We're through two weeks in the 2011 NVL season and we've barely yet sorted out anything. But Week 3 should start to clarify the divisional pictures with some important intradivision matchups, including a headline game in both the Brass and Copper Divisions.
But first, as always, let's take one more look at last week's action with Kyle's solo recap. (Plus, his Week 2 review on the Red Zone blog.)
We once again have Co-Games of the Week, with Ansonia-Derby being the big Brass battle and Torrington-Holy Cross the crucial Copper clash. But a number of other teams are in action with divisional games of their own to help boost their own standing as we move toward the middle of the season.
As a side note, Sacred Heart is idle this week after not being able to find a Week 3 opponent.
Wilby (1-1) at Watertown (0-2): The Wildcats dominated Kennedy in a 36-0 win at the mudpit that was Wilby High on Friday and now have some confidence rolling into their first divisional game of the season. Wilby's Jay'Len Mahan and Jacob Thomas have both rushed for over 100 yards in each of the first two games and it might not be a surprise if both do it again. Watertown hung around with Holy Cross last week before the Crusaders pulled away. It's still tough to know what to make of the Indians, but they can't afford to drop to 0-3. Wilby's speed may win out over Watertown's size.
Picks: Remmy- Wilby, 29-16. Kyle- Wilby, 28-21.
Jonathan Law (0-2) at Woodland (1-1): The most disappointing loss of Week 2 was taken by Woodland, which played toe-to-toe with Ansonia for 15 minutes before the Chargers dominated the rest of the game. Even though this is a nonconference game, it's an important chance to bounce back for a team with all of its goals still achievable. This situation is very much like the one Torrington faced last week, except the Hawks face a better opponent from the SCC with a balanced offense but a suspect defense. Woodland's offense really struggled against Ansonia so if Matt Zaccagnini and Tanner Kingsley can find their grooves early, the Hawks should be OK.
Picks: Remmy- Woodland, 27-12. Kyle- Woodland, 21-14.
Kennedy (0-2) at Seymour (2-0): The Wildcats, at 2-0, might not necessarily be a surprise thus far, but it's definitely a change of pace from what we've seen over the last two years. Seymour won a sloppy game over Crosby last week and needs to work on sharpening its offense before the meat of its schedule hits in a few weeks. Jon Wilson and Luke Grabowski both ran for over 100 yards in Week 2 and the Wildcats' play-calling hinted at some balance, but Grabowski threw three picks before settling down. This one shouldn't be a problem for Seymour, but it would be nice to see a game with fewer turnovers and penalties against a team that struggled all over the field against Wilby last week.
Picks: Remmy- Seymour, 26-17. Kyle- Seymour, 35-12.
Naugatuck (2-0) at St. Paul (0-2): Week 2's most exciting game was won by the Greyhounds, as Jake Yourison scored the go-ahead touchdown with less than a minute left. Naugatuck's victory was made more impressive by the facts that they only allowed one passing touchdown by Derby's Ray Kreiger with a defense that had only four regular starters available. Those players should begin to return soon and Naugy should only improve as it can implement more variety into its offense. The 'Hounds shouldn't need to do anything fancy in this game to earn a win over a team that has had the league's worst defense over the first two weeks.
Picks: Remmy- Naugatuck, 38-18. Kyle- Naugatuck, 42-14.
Crosby (1-1) at Wolcott (1-1): Crosby has been among the more interesting teams over the first two weeks as the Bulldogs hung with Holy Cross for nearly the entire game before enjoying a fairly comfortable win over St. Paul. Crosby has tried to run a balanced offense, led by Marcel Lugo, and even though his completion percentage is well below 50 percent, he's been able to make some plays with his arm and legs. Crosby's defense has been pretty good, too, as it picked off five passes last week. Wolcott struggled on offense in its first game and was blown apart on defense last week by Brenden Lytton and Torrington. The Eagles need to find some rhythm on both sides of the ball.
Picks: Remmy- Crosby, 18-6. Kyle- Crosby, 27-14.
Kyle and Remmy agree on all five of these picks in Week 3, so there's no exciting disagreements with these games (at least for us). These games should start to provide some clarity in the divisional races and sort out the contenders from those who will sink to the bottom. We invite you to make your picks along with us in this thread.
The Co-Games of the Week thread and video, featuring Ansonia-Derby and Torrington-Holy Cross, is coming your way on Wednesday. Those both could be excellent games as they concern the tops of both divisional races as the season moves along.
