week 7, is it really week 7 already?

Time flies when you're having fun, and this high school football season has certainly been fun. This week should prove pivotal in an exciting Nutmeg race, and we're still waiting on a couple big games still to come in the CCC.
At 31-15 overall, I'm doing pretty well at this picking thing. I'm still looking for that elusive perfect week, so let's get it here.
I will be at the Berlin-Rocky Hill game, a homecoming night for the Terriers, and what should be a very competitive and fun game all around. The Terriers perceive Berlin as their chief rivals in the Nutmeg (and Northwest Conference for other sports) because since joining the conference they don't really have a natural rival. Berlin is the only town bordering the Hill. (Calling on Cromwell. Hey Panthers, did you hear Farmington's leaving the league?)
I'm not sure that Berlin looks back at Rocky Hill the same way, not with longstanding rivalries with Plainville, Farmington and others in the conference. But there's a bit of resentment on their side after losing to Rocky Hill two years ago. And the Redcoats practiced nearly till the sun went down on Wednesday when I stopped by the high school.
I will say no more.
I should also be in Enfield on Saturday when Plainville hits the long road. That should be fun too.

FRIDAY:
Simsbury at New Britain: I wish the Hurricanes could get a really good challenge before facing Southington in two weeks. But I don't think they will, and that could leave them once again unprepared for the Knights.
Simsbury has not been able to slow down the elite powers, but hung tough with some good teams in Conard, Hall and Maloney. Still, I see New Britain rolling to another win at home.
Southington at Manchester: This one might get ugly. Manchester has fallen further in two years than any team in the CCC North, and I can't understand why a school that size, which isn't a soccer dynasty, can't get a good team on the field. The Knights don't have as good a passing offense as they used to dismantle Manchester in the past, but expect big yardage from Savino Melluzzo in the win.
Platt at Newington: The Panthers aren't nearly as potent as their cross-town rivals at Maloney. Newington is smarting after losing to Bristol Eastern, and wants to get back to its winning ways with a tough close to the season coming up. A trip back home will help as well.
I did see Platt play hard against New Britain earlier this year, but if Newington gets running early, they should keep running the whole way and this won't be close.
SP/GT/LM at Farmington: Farmington held off RHAM last week in a close game, and I think the Indians will do it again here, although the Falcons and Friends seem to play well down the stretch every year and threaten teams better than this Farmington bunch.
These, unfortunately, are the only local teams I still have not had the opportunity to see in person. It's just the way the schedules have worked out, and that Farmington and Bristol are much easier rides for some of our other writers.
St. Paul has put up 54 points in its last two games, but lost both of those to Enfield and Middletown. So if anything can be expected here, it's a lot of scoring and excitement. Look for the Indians to beat them the same way tonight.
SATURDAY
Wethersfield at Hall: Raise your hand if you had the Eagles in the playoff race in week 7. Go ahead, raise them. I don't see anybody raising their hand. Oh wait, I think I see the Eagles' offensive line in the back of the room. Well, you guys knew what we weren't sure of. That line is pretty good, and has been the biggest reason for improvement on this team.
In fact, better line play is usually the key, especially when you have the total speed on offense that this team has, if only injuries could keep them all on the field.
Meanwhile, I am told that some at Hall were concerned with the staph infection that has been appearing around the state, and is a very serious concern. There was still some question as to whether the entire team would play in this game, but I have not heard whether any players were diagnosed with the infection.
I'm sure with the concern state-wide that they will take all necessary precautions in this case, and if any players are not on the field, it could be an advantage to Wethersfield.
But I'd be picking the Eagles in this game regardless after the way they played against Bloomfield last week. They are legitimate playoff contenders despite a schedule that closes with four very good teams. This is the first step.
STATE PICK OF THE WEEK
Middletown at Northwest Catholic, Saturday, 10:30 a.m.: How can I not look at this one. The four-team race in the Nutmeg sees those four square off against each other this week, and for now, the Middletown Blue Dragons are the only unbeaten in first place.
But, at least one coach told me he still believes Northwest is the best team in the league and that its loss to Rocky Hill may prove to be an abberration for the Indians, who are still on the outskirts of Class S playoff contention.
Both of these teams showcase big, physical lines, with the Golic brothers gaining reputation around the state for Northwest, and not just because of their well-known father. I don't think the Dragons have yet seen that kind of strength up front, and I think this is the week they lose their first game, setting up a three-way conference tie with Northwest and the Berlin-RH winner.

proud papa

I saw Wethersfield High School athletic trainer Scott Applebaum today and asked him why I hadn't seen him much lately at the school's games. He had a good excuse.
Scott's wife recently gave birth to their first child, a baby girl. The new father understandably had his hands full and took some time away from work. I'm willing to bet he'll soon find out, if he hasn't already, that taking care of injuries at soccer games is his easiest job each day.
Welcome back, Scott, and congratulations at a joyous time.

