FM Home Loans Men's Flag Football League – Week 10

Friday

Old School vs Kedma-Bnei Akiva 12-25

The first game of Week 10 was a matchup between the two and three seeds in the division. Separating by only half a game whoever took this one would go to second place in the division, only behind Flush the Lush. It was a highly competitive, tightly contested game all throughout and the teams were only separated by as much as one possession until the end of the second half. Each team punted on their first drive with Elie Mansdorf picking up a sack in the first drive of the game. Kedma took over 11 yards away from the end zone after a very poor punt by Old School. However, Old School’s defense bailed them out. After the first pass attempt fell incomplete, on second down the second attempt was tipped at the line by Elie Mansdorf as the QB was looking for his TE who had released. The tipped pass floated in the air for a couple seconds until it was picked by DB Zev Ganz, giving the Old School the ball back and turning Kedma away after they had excellent field position. Kedma’s defense didn’t let up and came after Old School getting the ball back in great field position again with a big four and out. Shua Schuchman came up with a second down sack and Schmutter came up with a huge fourth down sack turning Old School over at the 14 yard line putting their offense right back on the doorstep. Their offense however made another huge mistake as they turned it over again in the red zone on another Zev Ganz INT. On this one he jumped a route in the middle of the field coming up with his second takeaway of the game in the red zone. Old School then got right into their own red zone on a 45 yard completion on first down getting them down to the 2 yard line. Three plays later Old School struck first on a 2 yard pass to TE Elie Mansdorf as he continued his great start in this game. On first down of the next drive Elie Mansdorf recorded his second sack of the game leading to another Kedma punt. But they gave the ball right back to them as Avi Meth came up with a nice looking interception. After dropping in coverage he tipped the pass and caught it giving his offense one more chance before halftime. This time they cashed in on a Yehuda Schmutter one yard out route after a 6 play drive sending this game to halftime tied at 6. Kedma and Old School traded big plays to open the second half. First Paul Metzger picked off a deep pass attempt that he hauled in as he was falling down at the goal line. Then Josh Ross came up with a pick of his own on a Kedma deep pass attempt putting us roughly back in the same situation as before the first pick. Old School took over at their 14 yard line and didn’t make much progress leading to a three and out thanks to another Shua Schuchman sack on third down. Kedma took the lead four plays later, set up by the first big play of the game from Netanel Eckman. It was a deep ball that came out a little wobbly but found its way to Eckman’s waiting hands in 1 on 1 coverage 33 yards away. The next play Schmutter secured the 2 yard out route to make it 12-6. Old School answered that score immediately as David Bienenfeld hit newcomer Shmuel Ganz for a 50 yard touchdown. He used his speed to create some space and after Bienenfeld hit him in stride he was able to walk in for his first score. That tied it at 12 but it didn’t stay that way for long as Kedma hit on a 50 yard bomb of their own. This came on the second play of the drive after an incomplete pass, where their QB hit the receiver on a good pass down the sideline after he got some space. Old School then went four and out and gave Kedma the ball back at the 10 yard line with little time remaining. Three plays later Kedma ended that game with another great play from Eckman. On this one he got credit for the score. It was another jump ball in tight 1 on 1 coverage. It was a better ball this time and Eckman was able to high point it and get his feet down just before being knocked out of bounds in the back corner of the end zone. Old School’s last drive was going pretty well, moving quickly and stopping the clock on their way to the red zone. That is where the fun ended for them as on fourth and 10 Avi Meth sealed the win with a game ending interception. He fought for the ball and took it away, giving Kedma a big win and putting them in second place just one game behind Flush the Lush. Old School took their first loss this year but kept up with one of the best teams in the league for most of the game without one of their top players in Zach Stern. 

