The Copper Division continued its shaking-out process, and Holy Cross is the lone remaining undefeated team in the division while Torrington assumed second place, and Woodland and Naugatuck fell to third and fourth, respectively.
The most important win was likely that of the Red Raiders, which used a five-touchdown second half to beat Woodland, 44-29, and claim second place in the Copper. Torrington (4-2, 3-1) was clearly the more physical team and dominated the trenches in the second half. Brenden Lytton is absolutely on par with Arkeel Newsome, and any doubt of that fact was erased on Friday when Lytton rushed for 268 second-half yards and finished with 325. The Raiders still trail Holy Cross by a game (as well as the head-to-head tiebreaker) in the Copper, so they'll need some help to win the division and to climb into the hyper-competitive Class L playoff picture. Woodland (4-2, 3-1), meanwhile, is still alive in the Copper and in Class S but certainly have to figure out how to become more consistent on both sides of the ball.
Holy Cross stayed perfect in the division with a 43-0 win over Naugatuck. This was a 14-0 game into the fourth quarter when the Crusaders (5-1, 3-0) blew it open with a long touchdown pass from Zach Brown to Isaiah Wright, a pick-six by Wright, and a pair of touchdown runs. Cross has been really tough to figure out, but its offense has been clicking lately. After showing no life in the passing game recently, Brown played well against Naugy (4-2, 2-2) while the 'Hounds threw three interceptions for the second straight game. Naugy is basically finished in the Copper race while the Crusaders can win the division by winning their next two games (Sacred Heart, Woodland).
Wolcott pulled away from Derby for a 36-20 win behind another Mike Nicol's dual-threat performance. The Eagles (5-1, 4-0) scored the game's final three touchdowns to pull away from the Red Raiders (2-4, 1-3), whose last shot at the playoffs is now gone. Wolcott, meanwhile, is still sitting pretty in Class M but the Eagles still have tough games against Ansonia, Woodland, and Holy Cross remaining. It looks like Wolcott will go as Nicol goes, and the Eagles' defense has been able to do the job in all but one game.
Ansonia beat Watertown, 51-14, and Seymour beat Crosby, 35-14, in a pair of as-expected games. One of the most interesting stats of the week was Newsome being held under 100 yards rushing. Granted, he played only the first half, but still. The Chargers (6-0, 3-0) haven't skipped a beat and are a win over Wolcott (in two weeks) away from winning another Brass Division title. The Wildcats (4-2, 1-2) are still in contention in Class S and may be able to qualify by winning out. Watertown (2-4, 2-2) and Crosby (1-5, 0-3) are struggling of late.
Sacred Heart trounced Kennedy, 41-14, and is playing some really solid football right now, especially in the running game and on defense. Jaquan Overbey has become the offensive star of the team while the defense and special teams are creating loads of turnovers. Don't be shocked if the Hearts (2-3, 1-2) give Holy Cross a run for their money in Week 7. The Eagles (0-6, 0-3) are still searching for their first win.
In the final game of the week, Wilby crushed St. Paul, 60-27. The Wildcats were already up by seven touchdowns at halftime with an incredible performance by Jacob Thomas, who rushed for over 300 yards, scored six total touchdowns, and intercepted two passes. Good for Wilby (3-3, 2-2) for rebounding again after a tough loss. Young St. Paul (0-6, 0-3) continues to struggle.
Who Did It
Wolcott's Mike Nicol earned our NVL Blog Player of the Week honors for Week 6. The Eagles' quarterback has been getting it done on the ground and in the air, and his role in Friday night's comeback win over Derby was no exception with his 112 rush yards, 230 pass yards, and three overall touchdowns. We very well could have picked Wilby's Jacob Thomas, whose stats were the best of the week, but St. Paul isn't exactly the best opponent around.
Week 6's top rushers: Thomas (357 rush yds, 5 TD); Lytton (327 rush yds, 4 TD); Overbey (184 rush yds, 3 TD); Wilby's Emmanuel Zapata (122 rush yds, TD); Nicol (112 rush yds, 2 TD); Watertown's Dan Brodeur (112 rush yds); Woodland's Matt Zaccagnini (102 rush yds, TD); Newsome (84 rush yds, 3 TD)
Week 6's top passers: St. Paul's Logan Marchi (19-39, 344 pass yds, 4 TD, 4 INT); Woodland's Tanner Kingsley (16-28, 240 pass yds, 2 TD, 2 INT); Nicol (13-19, 230 pass yds, TD); Brown (7-12, 195 pass yds, TD, INT); Derby's Ray Kreiger (17-30, 168 pass yds, 2 TD, 2 INT); Ansonia's Elliot Chudwick (4-6, 108 pass yds, TD, INT); Torrington's Phil Bresson (7-15, 108 pass yds, TD, INT)
How It Looked
Remmy caught the first half of Watertown-Ansonia and the second half of Torrington-Woodland. Click those links to check out the videos.
And of course, our friends from the Rep-Am and the Register Citizen have these bits of multimedia for us.
Videos: Torrington-Woodland, Torrington-Woodland, Naugatuck-Holy Cross
Photos: Sacred Heart-Kennedy, Torrington-Woodland, Naugatuck-Holy Cross
What's Next
The Copper Division race is now a three-horse race with Holy Cross in sole possession of first place. The division could either take a step further toward being determined in Week 7 or become even more muddled with the results of a few key games.
Naugatuck-Woodland is an important game for both teams, especially in terms of state playoffs. The 'Hounds, with two losses, are all but out of the running the Copper, but they're still 14th in Class L and have an outside shot at getting in if they win out. Meanwhile, Woodland is still alive in the division but will have to win its next two. The Hawks are all the way back in 16th in Class S, so winning out is also probably required of them if they want to get back to the playoffs.
Holy Cross-Sacred Heart might not look like a huge game on paper, but the Hearts are playing their best football of the season right now with two and a half excellent games under their belts. That momentum, especially in a rivalry game, might be enough to keep this one interesting into the fourth quarter. If the Crusaders stumble, welcome back Torrington and Woodland in the divisional race.
Torrington, 12th in Class L, need to win out and get help to make the playoffs and still have a chance at the Copper if Holy Cross stumbles. They welcome Derby, which of course is the alma mater of coach Dan Dunaj. Derby has been in every game late except one, so this might not be a rollover in the battle of the Raiders.
Wolcott can stay perfect in the Brass with a win against Watertown, which would force a de facto Brass Division title game in Week 8 against Ansonia. That one could be interesting.
Coming up Monday, we'll have our Week 7 picks thread and videos up. The week gets underway Thursday night when Seymour and Wilby face off at the Stadium. Be sure to make your picks along with us, as the Predictions Tracker has been updated through Week 6. Also coming this week is a preliminary analysis of the playoff picture and hopefully some clarification in case the Copper Division becomes a three-way tie.
