Good Day Y’all! Week 1 was a great way to open the CFL season. The biggest surprise? Team All Day completely dominating on both sides of the ball. And the reason was simple: Player of the Week Anas. The new QB put on a show, throwing touchdowns all over the field and making defenders scramble. Seven TDs, a blowout win, and suddenly the rest of the league is already on alert. (And yes Anas, your award is coming soon).
Another major storyline was the return of Samad to the Caliphs. Samad was back in Caliphs colors and helped lead the team to a strong opening win. Mamas Boys also made noise with the debut of their new D1 quarterback, giving the league another dangerous offense to worry about. Mean Machine turned heads as well, pushing the Caliphs to the limit in one of the most entertaining games of the week and showing they may be a real contender if they can clean up a few defensive issues. Meanwhile, the Warriors and Goonville survived thrilling last-second wins over the Interceptors and MPS, while the defending champs led by Moody started their title defense looking as confident as ever. Week 1 is officially in the books, and if this opening weekend proved anything, it’s that this CFL season is going to be absolute chaos every Saturday.
FIELD 1
G1 – 9:00 AM: All Day vs. Marine Park Squids (MPS)
Josh had a solid debut as the QB for MPS, but the big question is whether the team can stretch the field with deep passes. That could hurt their offense against stronger teams. This game they need to hope Arjun is there and play closeout defense. Meanwhile, All Day’s new QB Anas looked unstoppable in Week 1, throwing 7 touchdown passes to different receivers in a blowout win. With Anas, Aqib, and Syed leading the way, this offense will be tough to stop again this week. Score Prediction: All Day 34, MPS 20.
G2 – 10:00 AM: Warriors vs. Goonville
First off, let’s clear something up: Zamer, Munier, Neiko, and Nick are not “goons.” They are some of the nicest guys around, so everybody can relax with the gangster talk. The real entertainers are Greg with the Hulk emoji and Ezra with his nonstop confidence for the Warriors, and honestly, the league loves it. If Warriors want to win, they must slow down the Goonville young stars in open space, as Neiko, Zamer, and Munier are a dangerous trio. We expect another close game, but the Warriors may pull it out at the end again especially if Ezra and Louis are aligned. One question remains: who’s really the QB; Chick or Ezra? Also, can somebody wake up Dom? Score Prediction: Warriors 28, Goonville 27
G3 – 11:00 AM: Imaan vs. Marine Park Squids (MPS)
The lovable men in purple will go at it again on the same day and hopefully they won and closed out the prior game. Captain Evin expected Arjun back this week which should help their defense. The other good news? They now face Imaan, a team they beat during Imaan’s championship season. Imaan has a strong core led by Isa, Pulak, and Owais, but MPS should keep this one close with their defense. In other news, Asif returns atQB and brings the energy and attitude the team needs. Score Prediction: MPS 27, Imaan 21 (OT)
FIELD 2
G1 – 9:00 AM: Niners vs. Interceptors
How confident is Moody? Very. But when you have a player like MO, anybody at QB can feel confident. That kid covers 42% ofthe field by himself on both offense and defense. If the Interceptors do not find a way to slow him down, they could start the season 0-2. Also, somebody please tell Adam and QB Bryan to look to the right side of the field once in a while — other players are open too. At the end, Moody’s pop warner players are too good. Score Prediction: Niners 49, Interceptors 20
G2 – 10:00 AM: Mean Machine vs. Hunters
Mean Machine came so close to beating the Caliphs last week in a wild back-and-forth game. Captain Rahat has the team moving in the right direction, with Jay Paul at QB while Rahat and Mahtab handle touchdown duties. The defense still needs work, especially against crossing routes. Hunters have a deep roster, but their offense tends to slow down during key moments. The biggest question is whether Shine can hold down the QB job all season. Right now, some of his throws look more like shot puts than football passes.
Score Prediction: Mean Machine 42, Hunters 30
G3 – 11:00 AM: Mean Machine vs. Pluto
Watch out! Shak and Toheed are back. The always confident (and equally annoying) Shak will be shaking and baking all over the field. We expect this game to turn into a shootout filled with deep balls and interceptions. Playing a second game in one day will make things tough for Mean Machine, especially against Pluto’s young stars like Shak, Fahad, Ammad, Toheed, speedster Ian, and Haseeb. Score Prediction: Pluto 35, Mean Machine 20