Hanover
After missing the Hanover High football team’s August scrimmages with a quadriceps injury, Putnam rumbled for 167 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries on Friday in the Marauders’ 16-7 win over NHIAA Division II North rival Laconia at Merriman-Branch Field.
Putnam broke for long runs of 43 and 39 yards, finishing with a 7.5 yards-per-carry average and setting up both Hanover touchdowns, including his own on a rush that made it a two-score game in the fourth quarter.
“I had no pain out there,” said Putnam, whose three brothers — Bobby, Elijah and Nick — all are linemen. “Those guys did a great job up front tonight. They made it easy for me (on the big runs).”
Putnam’s performance complemented a dominant outing by the Marauders’ defense, which sacked Laconia QB Riley Roy seven times and forced three takeaways. Including the sacks, Laconia gained just 38 yards on the ground and had just 90 yards of offense, 20 coming on a hook-and-ladder pass on the game’s final play.
Defensive lineman Michael Staiger was in on at least three sacks and Nick Putnam had two more, while Graham Penfield and Calen Thomas nabbed interceptions and Jeffrey Holt had a fumble recovery.
“Our scout offense did a lot of the things that Laconia does all week at practice,” said Hanover quarterback-defensive back Alex Mosenthal. “There weren’t many surprises.”
Added Marauders coach Sam Cavallaro: ” (Defensive coordinator) Mike Ivanoski did an awesome job with our game plan tonight, really utilizing our speed.”
It was enough to overcome 12 penalties for 75 yards committed by Hanover, including 11 dead-ball infractions for illegal formation, illegal motion or delay of game. “Those are just mental things that we will correct,” Staiger said.
The Marauders led, 3-0, after a 26-yard field goal by Moises Celaya late in the first quarter, but a strip sack by the Sachems’ Cole Zickert on Hanover’s next possession gave Laconia the ball inside the Marauder 20. Four plays later Zickert plunged it in from 3 yards out, and the extra point made it 7-3 early in the second.
Hanover’s defense didn’t budge from there, forcing a pair of punts to help Hanover regain the lead before halftime.
Putnam rumbled for 43 yards up the middle to get Hanover into the red zone, and a personal foul put the Marauders inside the 10 before Mosenthal found Penfield for a 9-yard scoring pass over the middle with 2:24 left in the second. Celaya’s PAT made it 10-7.
“That early field goal ended up being real big, because it allowed us to make it a two-score game later on,” Cavallaro said.
Hanover forced turnovers on back-to-back Laconia drives in the third quarter but didn’t extend the lead until a 12-play, 91-yard march in the fourth that chewed up 5:40.
Putnam had rushes of 37, 9 and 16 yards during the drive, stretching across the goal line for a touchdown that made it 16-7 with 6:06 to play.
Laconia had the ball for eight plays on its next drive before running out of time.
“We were sloppy tonight, but you have to give Hanover a lot of credit,” longtime Sachems coach Craig Kozens said. “Fumbles can happen and things like that, but Hanover was quicker off the ball and killed us on both the offensive and defensive line. We have a lot of work to do.”
Laconia hosts Lakes Region foe Kingswood next week, while the Marauders visit Merrimack Valley.
Extra Points: Mosenthal was helped off the field by teammates favoring his right leg in what appeared to be a foot injury in the second quarter, but it turned out to be a cramp. Mosenthal returned on the next possession. … Celaya was 1-for-2 on both field goals and extra points. … Bobby Putnam missed the game with what Cavallaro called a minor concussion. Cavallaro expects him to return next week.
Jared Pendak can be reached at jpendak@vnews.com or 603-727-3225.