize their female players. This week they were able to change that. Kate and Nicole had great games and these ladies could be a big threat if EB continues with the same strategy next week. As luck would have it, I heard rumors that EB will have attendance troubles once again next week with some players going away on vacation. While, to be completely honest, I wouldn’t bet on this team going all the way with all their players, it would have been interesting to see how they fared. 

Sadly, after a less than desirable session, this week saw the downfall of 3^rd & Schlong following a 46-16 loss to Peachy Platoon. The Keller’s, 40 Year Plan Guy and Co will hopefully be watching from the sideline after this spring session was not kind to them. They had a couple big wins but more memorable was the blowout loss to Frodo Swaggins the week prior. Scott Keller, Sr threw 3 picks during this game as well and his team was just did not match up on defense. Rumors were swirling at the after party that 3&S may be disbanding as certain members were scouting players for a new team. Peachy Platoon came to town and put an end to 3&S’s championship hopes and dreams. Their girls played phenomenal and their guys demonstrated unstoppable athleticism. Now I wonder if teams will finally make adjustments to combat Dean’s playing style. PP has beaten every team moving on to next week but as I’ve mentioned, beating a team twice is no easy feat.

Speaking of Frodo Swaggins, here’s another huge upset that probably could have been predicted but no one was betting on. During the session, Scotty D lived and died by the long ball but that came back to bite him this week. They were not able to move the ball down the field with the short passes and 2 picks in the second half turned the tide of the game. Sticky Bandits went back and forth with Frodo all game, making big defensive stops. They reached a new level once Dave Baker showed up at half time. Jeff Krol and Alex were not there in person as they were attending Raj’s wedding but thanks to Stoner Dave, they were able to watch and contribute to the game via FaceTime. SB moves on with the 45-30 win.

The final score may not reflect it but the Matty’s Angels vs Five Star Generals game was closer than you might have thought, at least at halftime. The Angels got off to a slow start with some uncharacteristic drops. FSG were playing tough defense but then Gronk started to talk shit and well, the rest is history. Matty Ice hit the accelerator with the help of Taylor Pagano balling out. If there’s one thing teams should know it’s that the best way for Matty Ice to go from having a bad game to a great game is by making him mad. Angels ran away with the W, 45-22.

Top 3 of the Week:

1. Puckett All Stars- most people would have counted them out so have to give it to them for pulling out the win and advancing to the semis

2. Pink Pteratacos- after a shaky end of the season, PP picked the right time to turn it around and move on to the next round

3. Bullet Club- despite attendance issues, they continue to win with whomever shows up and their strong female presence could steal them a win this week

That concludes the semi-final game reviews. The after party at Lockhouse Distillery was equally as exciting boasting a great turn out for a good cause. There was much intermingling resulting in the possibility of new teams consisting of some big name players. Plenty of alcohol was involved but every one stayed cool. A new league legend could have been born if he is able to live up to his own hype. Cole’s balls were brought up on more than one occasion. Overall our night away from the Rose Garden was a success; I wouldn’t be against regularly reconvening at other local watering holes. On to next week…If your team is still in the running congratulations and we wish you luck in the finals. If not, why not come by anyway to hang out and watch some football? I’ll be watching…

~ courtesy of...The Sentinel

Week 7 Review

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Category: The Sentinel

Created: Tuesday, 11 June 2019 12:41

Published: Tuesday, 11 June 2019 12:41

Written by Patrick McGovern

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Helllloooo TSL! Week 7 has come and gone, and what a week it was. Mother Nature appears to be fully on our side now as the weather was glorious. There were plenty of red shoulders and faces later in the day to attest to that. Coming up on our last week of the regular season, the results of Week 7 had little effect on the previous rankings. Sure, there are still some close races for the top spots but those on the top of each division have all earned their right to be there. Let’s talk about what went down this week:

In Breakfast Club this week, the schedule just so happened to work out that teams were supposed to play the same team they played last week so instead of doing that, it was decided that they would play the team they missed for the rainout. Hot TaMolly’s and Bern Them All played in a down-to-the-wire nail biter that could have gone either way. HT was missing captain Molly but Garrett led a strong offense by not being afraid to take the short passes when they were there or go for the long ball. Travis struggled at QB for BTA, missing his receivers on multiple occasions but made a game ending pick on defense and BTA was able to pull out a win 16-14.