World Series cop-out

I'm too scared to make a prediction on this World Series because I know just how little sense baseball makes. Cleveland gets a win in a game where Carmona pitches terrible, gets another two from Paul Byrd and Jake Westbrook, but then can't get one good start out of its two aces. That's illogical, and at the same time typical of postseason baseball.
Had the Indians made it to face the Rockies, we would have been guaranteed our eighth straight year with a unique champion. Of course, that can still happen if Colorado completes its incredible run, which just might be the most unlikely long-term winning streak in sports history.
For those of you who decry the lack of parity in MLB, consider this. That streak would be the second longest in league history without having a team win the World Series twice. The record is ten straight years from 1978-1987, starting with the second title in a row for the Yankees and ending when the L.A. Dodgers became the only team to win two titles in the decade of the 1980s. Other than that, no other stretch of years even reaches seven, as it is now, without a repeat champ.
The longest such streak in the NBA is six years, between the 1974-75 season and the 79-80 season (Warriors, Celtics, Blazers, Bullets, Sonics, Lakers for those keeping track).
Before the NHL was the lone hockey league challenging for it, Lord Stanley's cup changed hands for seven years in a row between teams, almost all of which no longer exist. Since the NHL's pre-eminence, there have been three streaks of six years, including the current carousel (Avalanche, Red Wings, Devils, Lightning, Hurricanes, Ducks).
Even the alleged parity of the NFL can't compare to baseball's recent run. The longest streak of new Super Bowl Champions, ironically, is six, and more shockingly took place between Bowls II through VII (Packers, Jets, Chiefs, Colts, Cowboys, Dolphins).
I'll be rooting for Colorado this week, just to keep this alive. These kinds of streaks don't happen often, and they are fun in my opinion. It's nice to see fans around the country get to celebrate for at least one year.
Now, onto what to look for. The Sox rotation is clearly superior, with Josh Beckett the newest postseason ace. On paper the Sox should win easily, with Beckett and Schilling leading the pitching and Manny, Ortiz and Lowell fueling the offense.
But Boston needs to get more hitting from the rest of the lineup, because top to bottom Colorado has a greater number of productive hitters in its batting order as of late, and you can't discount the star power of Holliday, Helton and Tulowitzki.
The biggest fear for the Red Sox would be losing Game 1. Not only would it be a Beckett start out the window and the loss of home field advantage, but it would eliminate the question of rust for the Rockies after a long layoff and would continue Colorado's epic streak.
Should the Rockies remember what it feels like to lose a game, the wheels might come off quickly. If they win game one as they did against Philly and Arizona, who can say definitively that they won't sweep through the whole series and postseason? This is a strange sport, after all.
I can't wait. Let's get it started.
Oh, and does anybody have tickets?

week 6 in review

There's no question that the team of the week resides in Wethersfield. It's not often that a team can pick up two wins, and move into playoff position (for the time being) all within 24 hours of each other.
But that is just what happened when the Eagles learned that Windsor would forfeit its win against them from the week before due to use of an ineligible player. Wethersfield then made the most of it by topping a good Bloomfield team on the road on Saturday, maintaining its hold on the fourth spot in Class MM.
Nice week for anybody.
It wasn't as positive for Wethersfield's rival Newington, as the Indians lost to a very impressive Bristol Eastern squad. People can stop asking whether the Lancers are for real. They are.
It would be wonderful if both Wethersfield and Newington could hold steady at one, or at most two losses, before their Thanksgiving Day game. I can only imagine, having covered the game in the pouring rain last year and seen the intensity from the players, what it would be like with the playoffs on the line for both.
Not much else to say around the CCC locally, except that New Britain and Southington took care of business without much trouble, even in the rain.
The Nutmeg conference is a free-for-all at this point after Berlin's surprising loss to Northwest Catholic. That leaves Middletown alone in first place and undefeated, while Berlin, Northwest and Rocky Hill all have one loss in conference. Matchups still remaining among the group: Berlin at Rocky Hill next week, Middletown at Northwest also next week, Berlin at Middletown (Nov. 10). This should be fun.
Rocky Hill's win over Plainville was one of the most exciting high school games I've seen in a while. Both teams made big plays, Plainville setting up short touchdowns with an interception and a blocked punt, and Rocky Hill stunning just about everybody with a 70-yard passing play to take the lead.
I'd like to once more applaud David Soltis for passing the Plainville career rushing mark. Some day the young fans at that game will enter the high school with dreams of passing Soltis. And I believe he would applaud them every step of the way.
Four games to go for all locals, and still a lot to be determined. Six teams still hold playoff aspirations. That's very impressive.

I went 4-3 with my picks this week. Thanks and congratulations to Farmington for keeping me from a sub-.500 effort with their narrow win over RHAM. That leaves me at 31-15 overall, and 3-3 in featured state games.