CÉGEP10 RANKINGS (6): New top five after Vanier takes down Grasset

1. Vieux Montréal Spartiates (5-1)
It was a lot tighter than they may have expected, but the Spartiates now stand alone atop of the standings after a 28-25 victory over Limoilou. Some timely fumbles forced by the defence helped them battle through this one, while Arnaud Desjardins and Hassane Malick Meiga combined for 100 yards and one score on five completions. Desjardins also added two more touchdowns with his legs to bring his final total to four on the day.

2. Saint-Jean Géants (4-2)
While everyone else has found a way to lose in the last four weeks, Saint-Jean just keeps on winning. Their defence was masterful in this one allowing only 81 passing yards on 27 attempts, which allowed the Geants to easily run away from Levis-Lauzon with a 45-14 victory. Felix Daoust got in on the action with a defensive touchdown, and  Etienne Doyon led the way in the backfield with 13 carries for 83 yards and two scores. It’s been a magical ride up the standings for Saint-Jean, but of course the question is how long can this last?

3. Vanier Cheetahs (4-2)
Vanier dared Andre-Grasset to beat them through the skies, and even though they allowed 463 yards, they refused to break coming away with the 17-9 victory. CFC60s Benjamin Labrosse, Kaylyn St-Cyr and Chaz Kidder-Alexander came up a trio of monster interceptions, while Kevin Foster Verdier was their workhorse on offence carrying the ball 28 times for 120 yards. William Vandelac was in command of the offence from start to finish, and he put points on the board when it mattered with a pair of touchdown tosses to CFC60 Jahsiah Pennicooke and Nicholas Cenacle-Altidor.

4. André-Grasset Phénix (4-2)
We warned that Andre-Grasset’s number one ranking was on thin ice, and they simply couldn’t execute in their 17-9 loss to Vanier. CFC60 Jonathan Senecal finished the game with 463 yards on 34/55 completions, but three costly interceptions would negate those gaudy numbers. CFC60 Kevin Mital was on the receiving end of 10 of those passes which he took for 169 yards and one major, while four other receivers caught at least four passes. It’s a reality check for the Phenix, but better now than late in the season when all the chips are in the middle.

5. Ch.-Lennoxville Cougars (4-2)
The defending champions needed to make a statement, and they made it loud and clear with their 37-10 victory over Garneau. Last week we mentioned that they hadn’t beat a team with a winning record yet, so they can check that off the list, and they now have a chance to make some more noise with upcoming contests against Saint-Jean and Vanier. Thomas Bolduc was on point throwing for 295 yards and three touchdowns, and his favourite target by far was Charles Giroux who caught eight for 145 yards and two of the three majors. CFC60 Jeremie Kankolongo also had a massive day carrying the ball 30 times for 176 yards, and their defence was stout only allowing 92 rushing yards on 38 attempts.

6. Garneau Élans (3-3)
After their unexpected upset over Vieux Montreal, Garneau surprised once again this week – just not in a good way. The Elans came out completely flat against Champlain, and a 37-10 defeat was their reward. Emile Malenfant tried his best to generate some yards with 13 carries for 58 yards, and Tristan Blais hit Marc Bouchard for a touchdown through the air, but they simply couldn’t find an answer for the Cougars on offence or defence. Garneau have proven they can hang with the best in the league, now they need to prove they can do it on a consistent basis heading into the playoffs.

7. Lévis-Lauzon Faucons (2-4)
Things couldn’t have gone much worse for Levis-Lauzon in their 45-14 defeat at the hands of Saint-Jean. Adrien Guay was their most productive player with 93 yards and two touchdowns on 11 carries, but that wasn’t enough to overcome a painful day throwing the ball. Gabriel Leblond also found limited success out of the backfield with 84 yards, but that’s where the positives end on offence. Credit goes to Simon Tanguay for snagging an interception, and Emile Dufour Poitras on earning the team’s only sack. The Faucons are still in the playoff picture right now, but they’re going to need to compose themselves down the stretch with games against Vieux Montreal, Andre-Grasset and Champlain remaining.

8. Limoilou Titans (1-5)
Limoilou deserves a lot of credit for battling Vieux Montreal tooth and nail, but unfortunately they couldn’t pull off the upset we’ve become accustomed to over the last couple weeks. They ended up falling 28-25 in the end, which may prove costly in their quest for the 7th and final playoff spot. Olivier Bamrounsavath was dangerous as always completing 15/24 passes for 130 yards with one touchdown, and he also added 65 more along the ground with another major. Louis-Felix Doyon also had a big day with nine catches for 69 yards in the losing effort.

9. Notre-Dame-de-Foy (2-4)
Every game matters with a tight battle for the 7th seed playing out, and CNDF followed through this week with a huge 46-13 victory over Lionel Groulx. Gregoire Martin was their bell cow rushing for 111 yards on 22 attempts, and then Alex Duff finished off the job with 10 carries for 76 yards and two touchdowns. CNDF’s defence also came to play with three interceptions by Samuel Tavernier, Justin-Xavier Audet and Mathyas Giguere, plus they added three sacks to their totals. They’ve also got a tough road to the playoffs with games against Andre-Grasset, Garneau and Vanier left on the schedule.

10. Lionel-Groulx Nordiques (1-5)
At one point in time Lionel-Groulx was 1-1, but they’ve slipped to the basement after suffering their fourth straight loss to CNDF. Three interceptions didn’t help the 46-13 final, and they were unable to generate much along the ground with Mathieu Vachon leading the way with 68 yards on 14 carries. There’s still a lot to play for with three games remaining, so expect to see some fight out of the Nordiques with their season hanging in the balance.