How quickly time flew. We're already at the tail end of the season.
A few NVL teams still have a shot at making the playoffs, mainly Naugy, Woodland and/or Sacred Heart. Ansonia is in. The Ansonia-Naugatuck preview is coming up soon, as are Kyle's playoff projections.
Seymour (0-9) at Woodland (6-3): The Hawks have been on somewhat of a roll heading into last week's loss at Sacred Heart. We look for them to rebound and finally put Seymour's season to rest.
Keys: Seymour: Priority number one: Stop DeBiase, especially on the ground. Try to get this win for Coach Lennon. Woodland: Hold Grabowski and company in check. Seymour's Fraser is likely to sit this one out, which means the Hawks' should not have a problem stopping the Seymour attack. The Hawks just have to play their game and this one will be over at the half.
Keys: Seymour: Priority number one: Stop DeBiase, especially on the ground. Try to get this win for Coach Lennon. Woodland: Hold Grabowski and company in check. Seymour's Fraser is likely to sit this one out, which means the Hawks' should not have a problem stopping the Seymour attack. The Hawks just have to play their game and this one will be over at the half.
Picks: Kyle- Woodland, 39-7. Remmy- Woodland, 40-12.
Wilby (1-8) at Sacred Heart (6-3): The Hearts need this win in the worst way because a playoff spot is on the line. Wilby should have no problem giving that win to the Hearts, allowing for a potential SH/Ansonia matchup in the first round of the Class S playoff tournament.
Keys: Wilby: Pound the ball at the Sacred Heart D-line. While SH's defense stepped up last week against Woodland, it is still suspect based on what we've seen throughout the year. Sacred Heart: No Coggins? No problem. Rohan Ifill will have a feast (no pun intended) with the Wilby defense on the opposite side of the ball. Wilby just doesn't have the athletes to hang with SH's plethora of receivers.
Keys: Wilby: Pound the ball at the Sacred Heart D-line. While SH's defense stepped up last week against Woodland, it is still suspect based on what we've seen throughout the year. Sacred Heart: No Coggins? No problem. Rohan Ifill will have a feast (no pun intended) with the Wilby defense on the opposite side of the ball. Wilby just doesn't have the athletes to hang with SH's plethora of receivers.
Picks: Kyle- Sacred Heart, 35-20. Remmy- Sacred Heart, 48-15.
St. Paul (2-7) at Rocky Hill (2-7): We do not know much about Rocky Hill. However, we do know that St. Paul took last year's contest by almost three scores. The Falcons have lost some firepower, so it will be interesting to see what happens here.
Keys: St. Paul: Stop Rocky Hill's Mike Dance from accumulating a lot of yardage on the ground. Rocky Hill doesn't pass much. Rocky Hill: Limit the Marchi to Thomas big-play threat. Marchi has come on strong for the Falcons and Thomas will likely be the fastest player on the field in this one. Run the ball at St. Paul and keep the clock running.
Keys: St. Paul: Stop Rocky Hill's Mike Dance from accumulating a lot of yardage on the ground. Rocky Hill doesn't pass much. Rocky Hill: Limit the Marchi to Thomas big-play threat. Marchi has come on strong for the Falcons and Thomas will likely be the fastest player on the field in this one. Run the ball at St. Paul and keep the clock running.
Picks: Kyle- St. Paul, 34-28. Remmy- St. Paul, 29-20.
Wolcott (6-3) at Holy Cross (5-4): Wolcott's season isn't quite in the toilet just yet. The Eagles are probably not playoff-bound (believe it or not, it's still alive) but they are still trying to win this game for some pride. Holy Cross played Naugy pretty well but simply came up short. The 'Saders began the season on a good note but have since struggled, dropping four of their last seven heading into this contest.
Keys: Wolcott: Win the battle in the trenches. Wolcott's line appeared to be winning each of its battles the first month of the season but suddenly went into a tailspin. Holy Cross: Stay balanced on offense. When both the pass game and the run game are firing on all cylinders, things bode well for the Crusaders. They do have some big-play ability on that side of the ball and Wolcott's defense has given up many big plays all season long.