Ayala Tours vs Orayta 19-0 

Ayala Tours came into this one looking to get back on track after two rough outings in a row, but they were getting some reinforcements in their starting QB, Zvi Kuhr. They started on defense and forced a three and out helped by Ori Wachspress’s first sack of the game on 3rd down. On the punt Ayala broke the 0-0 tie with the game's first game changing play. The punt was a nice long one down to about the 15 yard line. Unfortunately for them they were punting it to one the best returns in the league, Uriel Green. He caught the punt at the 15, then made a couple of nice moves to get past the first line of defense and after that the defense broke down. He cut to the sideline and ran past everyone, once again showcasing his exceptional speed and vision on this 45 yard punt return. On the next defensive set for them Wachspress recorded his second sack of the game leading to Orayta’s second punt of the game. Ayala then had their drive get all the way to the 7 yard line but stalled out there on downs. Orayta then went on a long drive of their own that lasted 11 plays but they too stalled out deep in the red zone, at the 5 yard line. Orayta’s defense then forced a quick three and out but they gave it right back to Ayala. On the first play of their drive they went for it all. Their QB aired out a deep ball to the end zone where Uriel Green was in 1 on 1 coverage. He once again made a big play for them as he timed his leap perfectly and intercepted the ball in front of the intended receiver. After three straight incompletions, Ayala punted again. Two plays later, with just seconds remaining in the half, Orayta went for a Hail Mary but it found the hands of Uriel Green once again and once it's in his hands there’s always the possibility of a score. That is exactly what he did as he again made some nifty moves and cut across the field before out running everyone on his way to the end zone again but this time it got called back due an offsides and illegal block in the back calls sending the game to halftime with Ayala up 6-0. Ayala got the ball to open the second half and promptly marched down field and made it 12-0 on an interesting play. It was a 1 yard pass to Ori Wachspress but he had to make a fairly difficult play after the ball was tipped by the DB. He made the catch using just one hand after the ball got re-directed giving him little time to react. Wachspress continued to shine in this game on both sides of the ball. He recorded another sack on second down. Then he came up with a very impressive play. On third down he stopped engaging with the offensive lineman just as the QB started his motion on a quick pass outside. He drifted over a little and jumped up at the line, looking very much like a prime JJ Watt, intercepting the pass and giving his offense great field position at the 9 yard line. The next play Eli Weber got in on the fun scoring on a pass to the back corner of the end zone where he was left open and all he had to do was catch it. That made the score 19-0 as this game quickly became a blowout. The rest of the game was a bunch of punts and turnovers on downs back and forth. Akiva Schwartz and Daniel Gordon recorded sacks along with Wachspress getting his third in that process. Ayala got a much needed win keeping them very much in the playoff picture in 6th place in Division A. 

Tivuch Shelly vs EarBiters 18-36

Tivuch Shelly opened the game with the ball but had to punt after only gaining one yard. They got the ball right back on a three and out forced by their defense thanks to back to back from Sam Weinberger and a couple penalties made it a 4th and 38. Tivuch Shelly then cashed in after that great defensive set. Ben Haber was on the receiving end of that score as Johnny Levine zipped in a pass from 2 yards out on a short curl on the outside. The EarBiters quickly answered that score as, on the next drive, Yitzy Tannenbaum hit Noam Fried for a 36 yard touchdown where he just beat his defender off the line and Yitzy put the ball on the money right before the defender could catch up and knock it away. Jason Bick started the next drive out well for the EarBiters with a sack on first down but then on second down Tivuch Shelly took advantage of a major mismatch. They sent out TE Ari Chasman on a fly down the sideline with Yitzy guarding him as LB. He beat and had a couple steps and Johnny did what he had to do and that was put the ball on him. He hit him in stride with a very accurate pass and he took the ball all the way down to the 5 yard line before getting caught from behind. A few plays later Jacob Feigenblum punched it in from 6 yards out making it 12-6 Tivuch Shelly. The EarBiters answered that score with another deep touchdown to Noam Fried again. It was a deep ball again as he beat his defender again and Yitzy launched it towards the end zone. Noam then caught it in the end zone off the tip for a 45 yard touchdown to tie it up at 12. The EarBiters ended up pulling away late in this one and won 36-18 as it wasn’t much of a contest after this point. The EarBiters handled their business here getting a big win against the team right on the heals, Tivuch Shelly who had been on a good run of late. This keeps the EarBiters in second place, still ahead of Tivuch Shelly in Division as the postseason nears. However both teams figure to make the playoffs and deserve it too. 