EmC HammerTime and Natural Born Kellers also had a back and forth game. Non-award winning Tommy Hughes stepped in as QB for ECHT. Austin Weber had a huge game on defense for NBKs, adding a couple more picks to his BC stats. Katie Keller led her team to victory making big catches when they needed them and her team responded by playing a mechanically sound game. JZ even graced us with his presence and brought his usual level of high strung energy. ECHT had a chance to win it at the end by having Emily Curry throw but Scott Keller failed to make the catch (rumor has it some shady defense was involved). NBK walked away with a win 34-26.

Schilling Em Softly won a blow out game against Peanut Butter Kelly Time 38-6. PBKT was missing Jamy however, Sal was MIA for SES. At halftime the game was tied and within reach for either team but SES turned on the burners coming out of the half and ran away with it. SES’s Brandy led a drive at QB and PBKT had no answers on defense. Breakfast Club playoffs start next week!

In C1/C2 we had our preplanned cross divisional games this week. The results of these games were pretty much as expected but let’s talk about them anyway. Public Enemy and Bullet Club was a much anticipated match up to see if PE’s streak could be brought down by a lower division team. Alas, it was not to be. Early errors on BC’s part resulted in an early lead for PE. BC spent the rest of the game playing catch up but was not able to overcome the deficit they created.  PE showed early why they are a team to be reckoned with. After the game PE held a players only meeting to discuss their recent close calls, averaging a 4.75 point margin of victory in their last 4 games.

Marketing Mayors demolished Money Ball, 32-6. There was not much to be said for this game as this was pretty much the outcome everyone expected aside from a slight hope MB would make some unanticipated magic happen. Dalfonso systematically marched down the field. They had all their guys in attendance but MB also had a full roster aside from Glowacki. MB definitely has talent but they were outmatched, outgunned, and outplayed against MM. Marketing Mayors played Eyes Downtown later in the day for a game that was much more evenly matched. These teams know each other well although ED had some new faces mixed in. ED is coming into their own with Bobby back in the mix. The big names on both teams were doing their best to steal this game away from the other but ED came away with the win 33-32 due to a failed 2 point conversion.

1 Todd Too Many faced Energy Buff in what was anticipated as a high chance of a lower division upset. Topper and Co however, had other plans. They were short on guys so it was all hands on deck for defense but they stepped up their zone and held EB to 16 points, allowing no deep passes behind them. Topper continued his winning ways for the day and put up 37 points. EB continued their roller coaster of a session. Very similar to MB, they have talent all over the field but need that cohesion amongst themselves to get to the level of other teams in this division. They did not have QB1 and once again, appeared to be missing some key guys as well.

Tight Ends in Motion played A&A in one of the 2 upsets of these match ups. TE was without QB Alex so had Kyle Conniff throwing. There were some missed passes but way too many dropped balls on offense. A&A had most of their regulars (although to be completely honest I’m not sure who they all are). Maggie returned giving Matty Ice one of his favorite female targets back. TE’s could not figure out how to make stops on defense resulting in a 31-37 loss.

Slytherin that end zone versus Morning Wood turned out to be a back and forth, all out battle that resulted in a tie, 36-36. Newman was hitting his targets and the speedsters on SITE were making him look good. SITE’s new girl is beginning to stand out as well on both offense and defense. Dave Wilbern and MW played like there was no tomorrow. The receivers on this team were making highlight reel catches. I don’t know what got into them but if they had played like this all session, they wouldn’t be sitting at the bottom of the division.

Cunning Stunts/Matty’s Angels was given all the fanfare this game receives every session and alas, like most hyped up games this session, it did not live up to the hype. MA took an early lead and held it for the duration of the game. Both teams agreed to go all female on defense which absolutely worked to the Angels favor. The Stunts could not cover the deep balls and Matty Ice tore their zone apart, relentlessly sending Lindsey and Katie Salsbury on post routes. Emily Curry appeared to be leading the defense for the Angels and Joey Batts couldn’t keep up with their constant changing from zone to man. I’m told the Angels had some words for the Godfather last week after he ripped apart their D but allowing 42 points isn’t going to shut anyone up. Regardless, they came away with the win and bragging rights until next time, 61-42.

Over Compensators beat HomeTech 33-29. Short on guys, OC called in Rameer and Hearn to help them in this victory. HT had the edge early and was up until OC brought in Larry at QB. Larry took charge of the offense and things started to click for this team, giving them their 2^nd win of the session. HT falls into last place in the division after this loss. Austin Weber used up all his magic early in the day and couldn’t make enough happen to hold it together for a win.

