Calgary Midget (CAMFA) Playoff semi-final preview & predictions

CAMFA PLAYOFFS – Round 2 – Semi Finals

Div 1
COLTS – vs – MAVERICKS
In the first of two excellent semi final match ups, the powerful Mavericks face a Colts team who is hitting their stride at the right time. The Colts enter this match up coming off their earned bye and a 3 game winning streak to end the season

. The Colts defense has been their strength all season long but it has been the play of the offense that has the team rolling. Lead by CAMFA Offensive MVP Austen Hartley and the explosive Dallas Boath, the Colts have been difficult to stop. One of the biggest question marks for the Colts will be the health of their Defensive MVP Cole Van Esch who suffered a knee injury in their final regular season game. In order to win, RB Justin Sulzle feels that the Colts “need to continue playing strong defense and on the offensive side of the ball need to be consistent” the Colts “can’t have 2 and outs”. Sulzle thinks the Colts “need to establish a running game early to get the defense tired and then strike big in the passing game in order to win”. With much respect, Sulzle states “the Mavs really don’t have many weaknesses, they are a very complete team, it’s just going to come down to who prepared better for the game and who wants it more”.

The Mavericks were dominant in their quarter final match up vs the Stamps. The Mavericks were potent on offense and stymie on defense. Offensively the Mavs were once again lead by the great play of their Offensive MVP Boston Rowe who lead the team with 2 Rushing TDs and 1 Passing TD. Defensively the unit looked as good as they have all season garnering great performances by Tyson Lee, Ben Reid and the entire secondary who shut down the 4th highest scoring team in CAMFA. Aaron Statz thinks that in order for the Mavs to be successful “our team has to stay disciplined and do our assignments. If everyone does their job then we will be successful”. Statz goes on to say that “the Colts have some great receivers so it should be a good match up with our defensive backs”. Tyson Lee reiterates those sentiments by stating “we have to keep Austen Hartley in check”. Lee goes on to state “the Colts have an explosive offense through out and it will be an interesting game. Defensively the Colts have great players throughout although with the absence of Cole Van Esch we may be able to get a run game started with Boston”.
Prediction: Mavericks 21-19

HILLTOPPERS – vs – COWBOYS
In a rematch of their week 4 game, the Cowboys will look for redemption after being dominated by the top team in CAMFA. The Hilltoppers enter this game as the top seed in the league after rolling through the regular season with a perfect 6-0 record. The Hilltoppers have been balanced all season with great play on both sides of the ball. Offensively the team is lead by scoring threats Tyler Chow and Spencer Janke who have been game changers all season long while defensively, Josh Thomson and the D line have wreaked havoc on opposing QBs while the secondary, lead by Bowan Lewis, has been excellent. Colby Brewster thinks that in order for the Toppers to win the “defense needs to play the way they have been playing all year and the offense needs to take advantage of opportunities”. Brewster states that “the Cowboys have a very strong defense however their offense hasn’t been that strong but they have looked good lately”. Furthermore, Brewster thinks that a key to success will be “catching the Cowboys in a blitz for a big play”.

The Cowboys enter the semis after squeaking by the Falcons in the quarter finals off the leg of David Di Gianvittorio who kicked a Rouge at the end of the game to win by 1. The Cowboys demonstrated a more balanced attack over the past 3 weeks however have not faced a defensive unit as good as the Toppers during that span. QB Connor Ingstrup, who is coming off an excellent game against the Falcons, will have to redeem himself for his week 4 performance vs the Toppers where he struggled to manage the O. Defensively, the Cowboys will need to avoid the week 4 breakdowns that roasted them and they will rely on their leaders Jakub Jakoubek and Keanno Bentor to make plays. Ryan Sceviour states that “the Hilltoppers are strong on both sides of the ball and will be hard to beat but last time we played them we did not play close to our best but now our offense is clicking and our defense is as good as ever and that will play to our advantage”.

