Hanover
“Be the hammer!” the teenager hollered. “Not the nail!”
The pounding, however, was undoubtedly delivered by the Marauders, whose 40-0 NHIAA Division II victory boosted their record to 3-0. Nearly half the contest was played under running time after the hosts closed the scoring three minutes after intermission and then substituted en masse.
“Our defense is really playing well,” said second-year Hanover coach Sam Cavallaro, whose team visits archrival Lebanon next weekend. “Offensively, though, we’re playing a bit sloppily and with some mental mistakes.”
Hanover rushed for 213 yards with three lost fumbles. Moises Celaya produced touchbacks on all five of his kickoffs and was 2-for-5 with a block on point-after tries.
Pembroke (0-2) rushed for minus-4 yards and lost two fumbles, but completed four of six passes for 43 yards. The Spartans, who feature only four seniors and four juniors on their roster, did not advance across the Hanover 47-yard line until their final drive.
Taking a somewhat philosophical view of the outcome was second-year Pembroke coach Larry McElreavy, a Charlestown native who coached Newport during the 2014 and 2015 seasons. The undefeated Tigers won the NHIAA Division III crown that second campaign, and McElreavy was 20-2 with them overall. Now, however, he’s in a vastly different situation.
“We can put our guys in the right position to make a tackle sometimes, but physically we can’t hold up,” the 70-year-old coach said. “We know we’re bad by looking at the scoreboard, but we have to have hope for the future.
“Believe it or not, we’re making progress. Our whole offensive backfield tonight was freshmen and sophomores, but we’ve got a good youth program, a new (athletic director) and support from the parents.”
McElreavy was the Spartans’ fourth coach in as many years when he took over last year, and no one can question his commitment. He stepped down at Newport to accept a real estate job in Manchester, but hasn’t been able to sell his own Charlestown abode.
That means a 136-mile round trip to work and back most days, some of which stretch from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. McElreavy said he has piled up 51,000 miles on his car during the last year, and he’ll soon start a second job doing maintenance at the Veterans Administration Hospital in White River Junction.
“Luckily, I’ve never needed much sleep,” he said with a wry smile.
Cavallaro said he could see Friday that the visitors have improved. During last season’s game, the Spartans gave up early, he said, but this time there was no quit among them.
“I was impressed,” Cavallaro said. “Larry’s built up the numbers in the program, and they’ve got a better attitude. He’s won everywhere he’s been, and he’ll win there, too.”
Hanover’s Caleb Putnam rushed seven times for 68 yards and three touchdowns. Quarterback Alex Mosenthal carried six times for 39 yards and a touchdown, and Jack Loftus ran three times for 25 yards and a touchdown. Griffin Young had three carries for 42 yards and returned a punt 52 yards for a score.
Notes: Pembroke lost its season opener, 41-0, to Bow. The Spartans were 1-8 last fall and are 7-29 during the last five seasons. … Cavallaro said Hanover’s middle school football team has 20 players and that there are another 26 playing flag football at the elementary school level. … McElreavy was a college coach from 1983-99, including a stint as the head man at Columbia. Before taking over at Newport, he guided the Claremont Middle School team. … Cavallaro said his son, Jack, a redshirt freshman tight end at the University of New Hampshire, has made the Wildcats’ travel squad. Another son, Shawn, would have been a senior on that team this season, but had to give up the sport because of injury.
Tris Wykes can be reached at twykes@vnews.com or 603-727-3227.