Come From Behind played a good game against Hope N Ruin. They kept up as best they could but the guys of HNR proved to be too much for CFB. Erica and Nicole played great games for HNR as did the females on CFB. The game was close fought with both teams making big plays and stops when they needed it. HNR pulled away by the end and came away with a 30-21 victory. As history has proven, this is when HNR begins to thrive.

Buffalo Solar Solutions bested Hung Buffalo, 44-27, albeit HB had none of their usual females. The ladies of CFB subbed for them and kept it close for most of the game. Jenn Stachura’s route running is among the best in the league and I don’t mean in terms of just other females. There were moments of greatness for both teams. The redhead on HB played great and I’m curious how I’ve never noticed him before. BSS’s QB remained poised all game, granted they did seem to have some trouble punching the ball in when they were in the red zone. The females of BSS are athletes and I wouldn’t be surprised if this team makes a big jump in the rankings just before playoffs.

Cobblestone picked up a win against Full Throttle, 27-22, even without Darryl to lead them. Garrett came back to his old stomping grounds to throw for them and they were able to capitalize on some big plays. Garrett used his teams’ height advantage where he could to pull out this win. FT struggled to adjust their defense and gave up significant yardage by playing too far off their opponents. They also had one of their best receivers in as QB. I guess when you’re sitting at the bottom of your division, now is the time to try out new things.

3^rd & Schlong played Sticky Bandits, who have seemed to be quieter than usual this session. With Alex out of the line up, Raj stepped in to throw for the Bandits. It was a high scoring game with both teams not afraid to air out the ball. 3&S made some big defensive plays in the end zone while Nicole and Katie Keller feasted on offense. The game ended in a 38-38 tie. In a division as close as R1 is right now, either of these teams could be poised for an upset come playoffs.

The Ugandan Warriors beat Vandalay Industries, 32-26. VI was able to keep it close throughout the game but they could not get a stop on defense when they needed it. Blasé is really connecting with his receivers. They had Moe in the line up this week who is a good foot and a half taller than anyone on the field, however, his hands proved to be suspect. Get some gloves bro. Dorene and the ladies of UW are well seasoned vets and they had the VI females outmatched. VI played Five Star Generals later in the day. Once again, the ball was sailing for both teams and FSG came away with the win, 58-49. VI was missing Kyle in this game which significantly hurt them offensively and defensively.  FSG needed this game to have any chance at the playoffs and a win next week may just move them up into that final place in R3.

The Ugandan Warriors also had a double header this week. Next up was Pink Pteratacos. First and foremost, congratulations to Mark of PP on his recent engagement to his lovely girlfriend. Way to go! As for the game, UWs were revved up from their recent victory and carried that momentum on to this game. Frank made some remarkable catches and PP’s defense couldn’t find an answer. UW came away with the win, 33-20. PP missed too many passes on offense and their receivers were guilty of too many drops to win a game. From the outside looking in, it appears PP has too many voices in the huddle.

TMA’s season is all over the place yet somehow they still sit in 3^rd place in their division, pretty impressive with a losing record. This week they played Jabronies who recently dropped out of the #1 spot. The Jabronies took full advantage of TMA being short on players and rolled past them winning, 52-14. Ferger and Rameer both tried their hand at QB but couldn’t bring the secret stuff the latter brought last week. Tensions ran high as they had difficulties on offense and defense and began turning on each other and the referees. The Jabronies offense continues to perform at a high level and pending any momentous upsets, we’ll be seeing them against Practice Squad in a couple week’s time.

It seems Week 1 was just yesterday but alas it was quite some time ago. Teams that started off hot have faded and started to fizzle out while others are finally coming into their own at the right time. Some teams fight for their playoffs lives as others are riding their new found momentum into the playoffs. And that brings us to the end of Week 7. Up next week, enter the final week of the regular season.  More cross divisional games in C1/C2 are looming, this week the match ups are based on standings. R1 and R4 are also playing in ranking games, giving us a glimpse of possible championship potential in 3 weeks time. Remember, this is Lenny Appreciation Week! Starting Friday night at Vue Rooftop Lounge, we will celebrate and remember our friend Lenny then continue the celebration into Saturday where plenty of fun shenanigans are planned. You don’t want to miss it! I’ll be watching…

