In a little less than a month, when the Copper Division race has been settled and there is one team left standing to play for the NVL championship, we will likely look back at Week 6 as a major turning point in the race. We're here, and the big games are here: Torrington at Woodland and Naugatuck at Holy Cross.
Watch Kyle's Game of the Week preview video here.
Torrington at Woodland
Remmy's Keys to the Game: Both teams need this game. It will boil down to who wants it more. Woodland has arguably one of the top defenses in the NVL but has yet to play a formidable opponent except for Ansonia. The Hawks' play from their front seven and linebacking corps will be huge in determining the outcome of this game. Woodland needs at least two guys tackling Brenden Lytton every time. Lytton is one of the bigger backs in the NVL and he has great speed. One guy isn't going to be enough to bring Lytton down! Torrington has played some tough opponents thus far (Ansonia, Holy Cross, Naugatuck) and have lost two big ones. The Raiders cannot afford to lose another one or their chances at winning the Copper Division will truly go down the drain.We all thought Torrington would come out throwing versus Naugatuck based on the previous week's performance against St. Paul. But that was not the case. The weather and field conditions probably had something to do with that. If Woodland's defense is as good as people think it is, then Torrington will need to make some plays in the air to win this game. Torrington will need to apply pressure on the Hawks' O-line and force Woodland's young quarterback into making bad throws. The key for the Torrington defense is to fluster Tanner Kingsley and make him uncomfortable so he does not get into a groove. Woodland's defense will have its hands full trying to contain Lytton. Will Woodland stack the box like Ansonia did? That will be interesting to see.
Kyle's Keys to the Game: Remmy made it pretty obvious that the biggest key to this game is Woodland's ability to tackle Lytton. Naugatuck was able to hit Lytton fairly often around the line of scrimmage and for minimal gains, but he slid off dozens of tackles for extra yardage and even touchdowns. If Woodland can tackle Lytton effectively, the Hawks will win. If Lytton breaks tackles like he did against the Greyhounds, Woodland will lose. The passing games in this one could also be interesting. The edge in consistency definitely goes to Kingsley and Woodland because we're still not sure what we're going to get from Torrington. One week Phil Bresson throws for 300 yards, and the next week he's replaced in the second quarter. I think Woodland's offensive variety and balance will be tougher for Torrington to stop than Naugatuck's, but the Hawks have to be careful not to open it up too much because Lytton is a ball hawk in the secondary.
Remmy's Players to Watch: I expect some big hits from both teams on defense. Woodland's front seven will determine whether or not the Hawks win this game. But my real players to watch will be on the offensive side of the ball--Woodland running back Matt Zaccagnini and Torrington quarterback Phil Bresson. Zaccagnini will need at least 20 carries to take the load off of the young quarterback, Tanner Kingsley. This matchup is setting up well for Zaccagnini to have a monster game. However, if the run game isn't there for Woodland, it will be in a tough spot putting pressure on the young quarterback to win the game. On the other side, Bresson will need to pick up his squad if the Hawks stuff the Red Raiders' run game. I don't expect the Raiders' run game to stall in this game, but I don't expect Brenden Lytton to run for over 300 yards, either. Bresson will have to do some of the work!
Kyle's Players to Watch: The Woodland offensive line is going to be big in this one. If the Hawks want to be successful on offense, they need to establish the run game early, and the line will be huge in blocking for the bruising Zaccagnini. I think the Hawks' receivers, Anthony Scirpo and Kyle McClintick, as well as tight ends Levi Fancher and Zach Happy could be the difference. Kingsley has done a very nice job of distributing the ball around the field so defenses have a tough time keying in one one or two guys. The receivers have good speed and the tight ends have good size so if Kingsley can get them the ball, Woodland's offense will be in good shape. For Torrington, paving the way for Lytton will be big. The Torrington offensive line will have its hands full with Woodland's front seven, which usually does a good job of getting penetration into the backfield and around the corner. We'll see how the Raiders' wide receivers are able to block, too.
Picks: Remmy- Torrington, 28-26. Kyle- Woodland, 27-22.
Naugatuck at Holy Cross
Remmy's Keys to the Game: The Crusaders will need to match Naugatuck's intensity. Naugatuck is coming off of a big home loss to Torrington. And for the second week in a row, the 'Hounds play a game that will determine the outcome of who becomes the top dog in the Copper Division. Holy Cross finished off Kennedy after being down at the half, 6-2. The Crusaders eventually won the game, but it doesn't seem to me that they are as hungry as this Naugatuck team might be after last week's loss to the Red Raiders. I don't think Holy Cross wins this game unless Adrian Brown and David DiGiorgi rush for a combined 200 yards. That's pretty tough to ask from Cross against the Naugy defense, but it can get done. And hopefully (for the sake of my picks), Holy Cross has some payback on its mind after it lost to a down Naugatuck team a couple of years ago, 6-0.Kyle's Keys to the Game: Naugatuck's offense has to find its passing game again in order to beat the Crusaders. Holy Cross' secondary is a solid unit but the ability for Naugy to connect on screens with the occasional longer pass will be important to helping Jake Yourison have an easier time running the ball. Yourison can throw, but Zac Mercer has been successful in his appearances and I would think the 'Hounds have to reintegrate him into the office. Allowing Yourison to take a handoff rather than a direct snap gives him another couple of yards to read the defense and get a fast start. If the Greyhounds tackle as poorly as they tackled against Torrington, Brown and DiGiorgi will take advantage and gain substantial yardage. Holy Cross seems to be much more suited for running the ball with a strong offensive line and two backs. An occasional throw would be good, but many of the Crusaders' mistakes have come in the passing game this year. Keeping the ball on the ground with the playmakers--even the occasional screen--would seem to be the best chance at offensive success.
Remmy's Players to Watch: Naugatuck quarterback Zac Mercer did not have a big game last week against Torrington and it may have determined the outcome of that game. We were expecting a good game from him but it didn't happen as he wasn't on the field too much. This week, he will need to regroup and make some plays for Naugatuck if the 'Hounds intend on being victorious. And if my memory serves, Matt Harris is back for the Garnet and Grey. We'll see what kind of spark he gives this team., if any. Harris is a very quick, very elusive player. Holy Cross will need its speed guys on defense to watch Harris' every move, or he's gone! Crusaders junior Adrian Brown will need to pick up where he left off last week. Brown rushed for over 100 yards in a win over Kennedy and was a great compliment to David DiGiorgi in the backfield. Brown is very fast. He took one to the house against Ansonia (JV) on a run to the outside. No one was catching him. Brown and Harris may very well be the guys who show up for their respective teams this week.
Kyle's Players to Watch: Last week, Holy Cross running back Dave DiGiorgi had his first 100-yard game since Week 1. Keeping him heavily involved in the offense will be important as he's an experienced back with the ability to pound up the middle in short-yardage situations. Jake Yourison will likely get the bulk of Naugatuck's offensive work, but it's important to develop a more effective passing game so defenses can't focus on sending multiple players at Yourison on every play. On defense, the big playmakers in the front seven are Naugatuck's Mike Giugno and Holy Cross' Anthony Jamele. Both are very strong against both the run and the pass, so we can expect solid performances from both of these guys. Giugno made several big stops late in the game against Lytton last week while Jamele has forced several turnovers this season.
Picks: Remmy- Holy Cross, 26-18. Kyle- Holy Cross, 21-14.
