week 2 in review
So it was not my best performance this past week regarding local picks, but for a few teams I could not be happier.
I went 3-4 bringing my record for the season to 9-6 overall. A couple results really surprised me, others just a little bit.
I was most surprised at New Britain's disappointing loss at Windsor, after two consecutive narrow wins over the Warriors the past two seasons. New Britain could not pull off a late-game win this year.
It's probably not appropriate to be talking playoffs for this team yet. A consistent performance would be needed first. But I see the talent on this squad and I just hope this loss doesn't prove costly.
On the opposite end, Wethersfield and Farmington both pulled off exciting wins. These are probably the two most improved teams in the area at this point. The Eagles got one of those wins which catapults a team to bigger and better things, hanging with an opponent that has handled them in recent years and pulling out a close game in the end the way good teams do.
Looks like Lamb and Murphy splitting time is working, but let's hope it doesn't have to keep happening due to injuries.
By the way, the score of the Farmington/East Catholic game was in fact 39-14 Indians, as reported by The Herald's Matt Straub. It was not listed that way on the CIAC website and in at least one other state publication.
I'm not sure whether to be more impressed with Farmington's play or surprised at how much East has fallen off since the end of its co-op with Cheney Tech. Either way, Farmington seems to have dramatically changed the complexion of the middle tier of the Nutmeg. But I don't think Northwest Catholic and Berlin need to worry all that much about them ... for now.
I picked Southington in a close one over Bloomfield, touting it as a great matchup. Knights running back Savino Melluzzo said it all to Herald correspondent Ryan Cote.
"We proved to the whole state that we're still a force."
Melluzzo (5 TDs) also made my prediction look somewhat foolish, though at least it goes as a win in my column too. Inadvertantly, Southington helped out a lot of Class S contenders.
Rocky Hill, Berlin and Newington coasted in wins over outmatched opponents, so no surprises there. Meanwhile the real game of the week was Thursday night in Plainville as the Middletown Blue Dragons snuck away with a 35-28 win.
It was fun to see every other team coaching staff in the Nutmeg at that game to scout, fighting for position in the endzones and outside the press box. Several coaches I talked to were impressed with the improvement from the Devils despite the loss.
Also, as one of those scouts pointed out, Middletown's front seven is creating far bigger holes for its running backs than last year. Even if those backs aren't quite as fast as their predecessors, that's a dangerous weapon.
Two weeks gone and six local teams are unbeaten. There could be a lot going on come late November and December.
I went 3-4 bringing my record for the season to 9-6 overall. A couple results really surprised me, others just a little bit.
I was most surprised at New Britain's disappointing loss at Windsor, after two consecutive narrow wins over the Warriors the past two seasons. New Britain could not pull off a late-game win this year.
It's probably not appropriate to be talking playoffs for this team yet. A consistent performance would be needed first. But I see the talent on this squad and I just hope this loss doesn't prove costly.
On the opposite end, Wethersfield and Farmington both pulled off exciting wins. These are probably the two most improved teams in the area at this point. The Eagles got one of those wins which catapults a team to bigger and better things, hanging with an opponent that has handled them in recent years and pulling out a close game in the end the way good teams do.
Looks like Lamb and Murphy splitting time is working, but let's hope it doesn't have to keep happening due to injuries.
By the way, the score of the Farmington/East Catholic game was in fact 39-14 Indians, as reported by The Herald's Matt Straub. It was not listed that way on the CIAC website and in at least one other state publication.
I'm not sure whether to be more impressed with Farmington's play or surprised at how much East has fallen off since the end of its co-op with Cheney Tech. Either way, Farmington seems to have dramatically changed the complexion of the middle tier of the Nutmeg. But I don't think Northwest Catholic and Berlin need to worry all that much about them ... for now.
I picked Southington in a close one over Bloomfield, touting it as a great matchup. Knights running back Savino Melluzzo said it all to Herald correspondent Ryan Cote.
"We proved to the whole state that we're still a force."
Melluzzo (5 TDs) also made my prediction look somewhat foolish, though at least it goes as a win in my column too. Inadvertantly, Southington helped out a lot of Class S contenders.
Rocky Hill, Berlin and Newington coasted in wins over outmatched opponents, so no surprises there. Meanwhile the real game of the week was Thursday night in Plainville as the Middletown Blue Dragons snuck away with a 35-28 win.
It was fun to see every other team coaching staff in the Nutmeg at that game to scout, fighting for position in the endzones and outside the press box. Several coaches I talked to were impressed with the improvement from the Devils despite the loss.
Also, as one of those scouts pointed out, Middletown's front seven is creating far bigger holes for its running backs than last year. Even if those backs aren't quite as fast as their predecessors, that's a dangerous weapon.
Two weeks gone and six local teams are unbeaten. There could be a lot going on come late November and December.
Labels: football
posted by Ryan Pipke at
7:55 PM
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