Top 3 of the Week:

1.      Marketing Mayors- Currently in 3^rd but sitting with the highest point differential in the division

2.      Matty’s Angels- These ladies continue to impress, boasting the second highest win streak and seemingly scoring at will

3.      Gryffindor- Coming in on playoffs with a 3 game win streak, Joey Batts and Co are finalizing utilizing their roster to capitalize on their strengths

-The Sentinel

Week 8 Review

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Category: The Sentinel

Created: Wednesday, 19 June 2019 13:01

Published: Wednesday, 19 June 2019 13:01

Written by Patrick McGovern

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The final week of the regular season has come and gone. Some teams finished right where we thought they would (Public Enemy, Matty’s Angels); some are unexpectedly at the top of their division (GLBS, Slytherin that Endzone); some were a huge disappointment (Money Ball, Full Throttle). It turned out that some of the teams crying about moving up to the next division were right in doing so. For others, (ahem-Gryffindor-cough) they now look like huge assholes, especially when they talk shit during the games about how they’re so much better than their opponents. But I digress…Lenny Alba Appreciation Day was considered to be a huge success based on the reactions of those I spoke to throughout the day. Was it a little cold for ice cream? Maybe, but that didn’t stop us all from indulging on 1 or 4 novelty treats. The DJ was playing jams up at the bar. I even heard some people saying they got a dollar off on a drink once! Oh happy day! Speaking of happy days, not everyone was having the happiest of times on all the fields. Let’s take a look at what went down.

The Breakfast Club playoffs began this week with the bottom 4 teams fighting for a spot in the semi’s. Hot TaMolly’s beat Peanut Butter Kelly Time in a blowout game consisting of numerous picks and turnovers. PBKT looked ready to see this season come to an end as most everyone was moping around within the first 2 drives. HT were surprised to be in the position of having to play for a spot. They were overheard saying that they not only should have placed higher than 3^rd, but they “should have been undefeated”. Strong words, I look forward to seeing if they hold merit in the weeks to come.

EmC HammerTime beat Natural Born Kellers, ending Topper’s odd year BC Championship run. Ricky was MIA so once again non-award winning Tommy Hughes filled in for ECHT. This was a close game that could have gone either way. Katie Keller played her heart out for her team and JZ gave it his usual 110%. Unfortunately for them, Glenn Bird and Drew showed up big as well as the girls of ECHT. I did not envy Karl the ref in this one as it seemed like there was someone bitching about something after every play. It came down to the wire and ECHT was able to run down the clock and advance to the semi’s next week.

A&A had a chance for co-ed football immortality by beating Public Enemy and breaking their undefeated streak. I am equal parts disappointed and relieved this did not come to fruition as, on one hand, it would have given me a chuckle to see a C1 juggernaut lose their streak to a C2 team who claimed they did not have the talent to move up to C1. One the other hand, we all would have had to hear not only Matty Ice but also JZ talk nonstop about it afterwards. But alas, PE got an early lead after Matty threw a pick on 6^th down from the 10 yard line. The half ended with PE up by 3 scores. A&A was able to score coming out of the half but PE answered right back by a phenomenal catch by Greg Osika. As cool as that was, however, he totally ruined it by lateraling the ball right to Tony on the 1 yard line, which A&A obviously cashed in on. It was too little, too late though and PE took the win, 40-15.

All We Do Is Quinn played Slytherin That Endzone in a tight game that both teams were right in there for. AWDIQ has always been known to have speedy guys but the new faces on SITE have truly impressed this session. I saw Dawson make play after play gaining copious yards after the catch. Newman is thriving now that he has solid athletes to throw to, including Abby who has hands and speed. He was hurt during his BC game so it was probably in this team’s favor that he no longer has to throw at 9 as well. Vince Taverna is making his way up the QB Power Rankings thanks largely to his solid male and female receivers. Rawdog showed up big again in this game. The match came right down to the end but SITE was not able to punch it in for what would have been the game-winning TD and AWDIQ walked away with the win 33-30.

Frodo Swaggins demolished 3^rd & Schlong. I have no idea what happened to our perennial favorites but to say they struggled would be a huge understatement. Scott Keller Sr threw multiple picks early in the game. Katie Keller tried to motivate her team to press on but they could not recover from the early hole they put themselves in. QB Scott D on FS was connecting with all his receivers, especially Tammy, who caught her fair share of TDs. Nick Buzcek and Josh Schneider played great defense, contributing largely to their stats this week. FS came away with 74, yes I said 74, points over 3&S’s 19.

