What's at stake here? Playoff points, potential divisional tiebreakers, and confidence for the rest of the season, particularly for a Torrington team that is being picked by many to win the Copper Division for the first time. How will the Red Raiders rebound if they lose this much-anticipated opener? How would the Chargers react to losing their first game of the season against a non-traditional power at home? We'll find out the answer to one of those questions in Week 2, depending on what happens Thursday night at Jarvis Stadium.
Remmy's Keys to the Game: Ansonia will need to be balanced if it intends on winning this game. Arkeel Newsome will have his time and so will Brenden Lytton. But it's the cast of characters that we don't usually hear about making plays on both offense and defense that will determine the outcome of this game. If Torrington scores early behind Lytton and his massive O-line and takes the lead, I expect the Red Raiders to continue to feed Lytton the ball and then pop Ansonia with surprise play-action passes for some scores. The Ansonia defense better be up to the task if it wants to send Torrington home with a loss. The line play will be crucial! The Raiders will also need to be mentally up to the challenge. It seems like it doesn't matter what the visiting teams' coaching staff says to its players before visiting Jarvis Stadium--the visitors are always pumped-up for the game all week long, but once Ansonia scores a go-ahead TD, it seems to take the life out of the visiting team each and every time, no matter how excited they were to step in and pummel Ansonia. Keeping the team focused on the task at-hand, despite what the scoring difference is, will be something for these staffs to think about.
Kyle's Keys to the Game: To me, proving balance is more important for Torrington than Ansonia. Newsome will do his work, and we saw Elliot Chudwick throw some passes in big situations last year. The Raiders will have to be able to throw the ball in key situations on Thursday even though Lytton will be the horse and account for the majority of the offense. This is particularly the case if Torrington finds itself trailing in this game. Perhaps my biggest key to this game is that the Raiders need to stay in this game early. We saw last season that Derby jumped on top of Ansonia at Jarvis Stadium fairly substantially and still lost. Torrington needs to either have a lead at the half or be within a score. Its offense is not built to come from multiple scores behind. Besides, the psychological factor that the Chargers have been there and the Raiders have not will be in play. If Torrington falls behind (a la Holy Cross and Wolcott in 2010), the team may start losing its confidence and allow the gravity of the game to affect it. Plus, the Red Raiders' defense was not great last season and will give up yardage and points to the Chargers, so the offense will have to start hot and stay hot.
Remmy's Players to Watch: We all obviously know about the studs in Newsome (AHS) and Lytton (THS). But I feel these teams will need another player to make plays for it in order to win this game. Sure, Lytton is good for more than two TDs and Newsome might be as well. However, guys like Jason Abbott (QB, THS) and Elliot Chudwick (QB, AHS) will have to step up to win this game for their squad. Other notables are Tyler Lester (QB/WR/DB, AHS) and Demetrious Dailey (WR/DB, THS). Lester is very tough and speedy. He is a very versatile athlete that can play at any of the skill positions. I think Ansonia will maximize its potential by using Lester in various positions at different points in the game. This will be the key to Ansonia's success if it can cash in on Lester's play-making ability. For Torrington, Dailey will need to score whether it's on special teams or catching darts from Abbott. I have an eerie feeling about this game and that's why I feel strongly about a new star being born right in front of our very eyes under the bright lights of Jarvis Stadium this coming Thursday.
Kyle's Players to Watch: All of Remmy's key players, plus the two big guys, are definitely going to be important. If this league expands its passing capability (as it looks like it may), these two quarterbacks will have to be on top of their games. Lester is certainly an interesting player, as is Jared Williams (RB/WR/DB, THS) for the Raiders. Both are very good athletes and have versatile skill sets which could make them prime candidates for gadget plays. In addition to those singular players, I'll be anxious to see how two units play as wholes. Last season, Ansonia's pass catchers (including Andrew Matos, Miky Mason, Jake LaRovera, and Raeshaun Finney) were only somewhat reliable with drops in big spots. If the Chargers want to balance their offense more this season, those guys will have to improve and make sure good passes are caught. On the other side, Torrington's offensive line (including Brad Brown, Zach McNutt, Kelley Kelley, and others) could be the unsung heroes of the night. Last season, Lytton had Dean Tsopanides to run behind. This year, the dominant big man is no longer there, so we'll see how that affects Lytton's ability to rack up big yardage. Ansonia's defense is seasoned, quick, and physical, so the line will have to play well to lead Lytton.
The Picks: This may very well be the game of the year if it shapes up to be the type of game everyone is anticipating. We know that Ansonia has a more balanced offense in 2011 compared to last season. And we know that Torrington boasts what will likely be the most powerful running game in the NVL this season with its horses up front and Lytton in the backfield. Make no mistake about it--this game may all fall onto the shoulders, or right arm, of Abbott and his ability to connect with his receivers and stun the Ansonia secondary with some big gains. And make no mistake about it--Torrington has a good shot at sending Ansonia off of its own field with an 0-1 record.
Picks: Kyle- Torrington, 27-24. Remmy- Ansonia, 28-21.
