France: Team Spotlight – Marseille Blue Stars
As France’s Division 1 Elite Championship league keeps rolling, a few teams have already stood out.
One team in particular has made a statement – the Marseille Blue Stars, who have gotten off to a very hot start in 2022. In their three games this season, their dominance has been stunning. They took down the Montpelier Hurricanes 58-7 in the opening week and followed that up with a pair of dominant shutouts, including a 33-0 win over Toulouse and a 48-0 victory over the Grenoble Centaures. Some quick math will show that the combined scores of these games is an outrageous 139-7. This has been quite the surprise story, as the Blue Stars have not been a traditional powerhouse in France.
Head coach Bavuong Souphanthavong has his team playing at a high level, and there have been several standout players that are leading the way for Marseille.
Blue Stars QB Kaleb Scott has opened the season with impressive numbers Photo: Diane Event Photography
On offense, the Blue Stars have been led by quarterback Kaleb Scott. Standing at 6’3”, 200 pounds, the Canadian previously played at Saint Mary’s University in Halifax, Nova Scotia before coming over to Marseille in 2019. He has started this season in outstanding form, throwing for 269 yards and six touchdowns in the opening game, and has not looked back. Scott has been able to spread the ball around, keeping defenses on their toes by targeting many receivers consistently. The leading receiver for the Blue Stars so far is Vincent Monteiro, who had a monster day in week 2 vs Toulouse, totaling five catches for 144 yards and a score.
Marseille LB Adam Belarbi #45 aiming for QB Photo Diane Event Photography
Defensively, Marseille is led by Eddy Abdullah, who has also gotten off to a phenomenal start this season. He ranks second in the league in tackles with 17. In the secondary, Khefil Osseni has been shutting down opposing receivers, as he leads the
league with two interceptions. The defense, coached by Gilles Fouque, has played aggressively and cohesively, allowing just a single touchdown through three games. With seven games remaining in the regular season, it will be interesting to see if the Blue Stars can keep this dominance up.
Their next contest will be March 20 as they take on the Aix-en-Provence Argonautes. As the Argonautes are also undefeated, it will be a great matchup that will decide who moves into first place in Conference B.
All photos from Diane Event Photography.