Buffalo Solar Solutions squeaked by Cobblestone, 20-14. Cobblestone did have Daryl in attendance and finally seemed to be firing on all cylinders. Daryl was connecting with his nephews and utilizing Steph who he brought in as a sub. BSS struggled offensively but I must say, #1 on this team is always open. Also noticeable on BSS was the girl in the black headband who has great hands especially on contested catches.

Hope N Ruin thought they had the game against Overcompensators in the bag. OC had other ideas though and made a drastic come back after some early-game errors. These teams are very similar to each other in that both teams struggled making stops on defense but were able to produce by keeping to simple offensive plays. The QB of OC spread the ball around to all his players and they squeaked by with the win, 47-46.

Eyes Downtown played Gryffindor as both of these teams were ranked second in their respective divisions. ED was missing just about everyone, most notably Bobby, Jeff, and Matty Mohr. Chadwick stepped in at QB to try to improve his personal record, albeit with a short cast of characters. His depleted offense had trouble running the routes according to his specifications which he was none too happy about. They also had some in-hand drops, very uncharacteristic of this team. On the other side of the ball, Joey Batts is finally looking like his old self. He took control of this game, utilizing the weapons he has. Matt played an outstanding game both offense and defensively. ED could not figure out how to defend the plays Joey called, resulting in Gryffindor taking the upset win, 27-13.

Marketing Mayors played Bullet Club in the first of the latter’s double header this week. BC was outmatched and got down early in the game. They were able to get within a couple scores as the game progressed but had too many drops and could not get a stop on defense. They refused to change from their usual cover 2 defense which clearly isn’t working as they are giving up an average of 32 points a game, allowing for the most points scored in the division (and C1 in case you were wondering). Molly Morgan had a great game for MM and Kevin could run circles around the defenders of BC without being tagged, resulting in a MM win, 52-41. 

Bullet Club played Gryffindor later in the day in a game who’s winner would take the 1^st place spot while the loser dropped down to 3^rd place and have to fight for their lives next week. BC struggled on offense due to high winds. They couldn’t get anything going and their usual strategy of going deep backfired completely. Joey Batts was able to capitalize on this and used his teams’ speed to take advantage of the short field. They repeatedly ran the same plays, stretching the field to get guys open either in the middle or on the sidelines behind the flats. Once again, BC had no answer on defense and lost 8-49.

Ugandan Warriors played Come From Behind, who finally looked to have a full team together, minus Paul. CFB’s stand-in QB has seemed to come into his own at the right time now that the playoffs are among us. Helping his success, Sean made some huge plays on offense. Uganda played a solid game but need to work on their red zone defense. They would also benefit from a coach to draw up their plays. Blasé seems to be trying but he doesn’t have the experience to orchestrate an entire offense as opposed to the one person he is intending to throw to. Their females continued to play well and could be the determining factor in some of these close games. CFB took the win 28-24, bumping them right behind Uganda in the rankings.

The Jabronies beat the pAssless Chaps 42-28. Joe Miano is continuing to impress at QB, putting up a commendable 319 points on the season. Jeremy also caught some attention this week after a pick that would have been a TD if he hadn’t stepped out for the gender TD. He showed some seriously unexpected speed after the catch. PC had too many drops, especially in the end zone. Anyone who has been around for even part of a session can tell you, 2 or 3 drops on a drive is not going to win you any games. Coach Jay seemed to be working out the playbook in what could only be described as this “rebuilding” year.

Two teams mentioned in my introduction played against each other this week. Unfortunately for the disappointing Full Throttle team, their opponent, GLBS, fell into the pleasantly surprised category. FT has struggled offensively all session, resulting in their last place finish and 1 win. Perhaps not surprising as most of their losses have not even been close games, FT played as if they were already defeated this whole game. GLBS was on the other side of my expectations, mainly because I wasn’t sure who this team was going into the session. Their season started out all over the place, losing to End Game, shutting out Uncle Rico’s then losing to Puckett All Stars. If you’d have told me then this team would finish 2^nd in the division, I’d have chuckled in your face. Josh played great for them until his season-ending injury. Glenn has stepped in at QB and quickly became a leader. With his leadership and defensive prowess, his team has the talent to make it far in this extremely competitive division. They marched over FT, 42,22.