DEC vs All Americans 31-13 

This was a fairly close game all throughout and was a lot closer than the score shows. DEC got off to a good start and were in the driver seats for the duration of this one but the All Americans did make it interesting late. DEC’s Zvi Greenstone, Yaakov “Rabbit” Rabinowitz, and Noam Moore along with their stellar defense got them in front and kept them there in this one. Rabbit started out with a couple of touchdowns, one being a punt return that he received almost in his own end zone but took it back to the house leaving multiple defenders on the ground and in the dust. He juked past the first few guys and then cut across the field and angled past the rest for the score. He added a receiving touchdown on the sideline in which he just got into the end zone before stepping out of bounds. He also had the walk off touchdown on a deep bomb when the defense was defending short at the end of the game. Zvi was tossing dimes all over the field, all game long and took off for his usual few runs that force you to respect his legs in any situation. He ended the game with a few touchdown passes including the previously mentioned deep ball to Rabbit. DEC’s defense held All Americans to just 13 points and one of those scores came on an incredible play that was made by the All Americans offense. After scoring their first touchdown of the game they were still down by a couple scores, so they had to go for the “Onside Kick”. They converted it in spectacular fashion as Yakov Rosenblum hit Rephael Wechsler about 25 yards out in the middle of the field. He made the catch just as two defenders were getting to him. They both went for the pass break up so when Wechsler came down with it he had nothing but green grass in front of him. He went in for the 50 yard score and All Americans top play of the game. DEC came away with another victory as they keep pace in their loaded Division and continue to prove themselves as they look to make a deep playoff run this year. While the All Americans took the loss in this one they still have a good shot of making the playoffs in the tight Division A. 

The Baboons vs The imRAY’s 6-19 

The imRAY’s handle this one quite easily against the short handed Baboons squad. The imRAY’s were firing on all cylinders and kept things rolling as they’ve put together a very impressive run of late. Both teams still figure to be in the playoffs but they are going in different directions. The imRAY’s are on fire and had contributions in this one from most of their guys and usual suspects did work. Pinny Rossman was doing his thing under center and led his team up and down the field all game long as he’s really starting to come into his own as he continues getting more and more used to this league. They were paced defensively by their star D-Lineman Eli Dachs. He was after the QB all game and even got into the game on offense for a few plays as he was having an incredible time out there in this one. The imRAY’s even got an interception from their Rabbi in this one as the team as a whole really just had a great time playing in this one, both in their performance and in just enjoying playing football. The Baboons were very short handed in this one and it showed in the play on the field as they were getting beat on offense and defense. Their QB Jackie Sutton even had to play some defense and although he had some mistakes he did come up with a pretty impressive INT falling back near the end zone, preventing what could've been another imRAY’s score. The imRAY’s remain very much in the thick of things in Division A thanks to this late season surge and they look to maybe make a run at this after all. The Baboons also are in position to make a playoff run as the season nears an end but they are not going into the playoffs the same way the imRAY’s are, but like always, only time will tell and I for one can’t wait for these playoffs.

Seeding Picture

Starting With Friday Division A, the Chofetz Chaim Chassidim have all but cruised through the regular season, clinching the number 1 seed in their division. The only bump in the road was a shorthanded week against the tough EarBiters that ended in a tie. They have clinched their position in the Upper Friday conference.

Right after them come the EarBiters, a team that has been rolling through most of their opponents all season, with their only loss to Ayala Tours, and who tied Chofetz Chaim. They  are led by their captain and star WR Jason Bick and can beat anyone when they are clicking on all cylinders.

