Hanover
The first time, the fans were sent back as to not interrupt the post-game handshakes.
The second, after Hanover’s athletes had greeted their opponents, turned into a joyous mob of students and athletes at the 20-yard-line amid chants of “undefeated.”
It’s been a while since the Marauders have been 2-0.
Hanover’s second win in as many games was a dominant performance, with the final score ending a lot closer than play on the field indicated. The Marauders held a 53-14 lead at halftime and used most of their second string for the second half. Now, after an impressive win against a formidable Laconia opponent last weekend, Hanover is starting to realize their full potential.
For the Marauders, it’s about time.
“The thing that’s nice about this team is they really respond,” Hanover head coach Sam Cavallaro said. “Before the Laconia game, we asked them, ‘If something bad happens, don’t get down.’ They responded to that. This week, we asked them to start playing for each other. Boy, did they do that this week. It’s really fun when you have great players and you can just watch them blossom.”
For Hanover senior quarterback Connor Stafford, the moment of clarity came midway through their game against Laconia. The Marauders finished last season with a disappointing 2-6 record, overshadowed once again by Hanover’s dominant soccer teams that each made deep postseason runs. More than anything, the losing season formed a negative mentality around the football program. When going into games, Hanover expected to lose.
That changed last weekend in a come-from-behind 34-19 win. After a dominant performance on Friday, Stafford and the Marauders are starting to feel it.
“Things changed in the middle of that Laconia game,” he said. “There were a couple of guys going into it with that mentality, like let’s lose as quickly as possible so that we can get out of here. But something changed. Something clicked. It’s like we got that fight back. We got that swagger.”
Cavallaro had a similar revelation earlier this week during preparation for Friday’s game.
“To me, it was one play that I watched on film,” he said. “It was a kickoff. We were down 19-13, we had just had a pretty good drive and Mike Staiger, who’s not our fastest kids on the team, he was our lead blocker and he just went right into him, literally drove him off his feet into the running back and the kick returner went right on his back. You can see the next 12 plays, it was like a different mentality.
“It was kind of a back-and-forth game. But after that play, it’s like we flipped a switch.”
Marauders senior running back Reed Winter led the way offensively, running for 134 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries. Stafford was responsible for four touchdowns on three rushes for four yards, all just inside the 5-yard-line. He also threw a 55-yard touchdown pass to junior tight end Elliott Kelly, his only pass of the night. Alex Mosenthal added 62 yards on nine carries and a touchdown. Caleb Putnam had two touchdowns.
For most of the game, Stafford said, Hanover’s offense was on autopilot. He knew, even before the ball was snapped, that his team’s plays were going to work.
“They just couldn’t stop us. We were definitely more physical than they were,” he said. “I just kind of knew that our plays were going to work. Like, just keep going with the same thing. Keep giving Reed (Winter) the ball.”
Winter, who has stepped into the spotlight as Hanover’s most prominent offensive threat, said he’s embraced his new role, despite the added pressure. But the Marauders’ success this season, he said, is bigger than just individual performances.
“This is a soccer town,” he added. “I think we showed that football isn’t just a laughingstock. We are a legit contending team. I think we showed that tonight.”
“I think we have strong leadership,” Winter added. “We definitely have a lot of seniors and juniors. That’s helped. A lot of them got a lot of playing time last year. I think it’s nice to get a statement home win like this. But we’re not satisfied. That’s the biggest thing.”
Hanover scored on each of its first six offensive drives, taking a 7-0 lead just four minutes and 33 seconds into the first quarter. Merrimack Valley’s speedy quarterback, Evan Martin, answered on the next drive, finding some room for 54 yards into the end zone. But Valley’s 2-point conversion attempt was stopped. Hanover never trailed.
Stafford knows this season is important for putting Hanover football back on the map.
“We talk about respect a lot,” he said. “It’s really important for me to rebuild the program, to leave a legacy. … Going into the season, I thought if we shot for .500, we’d have a good season. But I’m a realist. If we keep playing like this, who knows how far we can go?”
The Marauders will travel to Pembroke Academy to face former Newport High head coach Larry McElreavy’s team next Saturday before hosting its annual showdown against the neighboring Lebanon Raiders on Sept. 23.
Josh Weinreb can be reached at jweinreb@vnews.com or 603-727-3306.