Matty’s Angels held on to their undefeated record by beating Vandalay Industries, 52-43. Topper was off playing with his C1 team, so non-award winning Tommy Hughes filled in at QB. Clearly, the Angel’s continue to have difficulty on defense but they more than made up for it on offense. Even without subs, the Angels were able to outrun the defenders of VI. Tensions ran high by the end of the game as some players do not appreciate Matty Ice’s game time enthusiasm but if you go undefeated in a session, a little show boating is warranted. Looking at the rankings now, that win put the Angels in first place overall in the league, not that there’s a trophy for that…

TMA played BiPolar Express again, meaning BE was once again missing 3 of their usual females. TMA was without Ron for the second week in a row so Rich stepped up to try to fill his shoes and had a great game. TMA went with a 3 female offense to combat the scoring of a gender team. They gave them the short passes and did not allow for any long balls. This strategy seemed to work well and resulted in several turn over on downs or punts. Gordon went “red shirt” after Rameer slapped a ball out of Riley’s hand, preventing BE from getting a play off which would have resulted in an offense penalty on TMA. He did admit his infraction but still, for shame Rameer, for shame. TMA went on to win 12-9.

XTC pummeled a once again depleted Title Shot team, 37-8. Dubey was in attendance this time but played receiver. They also went iron man on defense again as they were missing just about everyone we have seen this session including award-winning Tommy Hughes and Devon. Nick Sooch played great for XTC. With the talent they have and a QB who knows how to use that talent to their advantage, it’s no surprise they ended up 4^th in C1 and could even pull off a playoff win.

Peachy Platoon went against Sticky Bandits and came away with a 30-14 win. Dean Thompson played the game he has played all session that no one seems to want to adjust to. Of all teams, I thought SB would have the smarts to have an answer for his play calling. The pitch play continued to gain them 10-15 yards at a time. Marissa showed off her talents, making great plays and sharp route running. SB was without QB Alex so Ricky Recckio went in to throw. He didn’t have the magic they needed on offense but made a couple big picks for his team. Both teams have tough draws in the first round of playoffs but have shown they have the moxy to get it done.

Eyes Downtown had another game later in the day against Tight Ends In Motion. They had much more success in this game as Bobby McConnell returned as well as Jeff Farr. Bobby also brought in a 3^rd girl to give Taylor and Beth a breather throughout the game. Rumors were swirling Chadwick was not present for the game as he was upset about the morning match up and left in a tizzy. ED looked much more like their usual selves with Bobby back calling the plays. TE had Seth throwing and Alex playing receiver. I, for one, thought this was a great idea as Seth is one of the top QBs available and if his attendance could be relied upon, there’s no way this man should be playing back up. The game seemed closer than it was and tensions ran high in this one as well due to some unnecessary roughness that went uncalled. To be fair, tensions always run high when these teams play each other so it was only a matter of time. ED held on to their 2^nd place spot and secured a first round bye with a 27-18 win.

Lastly, Ultimate Warriors finally got their first win of the session over Morning Wood, 20-16. The Warriors tried out Josh at QB who has looked to be their best option to date (albeit Sam got an unfair draw by having to play against Quinn in her starting QB debut). If anything, UWs should consider this a moral victory as it did not affect them in the standings but it saved them from being the only defeated team in the league. Morning Wood looked like a team ready for the summer to start. They would benefit from some throwing and catches practicing prior to next session.

So that concludes the regular season weekly reviews. Man did that go by fast. With playoffs looming, it is literally anyone’s game. There are even more questions than answers now than before the session began; Who will step up and be the hero? Who will implode and forever wonder what could have been? Will Public Enemy retain their streak and take another title? Will the Angels’ perfect session end with a title or disappointment? Who will try to use an illegal sub and face the wrath of Rameer? Will Joey Batts and Jeremy Burr win a title and have to think of another excuse to not move up? Will all of Title Shot show up and shock the world by thumping teams now that it’s playoffs? All these questions will be answered in a few short weeks’ time.

Top 3 of the Week:

1.      Topper- he pulled off a truly wonderful Lenny Alba Appreciation Day and continues to provide us with the best co-ed sports league in the area

2.      End Game- quietly on top of their division with a 153 point differential, this is a team to watch in the playoffs.

