NVL-Week 7 Review/Week 8 Preview & Picks

Brass:
Ansonia 46-Watertown 21
Seymour 36-Wilby 0
Wolcott 29-Crosby 28 (OT)
Copper:
Holy Cross 14-Woodland 7 (2OT)
Torrington 37-Naugatuck 18
JFK 50-Sacred Heart 28

Clearly, the overtime games were the best stories of the week. That Copper division is wide open, with everybody but the Hearts having a shot. This division has a 4-way tie to lose the league championship to either Ansonia or Seymour. Naugy, Reg. 16, Torrington, and JFK all are 2-1 in the division. Cross gave themselves a great opportunity with the overtime victory at Regional School District 16, as well.

Kennedy has played well in the division. Woodland has the most experience with success among the Copper, as it has had a team in the league title game on a regular basis (even if Coach Anderson made the much maligned decision to not really try against Ansonia last year [May have been the right call in the long run]) I just feel that the Torrington Red Raiders are on the inside track to shock the world. They've been doing well all year, and keep getting better. They handled a weaker Naugatuck Greyhound team this past weekend. Naugy seems like pretenders this year. Therefore, with continued good play and a couple of good breaks, I wouldn't be surprised to see the Raiders in the NVL championship game. You shouldn't be, either.

Some people will call Wolcott beating Crosby an upset. I'm not one of those people. Virtually everybody knows that the Brass is the class of the NVL. The best teams in the league are certainly Ansonia, Seymour, Crosby, and Wolcott. Everybody else seems to be an also-ran this year. Wolcott ran the ball effectively, with Larson and Bove combining for 260 total yards. Yes, they cannot throw the ball, but they play good defense, and when you run the ball 57 times, you're controlling the clock. I don't care if Gondek threw for 360 and 4 TDs...those scores are fast. Grind it out, fellas. Crosby's a good team, but it looks like I was wrong with my picks this past week.

Seymour's 36-0 shutout of Wilby may be deceptive. Wilby did an excellent job controlling the clock, and the score was just 7-0 Seymour at the half. This was an ugly game. However, the officiating was quite possibly the worst witnessed in the NVL this year. It was as if the game crew had late dinner plans, and needed to be out by 9:00, because they called virtually nothing.

Stat line of the week: Tristan Roberts, Ansonia: 34 carries 359 yards, 3 TDs vs. Watertown. Wow.

Week 8 Predictions:
Two great games on Thursday
Holy Cross at Seymour, 6:00 p.m.-The Crusaders have twice defeated Seymour in games when the Wildcats came in undefeated after midseason. Don't expect that trend, or the Green & Gold to continue against the Cats. This won't be a halloween frightfest for anyone but HC. Expect a heavy dose of Sponheimer's monster, Osiecki (what else is new?). However, I've heard great things about the HC freshman team, so maybe some of them will make an appearance. Wildcats 33-Crusaders 15

Torrington at Ansonia, 6:30 p.m.-Torrington's on the rise, but no match for the Chargers. I suspect that the Raiders will earn a bit of respect Thursday, but a healthy Tristan Roberts is just too much. What can you do? Chargers 40-Raiders 21

Friday
Crosby at Woodland, 7:00 p.m.-The Bulldogs visit Regional School District 16 after a crushing overtime loss to Wolcott. The Hawks are coming off a similar loss to HC. I suspect this will be worth the price of admission, but The 16ers are missing their QB1, and Crosby lost a game they shouldn't have. Dawgs 42 Hawks 13

Naugatuck at Watertown, 7:00 p.m.-For the Injun's it's all Corbo all night...unless the Hounds run trap all night. Get the ball in the hands of that tough FB! Don't see that happening, so, at least it's a short ride home for the Greyhounds. Injuns 24-GreyPups 3

Saturday
Wilby at Kennedy, 1:00 p.m.-Wilby just isn't good. Still, this is a cross city game. JFK 21-Wilby 18.

Sacred Heart at Wolcott, 1:30 p.m.-Wolcott will control the clock and the Hearts will fail to slow down or speed up the game with that AWFUL no huddle. Eagles 34-Hearts 12