Prediction: Hilltoppers 14-10

Div 2

BULLDOGS – vs – BRONCOS
In what is a favorable match up for the Bulldogs, the Broncos will have their hands full. The Bulldogs enter their semi final match up coming off a disappointing loss to the Colts which relegated them into the Div 2 playoffs as the top seed. In what was a turbulent season to say the least, the Bulldogs have been a team that have been explosive but inconsistent in their play. Offensively the team has been lead all season by Ben Lane who has been killing defenses with his combo of speed and strength. Defensively, the Dogs have vets Liam Asuchak and Rob Barnett who have lead the unit with great play. QB Liam McCorquodale feels that in order to win, the Dogs “need to be more consistent on offense, and finally be able to score some TDs”. Furthermore, McCorquodale states that “the Broncos offense has shown plenty of potential” but it has been “the defense that has kept them in games all season” and their size “is going to be difficult to handle”. Rob Barnett feels that the Broncos “have a good squad, but if we are smart with the ball, do our jobs and score more points then the other team we can win this ball game then take it to the div 2 final”. Talking about the Broncos weaknesses, Barnett states “I think that the broncos biggest weakness is they lack an “edge”, they do the little things very well, but they don’t have that umph that is required to consistently win games at this level”.
The Broncos are coming off a big win over the Lions in the quarter finals in which the offense went off. Lead by the stellar play of QB Bailey Wasdal who put up 3 Passing TDs and 1 Rushing TD, the Broncos played well on both sides of the ball. Defensively the Broncos were great as their big D line played big all game including the final drive in which they generating sacks on the final 2 plays to close out the Lions. In order for the Broncos to win, Receiver Julien Barnett states “We need to come out strong and score first. We need to build momentum early, that we can carry on throughout the game. We need to establish both a strong run game and pass game to keep the bulldogs on their toes”. Barnett goes on to say that “our defense needs to step up and stop their run game and stay strong against the pass. If we can break down their offense early, we’ll be able to use the momentum and come up with big plays”. Bailey Wasdal feels the “Bulldogs are very strong defensively. in particular, they have a strong d line and linebacking core”. Wasdal states that “the offensive line will have be at their best or our pass game wont have any success”.
Prediction: Bulldogs 24-10

FIRE – vs – WILDCATS

In what appears to be another tight semi final match up in CAMFA the bi-polar Fire will take on the underachieving Wildcats. The Fire enter the playoffs following a year which saw them get dominated by the top tier teams and them dominate the bottom tiered ones. This should bode well for them in the Div 2 playoffs however the Cats should provide them with a good challenge. The Fire are lead offensively by their star receiver Tyler Ledwos who has been fantastic this season with the ball in his hands. Defensively, the Fire have relied heavily on their huge front seven who have been intimidating offenses all season long. Tyler Ledwos feels that the key to success this week is that the Fire need to “come focused to practice and work hard this week. Not under estimate” the Cats “and just listen to what our coaches are telling us to do in order to beat them”. QB Scott Pearson believes the strength of the Cats “would be their QB, he throws and runs the ball well and they have a very solid group of linebackers”. Pearson thinks that the Fire “receivers match up well against” the Wildcat DBs and the Fire “can take advantage of that and throw the ball downfield”.

The Cats enter the semi finals following a thumping of the Raiders in which the Cats finally got their offense on track. Putting up 55 points, the Cats got production from Ben Kopczynski, Jags Bahia, Jackson Bokenfohr and Jared Pitzel. On defense the Cats were decent however gave up 26 points to a team that scored 27 total points in the entire regular season. According to LB Eric Roberts, the Cats “secondary will have to play strong to take away the passing game” while “the front 7 will need to have a big game as well to help out the secondary, we need to get pressure on the QB”. On offense Roberts feels that “the offense just needs to take what the defense will give them and stop trying to be the heroes. The offense needs to establish the run game and then rely on the strong passing game”. Roberts feels the Fire’s “safety is really aggressive and” feels the Cats “can take advantage of it”.

Prediction: Fire 31-17

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