3.      Frodo Swaggins- coming back from an abysmal start, they end the session with the most points for amongst all nongender teams

Next week begins round 1 of playoffs. This is where heroes are made people so bring your A game and remember I’ll be watching…

~The Sentinel

THE SENTINEL: WEEK 7

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Category: The Sentinel

Created: Thursday, 06 June 2019 12:37

Published: Thursday, 06 June 2019 12:37

Written by Patrick McGovern

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THE SENTINEL:  WEEK 7

Welllllll here we are post-Week 6 and it was a doozy. I feel like I should address the elephant in the room now and say that no I will not be discussing “the fight” which occurred this week The Build has his input and I’m sure the Godfather will have their say about it and I don’t feel like that sort of conduct deserves any other recognition than to say “Grow up”. I care more about the games and the people who can conduct themselves like adults. There were quite a few upsets this week and A LOT of points scored. Looking over the results of this past week, I see the majority of the combined scores for the game are in the 50-80 range. Looks like that QB Power Ranking has really motivated some of our QBs this season. Let’s see what went down.

In Breakfast Club, Natural Born Kellers were right in the game against Hot TaMollys. Topper looked to be in mid-season form and Garrett has proven to any early-on doubters that he is the real deal at QB, even in socks. The game was back and forth until the end when things took a turn for the worst for NBK. Josh had a great interception, not sure where this guy came from but he’s definitely one of the best never-talked-about players in the league. Boccio decided to have the game of his life, making every effort to get on ESPN’s highlight reel. Then Blasé decides he needs abandon NBKs to warm up for his 10:00 game with 20 minutes left to go in this game. Blasé- I get you made a commitment to your regular team but leaving this team in the trenches is not cool Bro. Then NBK had the chance to take the lead with under 2 minutes when Topper’s leg betrayed him and he failed to get the throw off on 6^th down. HT ended up taking the game 42-39.

Schilling Em Softly remains in 1^st place and the top contender for the BC title by beating Bern Them All36-27. They were missing Emily S and Brandy so had Elaina from No Punt Intended subbing. Matty Ice scrambled for a collective 47 minutes and BTAs defense could not keep up. Tensions on BTA began to rise as they struggled to defend trick plays. Some uncharacteristic drops and botched throws cost BTA the game.

Peanut Butter Kelly Time got their first win of the season besting EmC HammerTime 21-17. Newman had a big day all around and it all started here. Coach Jay’s patience and wisdom finally paid off. Captain Kelly was not present to finally claim the bra of an opponent. Ricky Austin was MIA for ECHT so Ferger took over as QB. Emily and Co will need to right the ship to avoid slipping into last place just before playoffs.

Bullet Club vs Title Shot turned out to have an ending no one expected. Title Shot went from the top, undisputed favorite of the C2 division down to 5^th place. Their fall from grace could easily be attributed to Dubey’s lack of attendance but he was there for this game. Unfortunately, several other guys were not meaning Dubey also had to play defense. Being a veteran in this league for as long as he has been has its benefits but having to go iron man takes a huge toll when one is no longer 25. They were also missing their main offensive weapon, Devon, and Marissa was hurt during the game. Bullet Club now sits at the top of the C2 division and they continue to gel. I think it’s safe to say at this point Jeff Easton is not playing and Travis Clev is their QB for the season.

The Ugandan Warriors fell to Matty’s Angels despite Blasé’s extended warm up. The game was high scoring on both sides with the final being 43-51. MA continued to play their style of offense so many teams have trouble defending. Lindsey played lights out, catching the game winning TD over Matt Keita.

All We Do Is Quinn suffered their first defeat at the hands of Peachy Platoon. It was a close game that could have gone the other way had AWDIQ played smarter. First of all, and this is a message to all you R1 teams out there, you have to rush a speed threat against Dean Thompson. They love to run the same play and unless you have a rusher with some serious wheels he’s going to continuously pick up 10-15+ yards every time they do. Secondly, PP needs to utilize their females more as, from what I’ve seen, it’s all about the guys with this team. They could take a lesson from AWDIQ in this regard. Quinn’s females are more than capable of carrying a game for this team and their QB is willing to let them do so. Rawdog and Schwab have shown us that we should be talking about them more. Their QB seems to know the game and makes smart play calls. Neither of these teams were afraid to throw the ball but PP came out on top 35-24. Later in the day, things didn’t go as well for PP when they took on 3^rd and Schlong. Once again the game was close but the Keller’s and Co were able to pull ahead, winning 36-34. The R1 playoff push is literally up for the taking as almost any team in this division could take over the top spots.

