CÉGEP10 RANKINGS (7): Quebec back in full swing after bye week

1. Vieux Montréal Spartiates (6-1)
Levis-Lauzon gave it a good run, but the Spartiates offence was up to the task in their 48-42 shootout win over the Faucons. Alexandre Dagobert carried the load with 20 carries for 143 yards and two touchdowns, while Arnaud Desjardins chipped in with one along the ground and a pair through the sky to Ray-Jay Alcena and Youri Gauthier. Vieux Montreal need to find a way to come away with victories against Lionel-Groulx and Andre-Grasset in order to lockdown the bye come playoff time, and nothing has come easy the last four weeks.

2. Vanier Cheetahs (5-2)
Vanier got a bit of a scare out of Lionel-Groulx who made it interesting on the scoreboard, but they prevailed 20-12 with a passing attack that was nearly unstoppable. Daniel Sananes and William Vandelac combined on 21/25 attempts for 328 yards and three touchdowns, with their favourite target being Jonathan Exume who caught seven passes for 137 yards and one major. Their defence also put together an outstanding day allowing just 82 passing yards and racking up five sacks. The Cheetahs now prepare for a showdown with the defending champions from Champlain.

3. Ch.-Lennoxville Cougars (5-2)
Don’t sleep on the Cougars. In a week full of tight games, Champlain wasn’t mixing words coming away with a dominant 37-1 victory over Saint-Jean. The Geants were the hottest team in the province coming off the bye after a trio of huge victories, but the Cougars defence put up a barrier while the offence rained points through the sky. Charles Giroux was the man of the hour catching nine passes for 168 yards and three touchdowns, while Lourenz Bowers chipped in with a defensive touchdown. We’ll have to wait and see how this win effects their confidence going into a massive matchup with Vanier this week.

4. Saint-Jean Géants (4-3)
Everybody else was probably looking forward to the bye week, but Saint-Jean saw their momentum killed in a rough 37-1 blowout against Champlain. It’s not the end of the world for the Geants who earned some big victories during their surprising win streak, but it’s definitely a wake up call from the defending champions with playoffs only three weeks away. Edouard Arsenault had a great game catching 10 passes for 121 yards, but unfortunately the defence collapsed facing a dangerous Cougars passing attack. Saint-Jean will need to take care of business against Limoilou and Garneau down the stretch to give them the chance at a home playoff date in round one.

5. André-Grasset Phénix (5-2)
It was a lot closer than they would’ve liked, but the Phenix dug deep to grind out a 28-27 victory over CNDF. This was a key win for Andre-Grasset who was at risk of losing three straight games after starting the year 4-0, and despite the tight margin, this is the type of win that could galvanize the team as we race towards November. The CFC60 tandem of Jonathan Senecal and Kevin Mital were on full display in this one connecting on eight passes for 183 yards and three touchdowns, while CFC60 Guillaume Ranger, William Marchand and Tiemoko-Bakary Sanogo combined for 14 catches and 178 yards. With the standings packed from first all the way down to sixth, the Phenix will need to be on their game in the final two weeks if they want to avoid a slip going into the playoffs.

6. Garneau Élans (4-3)

Garneau needed to bounce back in a big way coming off the bye, and they were successful with a 36-17 victory over Limoilou. They couldn’t get their pass game going against the Titans, but they smoothed over all issues with Hubert Paul rushing for 116 yards on 22 attempts, while quarterbacks Tristan Blais and Maxime Lambert each scampered for some extra yardage and one touchdown. It wasn’t long ago we were talking about the Elans defeating Vieux Montreal, so don’t forget about them hanging around in the bottom half of the rankings. They’ll be in tough with matchups against CNDF and Saint-Jean in the final two weeks.

7. Lévis-Lauzon Faucons (2-5)
Even though they didn’t come away with the W, the Faucons looked like a totally different team coming off the bye in their 48-42 loss to Vieux Montreal. Adrien Guay went off for five touchdown passes and 269 yards on 23/46 attempts, while Gabriel Leblond ran like a deer totaling 191 yards on 23 carries. Unfortunately the defence couldn’t hold up their end of the bargain, but this could be a nice confidence boost with them chasing down the final playoff spot. Every team is still alive in the playoff race, and the Faucons may see their chance slip away if they can’t find a win against Andre-Grasset or Champlain in the final two weeks.

8. Notre-Dame-de-Foy (2-5)
After some shuffling between quarterbacks, CNDF almost pulled off the upset against Andre-Grasset, falling 28-27 in an exciting finish. Jerome Rancourt threw all three touchdown passes, and the receiving depth really kicked in with five guys catching at least three passes on the day. Carl-Olivier Boutin Collin was their playmaker with two touchdowns on three receptions, and Alex Duff also had a productive day with seven catches for 60 yards and one touchdown. CNDF currently hold onto the final playoff spot, and will need to be sharp facing Garneau and Vanier down the stretch. They defeated the Faucons earlier in the year with Raphael Latulippe in command, but they’ve been left searching for answers under centre since his absence in week three. CNDF have had four quarterbacks throw at least one touchdown pass this year.

9. Limoilou Titans (1-6)
After nearly pulling of an upset against the Spartiates before the bye, Limoilou couldn’t recapture the same form falling 36-17 to Garneau. Olivier Bamrounsavath led the team in passing and rushing yards with over 200 combined, but their offence couldn’t find a way to breakthrough aside from a 15 yard touchdown run by Louis-David Bernier-Cloutier. Their other touchdown came on a return by Samuel Latouche, but it wasn’t enough to spark an upset victory. The Titans hold the tiebreaker over CNDF, which could become key if they find a way to scrape out a victory or two against Saint-Jean and Lionel-Groulx in the next two weeks.

10. Lionel-Groulx Nordiques (1-6)
The Nordiques found themselves within striking distance for the first time in a long time, but they couldn’t come up with the final answer falling 20-12 against Vanier. It wasn’t a masterpiece on either side, but they showed some heart and could maybe muster up some momentum with their playoff lives hanging in the balance. Mathieu Vachon attempted to carry them to victory with 84 yards on 21 carries and one touchdown, while Leo Meury had a double digit tackle performance trying to keep the game in contention. There aren’t a ton of positives to take away from another loss, but Lionel-Groulx has been on the receiving end of some painful beatdowns this year, so it’s nice to see them battling until the very end of the season no matter who they’re facing.

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