Week 7 preview

Brrrr. I'm freezing right now. Of course you all know that it's getting chilly outside. I don't have to tell you that. After all, the weather is something for people to talk about who don't have anything of importance to say, or something like that.
But what you don't know is that the heat in my apartment has suddenly stopped working in the past two days. It's possible the landlord forgot to get oil for the house. Who knows? What matters is it's really cold in here.
It is making me dread those cold December football playoff games, which would be wonderfully exciting if I weren't concentrating more on getting the feeling back in my fingers and hoping my pen doesn't freeze.
You know what, those games aren't that far around the corner. We're coming down the home stretch here. Enjoy the games this weekend.
I'll be covering Plainville's game against Enfield on Saturday, and will be in the office taking phone calls Friday night. Ken Lipshez will be in Rocky Hill, Andrew Lovell following the Canes to Rockville, correspondent Gerry deSimas, Jr. in Manchester and Brian Straight watching Newington-Maloney. Show them love and share your blankets with them.
On to the picks.

Friday:
Southington at Manchester, 7 p.m.: The fairy tale should come crashing down for Manchester. A loss to Glastonbury last week. Now they must play Southington and New Britain in a row.
Southington needs to put this one away early and show the opponent they mean business. They can't keep letting teams hang around.
I expect Southington to win.
Maloney at Newington, 7 p.m.: Newington's too good. Maloney's just not what they were a couple years ago. The Indians keep rolling along at home.
Wethersfield at Conard, 6 p.m.: This is tough. I saw Conard a few weeks ago and they looked really good. But since then, they've been killed by two straight opponents and forced to forfeit two games for using an ineligible player, who is now no longer on the team.
I haven't heard who that player was, so I can't say whether it's a big loss on-field. But suffice it to say this is a team with some problems right now.
And Wethersfield had a good win over Windsor last week. I don't know what to think of the Eagles.
The difference maker is that Wethersfield has struggled on the road so far. So I like Conard to come away with a win at home.
New Britain at Rockville, 6:30 p.m.: I don't think this game will show much. Rockville seems to be down more than usual. New Britain's played well for the most part this year. I don't expect them to have a slipup this big.
New Britain wins.
SP/GT/LM at Rocky Hill, 6:30 p.m.: The Terriers know if they lose this one their win over Berlin last week won't mean anything. I'm shocked that Rocky Hill is getting no respect from anybody. People just aren't convinced yet.
I hope that changes this week.
I'll be honest. I haven't seen St. Paul yet this year. I've looked closely at their scores, talked to people who have seen them, and read as much as I could on their games. I just think Rocky Hill is a better team right now, and I think St. Paul gets its first loss of the season in this one.
Whoever wins this will have a serious leg up on a playoff spot. Whoever loses could be in trouble.
Saturday:
Farmington at Weaver, 12 p.m.: I wish I could say more good things about Farmington. I know the kids are working hard. I know they want to win. They are just overmatched each week right now.
Weaver should have no trouble.
Berlin at RHAM, 2 p.m.: I wouldn't want to be the Sachems. The Redcoats are going to be out for blood and to prove that they are still the best team in the conference.
RHAM simply can't match up with them up front. This one could get ugly on the scoreboard with Berlin running away early.
STATE PICK OF THE WEEK
Masuk at Bunnell, Friday, 7 p.m.: The top two teams currently in the Class L rankings face off in Stratford with a lot on the line. Masuk already has a loss, and might not be able to afford another. Meanwhile, I'm sure Bunnell wants desperately to hang onto the top spot as the only unbeaten in the division.
I just look at Bunnell's scores and notice that they never seem to be killing teams. It looks like they let even some mediocre to bad teams stay somewhat competitive.
Now scores, don't say everything. It's possible that could be the result of subs coming in with a blowout in hand in the second half.
But Masuk's scores impress me more, and I've heard one or two people in the know say they don't think Bunnell is nearly as good as the ranking they are getting in the polls.
I'm going to pick Masuk in what, on paper, is an upset. That should shake things up a bit.
Newington moves past the loser of this if the Indians beat Maloney.

So that's it for now. As always, stay warm.