The Sideline Whisperer

Predictions for Saturday, March 2nd, 2013

By The Sideline Whisperer

I hope you all enjoyed your Ruggerfest weekend off. Sorry for the delay in this column, I simply forgot about it after getting two days of hot sun to the head in Fort Lauderdale. Well done to the Fort Lauderdale guys for making the club final, where they lost to a bunch of pasty guys from Minnesota who surely hadn't seen 80 degrees in at least six months. Miami RFC also had a good showing in the club division, while Boca Raton showed that their decision to drop to D2 was probably a good one, as they went 0-3 in the Premiere Division, including a 53-0 loss to New Orleans. Now, we get back to business with the last weekend of the crossover in D2 that features two quality contests, and a HUUUGGEE match in Division 3, as they wrap up their regular season. Photo credit: Facundo Manuel Fabbri Posted on 2/28/2013 7:10:32 PM		Division 2 Boca Raton at Krewe - This one should be interesting to say the least. These two teams last met in the final of All-Florida Weekend, with the Buccaneers taking home the title in a contentious affair. As I have no clue what the hell the official standings are at this point, I'm not even going to speculate what might be on the line here, although with Naples, Orlando and Boca having already secured three of the four spots in the semifinals and Krewe ineligible, it appears there might not be much to play for. Boca will be looking to get rid of the taste those three Ruggerfest losses left in their mouths though, and I think they'll have just enough to edge this one. Boca Raton 24, Krewe 20 Orlando at Naples - Two of the top three seeds meet in this tasty matchup, and this could certainly be a preview of the Florida D2 final. Orlando are coming off a tough loss to Fort Lauderdale, while Naples narrowly sneaked past Daytona before the break. Barring some crazy stuff, the Hammerheads appear to have the top seed locked up, while Orlando are all but secure in third place. But again, who the hell knows. Anyway, I think Naples will want to take a six-game winning streak into the semis instead of a one-game losing streak, and will be too much for Orlando. Naples 28, Orlando 17 Fort Lauderdale at Daytona - This game is a little bigger than it might first appear to be, as, from what I can tell, both of these teams have a chance at catching he Tridents for the fourth seed in the semifinals. Let's hope the Knights at least make this trip after forfeiting their last scheduled road trip to Krewe. Daytona almost pulled off the upset last week against Naples, and I think will just be able to pull a win off here, especially if FTL travel weak. Daytona 30, Fort Lauderdale 28 Miami at Jacksonville - Nothing to play for in this one, as Miami have lost all of their matrix games, and are too far behind Jax to catch them. The Bumblebees did look good at Ruggerfest, and hopefully they take a good enough squad on the five-hour drive north to pick up a win finally and save some face. Miami 31, Jacksonville 19 Division 3 Gainesville (5-1) at Palm Beach (6-0) - If you're in the area and have nothing to do this Saturday, get yourself over to this match, which could be one of the best of the season. The Hogs have rebounded nicely after an early embarrassing road loss to Brevard, winning four in a row to get them right back in the thick of the race for the top seed, but would need a miracle to happen in the Brevard/Indian River game for them to leap Old Red Eye and claim the coveted No. 1 spot. Undefeated Palm Beach, meanwhile, needs a win and a bonus point to secure the top seed and avoid a semifinal clash against either the Hogs or Brevard, which would be huge. If they don't secure that, then Brevard could well jump over them. So, needless to say, this contest is a MASSIVE one. I think home field advantage will be key here, so I'm leaning towards the Men in Black to finish the regular season without a defeat. Palm Beach 21, Gainesville 19 Brevard (5-2) at Indian River (0-5) - Brevard's devastating loss to Gainesville two weeks ago leaves their destiny in someone else's (Palm Beach's) hands with just one game to go. They shouldn't have any trouble picking up a bonus point win here after beating IR by 57-0 in early February, but that might not be enough to claim that No. 1 spot. Should that happen, a rematch with Gainesville would be on the cards in the semifinals, with the loser going home empty-handed. Brevard 66, Indian River 0 Last week (2/16/13) - 4-1 Season - 42-15 (73.7%) Photo credit: Facundo Manuel Fabbri

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