We're at the home stretch of this season and most of the games from here on out are for pride only. Some, though, have bigger things riding on them. Woodland-Naugatuck has big implications in the Copper, NVL, and state races, while Torrington-Sacred Heart, Kennedy-Holy Cross, and Ansonia-St. Paul all involve at least one team looking to either make the state playoffs or keep its standing.
Make sure to make your predictions here so we can add them to the Predictions Tracker page. The standings after Week 7 are updated.
Woodland (5-2) at Naugatuck (7-0): This one is going to be for just about all the marbles in the Copper Division. If Naugatuck wins, the Hounds win the Copper and will play Ansonia on Thanksgiving for the NVL title. If Woodland wins, the Hawks need to beat Sacred Heart or have Naugy lose to Holy Cross in Week 9 to win the Copper and get a rematch with Ansonia. This game will probably come down to Naugatuck's offense against Woodland's defense. It's going to be quite the challenge for the Hawks to limit Naugy's offense, something that no team has yet been able to do.
Picks: Coming up in our Game of the Week thread!
Torrington (5-2) at Sacred Heart (4-3): This game might be a mismatch for Sacred Heart. Brenden Lytton is a top-three running back in the Valley and ran for a state record eight touchdowns last week. The Hearts have had great difficulty stopping the run, as evidenced by their three losses this season (Kennedy, Naugatuck, and Holy Cross). Sacred Heart's passing offense should keep them in this game for a little while, but Torrington's ball control could prove too much. A loss for the Hearts knocks them out of the Class S playoff picture, while the Raiders may have a slight chance if they win out and get help.
Picks: Kyle- Torrington, 47-34. Remmy- Torrington, 40-33.
Kennedy (2-5) at Holy Cross (4-3): Holy Cross is hanging on to its slim Class S playoff hopes and got a big boost by beating Sacred Heart last week. A win over Class L school Kennedy would be big points for the Crusaders, who sit in 12th in Class S and might be able to sneak in the playoff by winning out. That would be a tall task, as it would call for beating Naugatuck and Wolcott in the last two weeks. But Cross can't overlook Kennedy, which can hang around with most teams in the league.
Picks: Kyle- Holy Cross, 28-20. Remmy- Holy Cross, 20-14.
Ansonia (7-0) at St. Paul (2-5): A "trap" game of sorts for the Chargers after a hard-fought win against Derby. St. Paul has the ability to throw the ball around the field while the Chargers allowed close to 250 yards passing against Derby last week. This could spell trouble for Ansonia if it is looking forward to Thanksgiving.
Picks: Kyle- Ansonia, 40-14. Remmy- Ansonia, 38-13.
Wilby (1-6) at Derby (3-4): This may be the very first time we've picked Derby to win a game all season. Funny how that turned out for us. Since Tomczak came back, the Raiders have made a statement. Big Red almost pulled one out at Jarvis Stadium last week and must still be thinking about how that game ended up. But don't fret, Raiders, Wilby is up next and you've had a wonderful season thus far.
Picks: Kyle- Derby, 33-12. Remmy- Derby, 40-8.
Wolcott (4-3) at Seymour (0-7): Who would have thought Wolcott would be where it is now? After a 4-0 start, the Eagles have lost three in a row, including a pair of blowouts and a tough loss against fellow disappointment Watertown last week. Wolcott is playing for pride the rest of the way and doesn't want to be the team that gives Seymour its first win. This is probably the last possible chance for the Wildcats to steal a win with Ansonia and Woodland ahead in the final two weeks.
Picks: Kyle- Wolcott, 35-14. Remmy- Wolcott, 42-12.
Crosby (2-5) at Watertown (4-3): The Dawgs put a good amount of points on the board last week versus Seymour due to an unbelievable performance by QB Derrick Cox. Watertown can score at any given point in a game with QB Matt Quatrano at the helm and star receiver, Tony Simpson making plays for him. As crazy as this sounds, this game could be a toss-up.
Picks: Kyle- Watertown, 27-13. Remmy- Watertown, 27-21.
