Hanover
He had been Hanover High head football coach for 20 years, a job he started when he was 26 years old. In that time, Ivanoski — a Canton, Mass., native and former linebacker at Framingham (Mass.) State University — had led the Marauders to five state championship games, three state titles and a 105-87 won-loss record.
Ivanoski stepped down after the 2014 season. Turns out, a coach’s passion never goes away. Separation, if anything, made the heart grow fonder.
Ivanoski returned to the Hanover sidelines last season as the team’s defensive coordinator on the request of current Marauders head coach Sam Cavallaro. For Ivanoski, running the Hanover defense was a chance to sink his teeth into a part of the game that he is most passionate about.
It also was a chance to get back involved in program he’d led to success.
“I knew I’d be back coaching in some capacity,” Ivanoski said during a Tuesday night practice at Hanover’s Merriman-Branch Field. “I wasn’t ready to go back to being a head coach. I’m not sure that I want to do that. But I love to coach. This group of guys has brought back my passion for coaching.
“I’m thankful. I wasn’t sure at first, but (Cavallaro) and the players have really humbled me. I love this game. I love working with them. This has been the greatest opportunity to come back again.”
Cavallaro, who was a receivers coach and an offensive coordinator under Ivanoski before taking over the team in 2015, wasted no time trying to recruit his former bench boss.
“About a month after he stepped down, I kind of said, ‘Hey, Mike, we’d love to have you back.’ ” Cavallaro said. “I kind of let it go for six or seven months, then I broached it again.
“I remember a meeting we had at the 99 Restaurant,” Cavallaro said. “He decided he was on board. That was the second year I was the coach. We’re good friends. We have a respect for each other.”
That respect goes deeper than some might realize. Cavallaro and Ivanoski are like brothers, two sides to the same coin. Although their personalities and coaching styles are vastly different, the dichotomy gives Hanover a combination that works. It also gives the Marauders the experience of two head coaches, even if only one holds the title.
“I think I tend to be easy on things,” Cavallaro said. “He’s more of the hard-nosed, traditional coach. I believe my job as the head coach is to really know my players. I spend a lot of time with them.”
Added Ivanoski: “We do a good job of changing the roles sometimes. I’m the yin, he’s the yang. But it’s a good pairing. We work really well together, all the coaches here.”
Ivanoski’s love for defense comes from a fascination with what he calls positive chaos. Being a defensive coordinator has allowed him to study it further.
“I work well in chaos. Order doesn’t do me well,” he said with a laugh. “I like the way all the working parts come together in what looks like a chaotic piece. It’s like orchestra to me.”
That has shown in Hanover’s defensive play. The No. 4-seeded Marauders (9-0) are a physical, relentless defensive squad with a NHIAA Division II semifinal meeting with No. 8 Bow (7-2) coming up on Saturday.
They forced five turnovers in Saturday’s 42-21 win over Hollis Brookline in the D-II quarterfinals and have only allowed 86 points in nine games this fall.
Defensive end Mike Staiger, a senior for the Marauders, said that Ivanoski’s coaching style is a fun one to play for.
“In his schemes and in his enthusiasm for his overall love for the game,” Staiger said, “he brings the energy.”
Hanover will need that defensive presence against a Falcons team that racked up 418 yards of offense and 38 points against against the Marauders in last year’s semifinal win. Game time on Saturday is 1 p.m. at Merriman-Branch Field.
“When you’re in chaos, you cause chaos,” Ivanoski said. “The boys believe in the system. They get to the football. They believe they can make change and make things happen. That’s where it all starts. If you don’t believe that, you’re not going to get turnovers.
“Turnovers are a state of mind. This year, last year, we’ve just been all about 100 percent to the ball.”
For Ivanoski, the future is hard to predict. But one thing is certain: His fervor for coaching, something he thought he lost, has come back in force. The Marauders are undoubtedly better for it.
“Coaching is always going to be part of my future,” Ivanoski said. “If I had a crystal ball, it will be part of my future for the rest of my life.
“I didn’t walk away in terms of walking away. I wanted a break. I wanted to see if that passion was still there. It’s come back tenfold.”
Josh Weinreb can be reached at jweinreb@vnews.com or 603-727-3306.