Hanover
Ryan Milliken’s 88-yard touchdown catch of a Caleb Broughton heave down the left sideline came with three minutes remaining and the latter’s subsequent conversion kick closed the afternoon’s scoring. In a twist of cruel irony, however, Milliken also lost two fumbles, the second drop coming on a punt snap deep in his own end and late in the third quarter. Hanover’s Alex Mosenthal soon scored what proved to be the winning points on a 7-yard touchdown scamper.
“I think (the dropped snap) was the turning point in the game,” said Hanover coach Sam Cavallaro, whose third-seeded team beat the injury-depleted Raiders, 34-8, in September and will host seventh-seeded Bow (8-2) for the semifinals. “To that point, it was punch, counter-punch and both teams were playing great.
“We looked at the progression Lebanon made since they played us and we thought today would come down to the end.”
Said Lebanon coach Chris Childs: “In big games, turnovers tend to be the difference-maker. We had a couple of them and they didn’t have any and that bit us in the butt at the end.”
Milliken, the area’s most prolific running back during the past three seasons, carried 20 times for 64 yards. Broughton completed 5-of-14 passes for 137 yards and ran nine times for 26 yards. Nate Perkins caught four passes for 49 yards.
Hanover was led by Caleb Putnam, who carried 30 times for 100 yards and a touchdown in a between-the-tackles attack that featured 49 rushes and only five pass attempts. Mosenthal ran 13 times for 87 yards and a touchdown and Connor Stafford completed 2-of-6 passes for 40 yards.
Hanover’s offense “wasn’t anything special and everything we game-planned for, they did,” Childs said. “They’re a little bigger than we are up front and I think it wore on us as the game went on. They’re going to line up, body on body, and pound on you.”
Broughton accounted for the game’s initial points when he booted a 43-yard field goal during the first quarter’s closing seconds. The opening stanza featured 24 plays, only three of them passes.
Hanover (9-1) took the lead four minutes before halftime after driving 57 yards in 11 plays and scoring on Putnam’s 4-yard touchdown run. The sophomore’s dive across the goal line was set up when Stafford hit Simon Roach with a 29-yard pass to escape a third-and-12 predicament at midfield.
Moises Celaya’s extra point made the score 7-3, which stood up through halftime. Momentum briefly swung Lebanon’s way early in the third quarter when its defense, led by Jamison Rios, stuffed Hanover on fourth-and-1 at the Raiders’ 42-yard line. Two plays later, however, Milliken was tackled and lost a fumble, recovered by Stafford.
Sixth-seeded Lebanon (6-4) forced the Marauders to go three-and-out but couldn’t produce a first down and lined up to punt at its 22-yard line with Milliken as the kicker. The senior dropped the snap however, watching it bounce forward a few yards and giving Hanover possession at the 18-yard line. Four plays later, Mosenthal ran for his touchdown. The conversion kick attempt failed, leaving the score 13-3 with 3:45 remaining in the third quarter.
It seemed as though Hanover might be able to erase much of the fourth quarter and add points in the bargain, but a 14-play, 62-yard drive died at the Raiders’ 12-yard line and with 3:14 on the clock. On the next play, Broughton threw the ball as far as he could down the left side, targeting Milliken, a standout sprinter in outdoor track.
The toss initially appeared badly overthrown, but Milliken seemingly erased the final 10 yards in a split second, hauling the pass in at absolute full speed and electrifying the visitors’ cheering section. Cavallaro was stunned.
“A superhuman play,” the coach said, shaking his head. “We were in a deep, cover-4 (alignment) but he must have been running a 4.3 (second 40-yard dash). It was like, ‘What do we have to do to win this game?’”
Said Winter: “It was a huge, rainbow arc but he somehow caught it. That dude’s got wheels.”
Broughton’s conversion kick made the score 13-10. Hanover ran six plays and punted with 32 seconds remaining, leaving the Raiders deep in their own end and forced to pass. Roach intercepted a Broughton toss to effectively end the game.
The final horn sounded and several dozen Hanover students raced onto Branch-Merriman Field to celebrate with their classmates. At the other end, the Raiders walked disconsolately towards their sideline, Milliken among them. He gave an attempt at an interview but his voice cracked.
“I can’t,” he said, his expression wretched.
Broughton had nothing but praise for his teammate.
“The kid’s insanely talented and the best player I’ve ever played with,” the quarterback said. “He’s one of the biggest reasons we were in the playoffs. He puts the team on his back when we’re all tired and he handles the majority of the carries every game. He’s our impact player.”
Childs, while acknowledging his running back’s gaffes, also addressed No. 30’s contributions to a program that likely wouldn’t have reached the postseason in back-to-back seasons without him. Also coming in for praise was Broughton, who showed poise and fire under frequent duress.
“Ryan’s going to dread thinking about the fumbles for a long time but we’ve asked a lot out of him,” Childs said. “Caleb, he came ready to play today, both offensively and defensively. He doesn’t get a lot of notice defensively but he’s always in on a lot of tackles. We’re going to miss them both, that’s for sure.”
Three months ago, talk by outsiders was that Hanover’s program might go extinct, causing future Marauders to miss gridiron action. The town’s junior high team has struggled to attract enough players, but Cavallaro drew more than 40 competitors this year and hopes to move the feeder program from life support to vitality. The coach believes an off-field effort was actually the genesis of his team’s turnaround.
“We had about 25 players going to elementary schools and being mentors to a class,” Cavallaro said. “Our kids developed confidence outside of football from that and they felt they had a higher responsibility than just to themselves. You’re playing for young kids who watch you on Friday nights.”
Not overly obvious to fans is that Hanover’s offense, which produced 194 rushing yards Saturday, is built around linemen including massive senior Schuyler Cyrus (6-foot-3, 330 pounds), classmate Will Chambers and junior Mikey Staiger. Chambers is the center and the other two move between guard and tackle.
“We keep plugging in different running backs and we can still run the football,” Cavallaro said. “We tried a lot of adjustments during the week but then I decided to go back to the basics.”
Saturday’s outcome echoed the cliche that it was a game neither team deserved to lose. Lebanon was likely missing a few backers because of the Raiders boys soccer team, which played in a state title game on the Seacoast, but the event was to be savored.
“To have two of the eight Division II playoff teams be from the Upper Valley is a great accomplishment and I’m pretty proud of that,” said Cavallaro, in his second year as Hanover’s coach and overseeing a program that had gone a combined 15-38 during the previous six campaigns. “We want to be recognized by the community for having the type of atmosphere we had today.”
Broughton, who’s planning to play baseball at Pennsylvania’s Bucknell University, was saddened to see his high school football career end as it did. Still, he could appreciate the moment.
“Our team worked ridiculously hard to get where we are today,” Broughton said. “After the first time we played Hanover, I don’t think anyone would have thought we’d get where we are today. It was nice to have everybody healthy and get a good, fair shot at them.
“I hate that the season’s over but it was a great game to end on.”
Notes: Celaya continues to play in a full-torso brace to support his back, which he injured earlier this year and which caused him to prematurely end his summer baseball season. … Among those attending the game was seven-time Hanover Selectboard member Marilyn “Willy” Black, who brought her dog along. A onetime Ray School art instructor, Black was the 1979 National Teacher of the Year in that role and was later honored with a parade through town. … Bow and Hanover did not meet during the regular season, but Lebanon beat the Falcons, 21-20, last week for its fourth victory in five games. … Saturday’s game started at 3:30 p.m. to accommodate players who took a national standardized test during the morning. … The division semifinals are scheduled to be played Saturday at 1 p.m. The finals are slated for Nov. 19 at 2:30 p.m. at the University of New Hampshire.