Keys: Wolcott: Win the battle in the trenches. Wolcott's line appeared to be winning each of its battles the first month of the season but suddenly went into a tailspin. Holy Cross: Stay balanced on offense. When both the pass game and the run game are firing on all cylinders, things bode well for the Crusaders. They do have some big-play ability on that side of the ball and Wolcott's defense has given up many big plays all season long.
Picks: Kyle- Holy Cross, 21-14. Remmy- Holy Cross, 34-28.
Watertown (6-3) at Torrington (6-3): This game always seems to be one of the better Thanksgiving games every year, and we wouldn't be surprised if it happens again this year. Like Wolcott, Watertown is still mathematically alive for the playoffs, but it probably won't get in. Torrington is looking for its first 7-3 season in a long time.
Keys: Watertown: Pretty simple here: Limit Brenden Lytton. He's nearly impossible to stop, so the Indians will have to hold him in check. Watertown should utilize its passing game with Matt Quatrano and Tony Simpson plenty. The Raiders' secondary is not very good. Torrington: Just stick to the bread and butter and keep pounding the ball to Lytton. The Raiders will probably have to outscore the Indians to overcome Watertown's passing game.
Keys: Watertown: Pretty simple here: Limit Brenden Lytton. He's nearly impossible to stop, so the Indians will have to hold him in check. Watertown should utilize its passing game with Matt Quatrano and Tony Simpson plenty. The Raiders' secondary is not very good. Torrington: Just stick to the bread and butter and keep pounding the ball to Lytton. The Raiders will probably have to outscore the Indians to overcome Watertown's passing game.
Picks: Kyle- Watertown: 35-28. Remmy- Torrington, 36-34.
Derby (5-4) at Shelton (5-4): This is the first year in a while that Derby has a legitimate chance to beat Shelton. The Raiders are playing some of the best football in the Valley, having won five of their last six and would be 6-3 if not for Ansonia's comeback. Actually, Derby is mathematically alive for the playoffs.
Keys: Derby: Keep attacking with the passing game. It's been one of the best in the NVL, especially over the second half of the season. Derby's defense hasn't been the greatest, but it can put up the points. Shelton: Shelton needs to ideally slow Derby's passing game and force it to do damage on the ground. Shelton's offense isn't as good ad Derby's, so it would like to win a lower-scoring game.
Keys: Derby: Keep attacking with the passing game. It's been one of the best in the NVL, especially over the second half of the season. Derby's defense hasn't been the greatest, but it can put up the points. Shelton: Shelton needs to ideally slow Derby's passing game and force it to do damage on the ground. Shelton's offense isn't as good ad Derby's, so it would like to win a lower-scoring game.
Picks: Kyle- Shelton, 24-21. Remmy- Derby, 27-19.
Kennedy (2-7) at Crosby (2-7): This game doesn't mean much except pride upon first glance, but this game is huge toward other NVL teams' playoff hopes. Woodland and Naugatuck are pulling for Kennedy, while Sacred Heart wants Crosby to win for the extra bonus points.
Keys: Kennedy: Run the ball effectively. We thought Kennedy was on track for a near-.500 season after upsetting Sacred Heart by pounding the ball, but it's been a very disappointing second half for the Eagles. Crosby: Limit Kennedy's ground game and don't let the Eagles hold the ball all game. That's when Kennedy is its most effective, so Crosby needs to take it out of its game.
Keys: Kennedy: Run the ball effectively. We thought Kennedy was on track for a near-.500 season after upsetting Sacred Heart by pounding the ball, but it's been a very disappointing second half for the Eagles. Crosby: Limit Kennedy's ground game and don't let the Eagles hold the ball all game. That's when Kennedy is its most effective, so Crosby needs to take it out of its game.
Picks: Kyle- Kennedy, 20-14. Remmy- Crosby, 25-16.