The rest of the teams have yet to clinch their position, as we have 5 teams all within 1 game of each other. Starting with the 4-2 Moreshet Mafia, due to missing weeks earlier in the season they are entering week 11 with a double header. Their first game is less significant, as it is against a team that has clinched its position in the Lower Friday Conference, The Jay’s. However, their second game could decide their fate, as it is against the 4-3 imRAY’s. If the imRAY’s beat Moreshet, they will have clinched their position in the UFC, as they will have the head to head tiebreaker over them, Ayala Tours, and David's Cookie Monsters. If Moreshet wins however, they will clinch the UFC, but imRAY’s won’t be knocked out completely, that will come down to the Tivuch Shelly, David’s Cookie Monsters game. In that game, if Tivuch Shelly wins, they clinch their position in the UFC, however, if David’s cookie monsters win, they have a small shot to make it in, depending on the result of the Ayala Tours PK Hart game. If Ayala Tours win, they are in and clinched, if they lose it comes down to a head to head battle in which they are below the imRAY’s. However, whichever team gets the 5th seed shouldn’t get too excited, as they will need to compete in the play-in game the following week against Division B’s 6th seed. This also means however, that whichever team winds up as the 6th seed shouldn’t be too disappointed, they will get the opportunity to compete against the 5th seed of Division B and try to claw his way into the Upper conference.

The Jay’s, PK Hart and Orayta have clinched their spot in the Lower Friday conference, and we look forward to them competing for a spot in the LFC playoffs.

And now, on to Friday Division B. This division was much more of a split than the others and therefore all the top 5 teams enter the week already clinching the UFC. At the top of the Division is Flush the Lush, domination doesn’t start to describe what they have done all season. They cut through their competition with ease, the only team that gave them trouble was the team below them in the standings, Kedma – Bnei Akiva. Kedma have themselves been dominant all season and their only loss was to Flush The Lush. Below them, the team that is going up head to head with Flush the Lush this week is Old School. This team of married men has taken the league by storm and swept through their division, their only loss coming to Kedma – Bnei Akiva last week, when they were missing many key players. They look to bounce back and full force and show the young guys how things are done with a nail-biting game against Flush The Lush at 8:30 AM Friday morning. Under them are a team that started off shaky but quickly got their feet under them and have won the last 3 of 4 with their only losses to Kedma – Bnei Akiva and Old School. Though Ohr Yisroel Compasses lost to them and tied The Baboons, they have been improving incrementally all season and hope to do better next time they meet them in the playoffs. Under them are the team Ohr Yisroel tied, The Baboons, a team that had a lot of promise until all its players fell off a cliff. This team will most likely be the one competing in the play-in round and I would watch out for them to drop into the LFC. 

The teams that have clinched the LFC from division B are fairly well matched and look to have good competition the rest of the way. The Mercenaries and Underdogs are all still in the game for the 6th seed to make the play-in, if Underdogs win they have the head to head tiebreaker over the mercenaries. Eretz Bucks, T.O. and Lev Mordechai are all clinched in the LFC. All these teams have been on an upward swing the past couple weeks and look to build on their momentum as they vie for a position in the LFC Playoffs.

And now, on to the most exciting reseeding scenarios division in the league, Motzash Division A. We will start with the three teams that have clinched their respective positions in the Upper Motzash Conference, Mercaz Moosen, DEC and Omni. Mercaz has become a staple of the top of the standings the past couple years. They have it all, Great QB, Receivers, D-line. Many of the players on the defensive side of the ball are new, but as their record shows, they are a very good football team and may have the highest odds in Vegas to win it all. Below them is DEC, last year being an anomaly, DEC is back to the top of the standings and this year they are doing it with arguably the best QB in the league and a team so fast that if you blink, they have probably scored. If it weren’t for their timing deficiencies, they would most likely be top 4 favorites to win it all, but with their many scheduling conflicts one worries they will fall before their time. Below them is Omni, the married guys team, who like showing these kids how things are done. Besides their loss to BhB in their first game back, where they were extremely rusty, Omni have dismantled their opponents from their division with ease, even beating Mercaz Moosen in a nail-biter of a game. Even though Omni is two games out, they have clinched their division because they beat ShabbosKodesh.com and All Americans in a head to head matchup. They are expected to handle their opponents with ease this week and lock in the 3rd or even 2nd seed in the UMC.