Public Enemy and Eyes Downtown went at it for the second time this session. PE got the ball rolling early while ED was missing Jeff Farr, taking a 19 point lead before the half. A botched pass deflecting into the hands of Jon McGrath didn’t help the situation. Jeff showed up in the second half and ED started to make a comeback. PE was missing Pauly J and Jake so fatigue may have played a part. ED got a stop on defense and came within a touchdown to tie the game but ran out of the time as PE used their impressive clock management abilities to run down the clock for the final 2 minutes, taking the win 34-25.

The Vandalay Industries vs Overcompensators match up was the quintessential co-ed touch football game. For those of you having trouble grasping what this league is truly about, these are the teams you should watch to demonstrate how it is possible to have fun playing this sport whether you win or lose. Topper had to play defense and padded his stats by getting a pick. That in and of itself would be enough to send some QBs hiding behind the Brall of Shame but OC’s QB persevered. OC had a unique plan on defense that they may want to rethink for next week. I’m not 100% sure what they were doing but when Paul Scinta catches a deep ball down field, it’s time to reassess your strategy.

XTC played 1 Todd Too Many in a close game that ended XTC on top 22-16. In the absence of Nick Sooch, Nick Wendt went in as QB. He actually played a pretty amazing game. Their females looked outstanding as well. Kelly Mazur may be one of the most underrated females in the entire league. 1TTM was missing all of their usual girls due to the RivAlz game so Topper had some difficulty adjusting to his unfamiliar targets.

TMA played a double header this week. First up was The Bambs who played down a female so only had 5 on the field. The Bambs pulled ahead to an early lead leading by 2 scores. Then TMA brought in secret weapon Rameer at QB and the tides turned. Rameer lead his team to bring the game to a tie. The Bambs had a chance to grab the win but with seconds left to go in the last drive their only female snapped her ankle and both teams agreed to end the game in a tie. We have not yet received word on how she is, but we hope she has a speedy recovery. TMA played The BiPolar Express later in the day, once again coming from behind. This time they pulled out a win once Rameer was asked to step in at QB. BE started strong but couldn’t score once TMA figured out how to defend against a gender team. Having Gordon hurt didn’t help their situation and they were missing some of their key players.

After losing 32-14 earlier in the day to Gryffindor, Money Ball took on Title Shot for Part 2 of their double header week. Gryffindor used their speed and MB had no answer on defense. After Gryffindor’s abysmal start to the session, they seem to have come together as a team as they make the push for playoffs. MB was without Glowacki so Scotty Pinto threw for them again. Their offensive strategy with Scotty at the helm is simple: deep to Radon. Don’t get me wrong, it appears to be working. By the second game of their day, MB looked able to move the ball well, putting up 43 points to TS’s 27. Award-winning Tommy Hughes had to leave early so TS called in Joe K. Devon made it for this game but Jill Iacono also had to leave so Molly McDermid stepped in. TS needs to work out their attendance issues to have any chance of a playoff run. Even though MB is sitting at the bottom of the division I think this team could be ripe for an upset if they can maintain any type of consistency for the rest of the session.

Top 3 of the Week:

1. All the females who played in the RivAlz game. I was so impressed by the representation the TSL had at that game and we are so proud of you all for sacrificing your time and raising money for such an important cause.

2. End Game- They quietly sit atop the R2 division at 6-1, after a blow out win over Hung Buffalo this week. We see you.

3. Rameer- Was called upon to step in as QB for his team twice this week and answered the call, coming back to tie a game then win a game. Great work!

The weather is finally shaping up for us so let’s try to keep our shit together and have some fun. There’s a good deal of big games next week including all the crossover C1/C2 contests. Time to see where everyone matches up and if the bitching all the C2 teams about moving up was warranted. R1 is also going to get a taste of playoff matchups with their ladder match week. The results of these games could throw a huge wrench in the playoff picture we will be seeing in a few weeks’ time. The game I’ll most certainly have my eye on is 10:00 on Field 4 when Matty’s Angels and Cunning Stunts have at it. There’s always more than just a win at stake between these two teams and I predict a high scoring, high energy, highlight reel-esque game all around. Until then, keep your fingers crossed the weather report stays as it is now and remember, I’ll be watching…

~ courtesy of...The Sentinel