Woodland at Holy Cross
Remmy's Keys to the Game: Woodland bounced back last week by annihilating Naugatuck in Beacon Falls. I was there for the second half and it was a solid win for the Hawks. Holy Cross has won some rather close games this season. But winning this game is what it’s all about and the Crusaders have done just that. There’s a lot on the line here this week. If Woodland wins, it goes into a three-way tie with Torrington and Holy Cross in the Copper Division. If Holy Cross wins, the Crusaders win the division and will play in the NVL title game. HC needs to keep winning and in order to do so this week, it will need production from its backfield. Now, a big key may be missing for the Crusaders, but a few guys have stepped in and played lights-out lately. So, Holy Cross should not miss a beat.
Kyle's Keys to the Game: Woodland's short passing game has been excellent when the Hawks are at their best. I think a few quick slants and screens, along with the running game, can really keep Woodland moving down the field. Setting up the offense with the short game and blowing out with one of the big plays in the bank could really be successful for the Hawks. For Holy Cross, the running game has been pretty consistent but of late the passing game has been solid and not as mistake-prone as it was early in the season. This game could very well come down to the turnover battle because of the strength of both defenses and the attempted balance of both offenses. It's very likely that this game will be a one-score contest, and just one turnover may be the difference.
Kyle's Keys to the Game: Woodland's short passing game has been excellent when the Hawks are at their best. I think a few quick slants and screens, along with the running game, can really keep Woodland moving down the field. Setting up the offense with the short game and blowing out with one of the big plays in the bank could really be successful for the Hawks. For Holy Cross, the running game has been pretty consistent but of late the passing game has been solid and not as mistake-prone as it was early in the season. This game could very well come down to the turnover battle because of the strength of both defenses and the attempted balance of both offenses. It's very likely that this game will be a one-score contest, and just one turnover may be the difference.
Remmy's Players to Watch: As I mentioned in last week’s video, Woodland WR Anthony Scirpo was due to have the biggest game of his career and he did just that versus Naugatuck. I’m sure the Woodland coaches knew what Scirpo was capable of on the field, but last week had to have opened their eyes. Use this guy as a weapon this week and your chances of beating HC will be very high. We saw how Hawks QB Tanner Kingsley rolled out of the pocket and delivered the ball to Scirpo on many occasions. This will be critical again this week. On defense for the Hawks, LB Dave Alves will need to plow through that HC offensive line and make sure QB Zach Brown is uncomfortable. Brown has a great arm but has a tendency to get nervous when he feels pressure. Force Brown into making errant throws and let the Woodland secondary do its thing—pick off passes. Holy Cross RB/LB David DiGiorgi may not play in this game. The ‘Saders will miss him more on defense than on offense. Holy Cross must utilize RB Adrian Brown’s speed and get him the ball as much as possible. I expect HC to try to dismantle Woodland early by looking for its best athlete, freshman WR Isaiah Wright, on posts, drags, and fly patterns. If Brown is not being pressured and is allowed to fire the ball to Wright, this will be a long night for the Black and Gold.
Kyle's Players to Watch: Remmy hit on most of the big players in this game. For Woodland, Matt Zaccagnini has improved on the ground over the last two weeks and will be important to the Hawks' chances. On defense, Levi Fancher and Eric Collodel have been very good in the front seven and will be important to stopping the run and pressuring Zach Brown. For the Crusaders, Anthony Jamele has been one of the team's best defensive players all season and will be crucial to slowing down Woodland's short offense. Nick Giambacini emerged last week as a second rushing option and may be the go-to guy in goal-line situations for Cross.
Picks: Remmy- Holy Cross, 27-22. Kyle- Woodland, 21-14. Both of us are picking based on who we had winning the Copper Division in the preseason.
Ansonia at Wolcott
Remmy's Keys to the Game: For the visiting Chargers, the key to this game will hinge on the toughness of their offensive and defensive lines. Ansonia wins when its line is crushing its opponents. Wolcott has a reputation of being a very tough team in the trenches. This year is no different despite the absence of (now Wilby coach) Patrick Russo. The fans may not have to watch Arkeel Newsome run wild on the field to tell that the Chargers win this game. Just look at the battle at the line of scrimmage. That’ll tell you all you need to know. Last week, when the Chargers hosted Crosby, we saw some more of the passing game on display. I expect Tom Brockett to call Newsome’s number until the damage is done before he elects to go with the passing game. But, what else is new? Ansonia has struggled early in a few games this year. If I were Wolcott and won the coin toss, I’d elect to go on offense and try to get on the board first. Wolcott will need to get the ball to the outside if it intends on having any chance at winning this game—both in the run game and with the passing game. Everyone knows Ansonia loves to blitz and clog the middle. If Wolcott gets its speed to the corners, it will have success against Ansonia. That’s easier said than done, of course. The Eagles will have the tough task of stopping the Ansonia power-run game. Blitz Ansonia and hope it disrupts Ansonia’s offensive line's blocking scheme and get Newsome while you can. Force Ansonia to pass the ball and take your chances there.