Now comes the exciting part, three teams vying for two spots. The exact scenario is even more complicated by ShabbosKodesh having two games to play this week. ShabbosKodesh’s first game is of very little consequence, as it is against Beis, a team who has clinched its spot in the Lower Motzash Conference. However, their second game will most likely be to determine if All Americans are in or out of the UMC. ShabbosKodesh 

Currently holds the Head to Head tiebreaker over BhB and if they beat the All Americans, they will be in automatically. If All Americans win, they could knock out Shabbos Kodesh, if BhB wins as well. However, if BhB loses and Shabbos Kodesh beats Beis then BhB could find itself at the 6th seed. If ShabbosKodesh wins both games they would clinch the number 4 spot and assuming BhB wins, All Americans would find itself playing in the play-in game at 6th seed.

Route 38 is technically still alive, if they beat both BhB and Omni in their double header, and All Americans lose, they could sneak in as the 5th seed, but odds are that they will be a very scary team in the Lower Motzash Conference. Under them are Beis, The Dougs and Northwestern all teams that have not had much success on the field, but have shown promise at times and have played very competitively in some games they weren’t expected to. Those teams hope to move on from the first part of the season and succeed much more in the LMC reseeding round.

And last but not least, Motzash Division B. we have 3 teams that have clinched the UMC, 3 teams in the hunt and 4 teams that clinched LMC. Leading off with the class of the league with probably the best receiver in the league, Gav Stein, We have TC Buni. They have rolled through their opponents and are the only Motzei Shabbos team to remain undefeated. This week they face a harsh challenge, going up against the team below them in the standings, Pizzeria Efrat. This veteran team has continued their longtime domination of the league, and this year without their star D-linemen Tzvi Sklar (for now…). Below them in the standings, though maybe not for long, is the only team that has defeated them, the Umpa Lumpas. The Umpa Lumpas were the surprise of the season, a team of mostly new players who weren’t a part of a veteran dominant team took the league by storm. Their only loss being a slap in the face provided by TC to which they responded with a victory over Pizzeria Efrat.

Following these teams, we have 3 teams that are still in the hunt of the Upper Motzash Conference. The first of the teams is Converse Dating who are led by one of the best players in the league, Noam Gelb. They had a rocky start to the season, going up against the top 3 teams in 3 of their first 4 starts, but since week 5 they have been undefeated and have really been making up ground to the point where if they win they are in. Converse have not officially clinched their position in the UMC as if they lose and Marvelous Midos Machine Beat the Umpa Lumpas as well and if Joes Eagles beat Eagles Nest they could very likely find themselves at the 6 seed and then need to compete in the play-in game. The other teams that are in a more heated competition are Joe’s Eagles and Eagles Nest. The battle of the eagles will take place this week and the winner takes all. Whichever team wins this week will be the 5th seed and compete against the 6th seed of Division A the following week. Whichever team loses this game will most likely be the 6th seed and have the opportunity of playing the 5th seed of Division A the following week.

After these teams we have Marvelous Midos Machine who though they aren’t mathematically eliminated, they would need to beat 2 really good teams and also have Joe’s Eagles beat Eagle’s Nest. Sound of Silence are officially eliminated, when this team was on they could compete at a very high level, but this team is very streaky and can never really pull it all together. They have a hard game against Umpa Lumpas this week and then they hope to get things in order so that they can compete for the LMC championship. Following them are the Cares Bears, a team that has lost all 3 of their games against the LMC opponents by one possession. It is fair to say that their record does not reflect their skill level, and they can’t wait to start fresh in the LMC in the reseeding round. And finally, the Little Giants this is a team with insane athleticism who just can’t get things rolling. They have immense skill, but the structure and style of the league have been a challenge to say the least. They have been improving week over week and even tied Sound of Silence in week 9. They hope to forget the first half of the season, and to start dominating in the reseeding round and get the show on the road.

By: Betzalel Vanderhoof and Yoni Katz