week 1 in review

Interesting, and for local teams very successful, first week of the high school football season. Herald area teams went 8-1, with Goodwin Tech/St. Paul/ Lewis Mills the only team on the wrong end of the score.
As for me, I went 6-2 with my picks, including getting the tough match up between Northwest Catholic and New London right. But who's counting?
I was most impressed with the big wins by Newington and New Britain. I expected the 'Canes to come out on top in the always-big contest against Bristol Central, but I never imagined Newington would run away from Hartford Public. The teams tied last year.
While Nate Pagan is deservedly getting the most press for the Indians, Shane Leupold could be a difference maker in games this year with the focus off of him. He and Bobby Hemmann both have a lot of experience in the offense. Things are looking up for Newington, but they still have a tough schedule.
As for New Britain, B.J. Aponte was just awesome with 267 against a solid team. One of the performances of the week, and possibly the whole year, around the state.
I was very happy to be present for Wethersfield's decisive victory over Bulkeley. Coach John Campanello is one of the classier ones that I know, and his team looks much improved this year. Sophomore QB Tyler Murphy did not look like somebody without varsity experience when he came in for senior Gavin Lamb after an injury. I hope Lamb comes back healthy and Murphy can contribute as a receiver, but the Eagles seem to be in pretty good hands with either.
For those getting excited in Farmington, don't put too much pressure or high expectations on Tebucky Jones, Jr. He's got talent, no question. But he's a long way from matching the career of his father, a local legend in New Britain. To expect as much would be unfair.
Rocky Hill certainly got lucky in its 21-20 overtime victory as St. Bernard/Norwich Tech missed a relatively short field goal for the win in regulation. But nobody ever said luck isn't part of it. A win is a win and that is not your ordinary Catholic/Tech school co-op after a Class SS playoff berth last year.
It was a good warm up week with everybody off to a good start, several against some of the weaker competition on their schedules. Everybody's smiling as week two is fast approaching.

Let the games begin

As usual, I am very excited about the start of high school football season. Though not my favorite sport, there is something exciting about the once a week format (more on that coming soon) and I think several local teams could be in for a very good season.
Of course, at this point, everybody has high hopes and we will soon separate the good teams from the merely hopeful. I want to wish best of luck to new Plainville coach Scot Wenzel and Farmington coach Bruce Wearne, returning to the school after a few years away from the program.
I'm going to go out on a limb here, and do something I've never done before. I'm going to make picks for our local games as well as one game from around the state that I feel deserves highlighting. I would like to express that these picks do not necessarily reflect what I would like to happen, and also emphasize that there is still a reason they play the games.
The only games I will abstain from picking are the ones I'm covering. This week those are Cheney Tech at Berlin and Bulkeley at Wethersfield. I am interested to see both of those teams though.
So here goes for week 1.
Friday:
New Britain over Bristol Central at NB: This should be the local game of the week, and perhaps in the state as a whole. Two teams always looking for potential playoff berths squaring off. Hurricanes are a little older this year, and Aaron Hernandez is in Florida and not at Central. That swings it from last year.
Hartford Public over Newington at Newington: Hate to say it, but I'm not sure what to expect from the Indians this year. It's still early, but they seem to have lost a lot of their energy players from last year, so we will have to see who steps up. Nate Pagan is the real deal at RB though, and well worth Newington fans coming out to watch.
Rocky Hill over St. Bernard/Norwich Tech on the road: The teams tied last year, and I know the Terriers were very disappointed in their performance. This team sees a chance for the playoffs and will be energized in the opener.
Look for both teams to run the tricky double-wing offense, fun to watch.
Plainville over Sport and Med. Science at Plainville: The Wenzel era should get off to a good start.
Farmington over Wilcox Tech at Farmington: Things should be good for the start of the Wearne era as well, but it will get tougher once they get into the Nutmeg schedule.
Saturday:
Southington over South Windsor at South Windsor: Coach Mella should have the weapons to win this one, but it will be interesting to see how the Knights do after two straight trips to the state finals. I think they're vulnerable, but they could prove me wrong, just as they did last year.
SP/GT/LM over RHAM/Lyman in Hebron: The St. Paul conglomerate suffered a PR nightmare last year involving alleged recruiting. But they should have enough to top the Sachems.
STATE GAME OF THE WEEK:
New London at Northwest Catholic: Last year the Indians lost one game: to the Whalers in week 1. And NWC found itself on the outside of the S playoffs looking in. They won't want that to happen again and are again considered one of the favorites in the Nutmeg.
Meanwhile, Jack Cochran returns to the sidelines for New London after an absence last year. This should be a great game with many story lines.
My guess is New London takes it again.

turf trouble

The football/soccer field at Newington High School is in serious need of work. While the middle of the field (probably not coincidentally the bounds of the football field) is well groomed, the grass on the sidelines is several inches long, creating for some interesting kicking attempts during a soccer game between the Indians and rival Wethersfield.
Chances are both visiting teams and the home side are going to be very displeased if this continues, and I wouldn't blame either boys coach Frank Cardona or girls coach Angelo Marchetti complaining vehemently to parks officials or the school.

legitimate beef?

Just heard a rumor today, which I am not sure how to confirm, regarding the recent New England Revolution game at Willow Brook Park in New Britain. Both sides were pretty angry with the officials during the game, and three red cards and a plethora of yellows were issued as small fights began to break out midway through.
I heard today that the middle official in the game was being assessed by his supervising organization during that game, and he actually failed that assessment. I'm not sure what that means for him, but it is interesting to hear.

"Please allow me to introduce myself"

For those of you who don't know me, which I'm sure is most of you, my name is Ryan Pipke and I am a sports reporter for The Herald of New Britain, CT.
I'll be using this space to talk about the things I notice in the world of sports. While I typically cover local events, primarily high school sports, I will also occasionally post about national or international events as I see fit.
Please feel free to contact me with questions you may want me to answer in a post, and if I get enough I will try to do a weekly mailbag. Send questions to rpipke@newbritainherald.com.
I look forward to hearing your thoughts and sharing my own.

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