Kyle's Keys to the Game: I very much agree with Remmy's keys to the game. Wolcott is going to have to find a way to outscore Ansonia to win. Remember, this Eagles defense gave up over 60 points to Torrington earlier this season. Wolcott is likely one of the fastest teams in the NVL and will have to use that to its advantage by getting Mike Nicol, DeVante Bonvillian, and others out in space on the outside of the field. Avoiding the Ansonia blitzes with screens and dumps to Bonvillian and the other Wolcott wideouts could be key. The Chargers really shouldn't have to do much different than they usually do. The coaching staff may have gained some confidence in the passing game, but I don't think that will be a major factor in this game. Newsome has rushed less than 20 times over the last two weeks, so he'll be completely ready to go
Kyle's Keys to the Game: I very much agree with Remmy's keys to the game. Wolcott is going to have to find a way to outscore Ansonia to win. Remember, this Eagles defense gave up over 60 points to Torrington earlier this season. Wolcott is likely one of the fastest teams in the NVL and will have to use that to its advantage by getting Mike Nicol, DeVante Bonvillian, and others out in space on the outside of the field. Avoiding the Ansonia blitzes with screens and dumps to Bonvillian and the other Wolcott wideouts could be key. The Chargers really shouldn't have to do much different than they usually do. The coaching staff may have gained some confidence in the passing game, but I don't think that will be a major factor in this game. Newsome has rushed less than 20 times over the last two weeks, so he'll be completely ready to go
Remmy's Players to Watch: It goes without saying that Wolcott QB Mike Nicol and RB DeVante Bonvillian will be two of the big playmakers on offense for the Eagles. But keep your eyes peeled for sophomore RB/DB Chad Acevedo. Acevedo, a former Crosby Bulldog, has scored touchdowns each of the last two weeks and is one of the speediest players on the field. Acevedo will line up at RB or in the slot and could be the key factor to Wolcott’s success in this game because he is so dynamic. All eyes will be on Ansonia RB Arkeel Newsome, like they are every week. The aerial assault may be part of the game-plan this week, with QB Elliot Chudwick tossing the ball to wide receivers Andrew Matos and Raeshaun Finney. But the real players to watch for Ansonia will be guys on the offensive line: Jake LaRovera, Arek Kaszuba, Tyler Williams, Dylan Vano, Hakeem Martin, and Matt Hall. These guys will determine whether or not Ansonia wins this game. Fact.
Kyle's Players to Watch: Remmy covered the playmakers for both teams. One thing we have to remember is that Wolcott's lines aren't as big as they used to be. The speed on both lines has been beneficial against most opponents so far, but against the big fronts of Torrington, Wolcott struggled. Ansonia's lines are even better than the Red Raiders', so if the Eagles' fronts can't compete with the Chargers, this won't be much of a game. Ansonia's defense has been the best in the league all season, and that should continue with Tyler Wood and others.
Picks: Remmy- Ansonia, 42-18. Kyle- Ansonia, 48-21. Neither one of us see Ansonia having too much trouble in picking up another Brass title.
If you haven't done so yet, go ahead and make your picks with us and we'll add them to the Predictions Tracker. We'll certainly know at least one division champion after this week and we very well may know our NVL title matchup by late Saturday night.
We will have the latest scheduling updates here all week long, so make sure to keep visiting if you can.
Kyle's Players to Watch: Remmy covered the playmakers for both teams. One thing we have to remember is that Wolcott's lines aren't as big as they used to be. The speed on both lines has been beneficial against most opponents so far, but against the big fronts of Torrington, Wolcott struggled. Ansonia's lines are even better than the Red Raiders', so if the Eagles' fronts can't compete with the Chargers, this won't be much of a game. Ansonia's defense has been the best in the league all season, and that should continue with Tyler Wood and others.
Picks: Remmy- Ansonia, 42-18. Kyle- Ansonia, 48-21. Neither one of us see Ansonia having too much trouble in picking up another Brass title.
If you haven't done so yet, go ahead and make your picks with us and we'll add them to the Predictions Tracker. We'll certainly know at least one division champion after this week and we very well may know our NVL title matchup by late Saturday night.
We will have the latest scheduling updates here all week long, so make sure to keep visiting if you can.
