semifinals

Let me just say that after covering a playoff game in cold weather, just like every year, I'm looking forward to Saturday being over and done with. I'm a summer child and I'm a basketball guy anyways, so my thoughts are on getting indoors for several months.
A couple surprises in the first round of the playoffs, perhaps none bigger than Berlin's upset of unbeaten Bristol Eastern. I don't think too many people thought the Redcoats had it in them, but they got the job done. Incidentally, that is the first playoff win for the Nutmeg League in ten games, and eight years. The last was Farmington in 1999. (Northwest Catholic and Middletown both lost though. I was right. I thought a Nutmeg team would get a win this year. I just picked the wrong one.)
Meanwhile, what a bad day for the CCC, going 0-4, including upset losses for Eastern and Conard and a shutout for Weaver.
Interesting stat posted by Mike, who says that Jack Cochran is 12-1 in semifinal games. That's pretty incredible. Just ask Bill Mella how tough it is to keep getting through that first game, particularly on the road.
For the record, I picked Cromwell, not as a slight to Cochran or New London. Because I knew how good New London was. But I really feel that Cromwell did not get enough credit as "the other" unbeaten team in Class S alongside NL and Ansonia. The Panthers dismantled some good teams this year, and never slipped up. And that game against New London was close into the fourth quarter according to score updates I was hearing. The point is I don't think Cromwell was far behind New London and Ansonia as an elite team.
As for my picks, I went 6-5. It just goes to show how much tougher this gets when teams face unfamiliar opponents and just about everybody is really good.