Hanover
Leif Mailloux returned the opening kickoff 97 yards for a touchdown and John Stark scored the game’s first four TDs in an eventual 42-19 win on Friday night at Merriman-Branch Field.
In seeing an undefeated regular season come to an end, the Marauders (8-1) couldn’t find an answer to lanky, quick-armed Stark quarterback Parker McQuarrie, who threw for more than 300 yards en route to a 35-7 halftime lead.
But a funny thing happened on the way to the rout: Hanover (8-1) answered the Generals’ opening gut punch with one of their own. The Marauders bulled their way back to within two scores behind running back Caleb Putman and quarterback Connor Stafford before the visitors restored order late.
Stark (8-1) all but guaranteed itself a home game to start next week’s NHIAA Division II playoffs with the victory. Hanover, however, must await the result of Lebanon’s visit to Bow (7-1) today to find out if it will be a host next weekend as well.
“I think our kids were probably a little shell-shocked when they first came out,” Hanover coach Sam Cavallaro said. “They were faster than maybe we had played at that level. I think the other thing is I think they punched us in the mouth a little bit. I think it took our kids a while to get adjusted to that.”
Mailloux delivered the first wallop. Taking Moises Celaya’s opening kickoff at his own 3-yard line, Mailloux faked a reverse with teammate Jacob Fitts and raced right up the gut, cutting right and reaching the end zone just as a Hanover tackler arrived. It took all of 17 seconds for the Generals to grab a lead they’d never give up.
McQuarrie, a 6-foot-5 sophomore with happy feet but excellent throwing mechanics, took over from there. He hit running back Jacob Ridenour on a 19-yard scoring pass in the right flat, older brother Drew McQuarrie on a 46-yard post pattern for another touchdown and used out routes and screens to set up a 2-yard TD run by Kyle Booker for a 28-0 lead with 8:22 left in the first half.
Thoughts of running time, however, went out the window with Hanover’s response. Putnam (29 carries, 138 yards) powered his way behind massive tackle Schuyler Cyrus to highlight a 13-play, 83-yard march that brought the Marauders their first points 3:03 before halftime. Putnam capped it with a 6-yard run, although McQuarrie quickly responded with a 25-yard TD connection to Mailloux for the four-TD cushion at the break.
“What I have never seen at the high school level was probably the completion percentage of (McQuarrie),” Cavallaro said of the John Stark QB, who finished the night 24-for-32 for 352 yards, the three touchdowns and one second-half interception. “He throws like a college quarterback. He’s probably going to be a big-time player. … He was so accurate. It was pretty amazing to watch.”
Although down a bunch, Cavallaro and company learned it could ride Putnam to some success while exploiting a suspect John Stark secondary.
Stafford (12-for-24, 198 yards) connected on a 20-yarder to Elliott Kelly on the second half’s second play to ignite an 81-yard TD drive ended when the two linked up on a 26-yard streak pattern over the Generals’ defensive backs. Alex Mosenthal ripped a McQuarrie pass out of a Stark receiver’s hands for the game’s first turnover, and Stafford guided the Marauders straight to points again on a 37-yarder to Avery Monahan, who spun off his single defender on a down-and-out to close within 35-19.
The contest turned ill-tempered with Hanover’s rally, the Generals drawing two personal-foul penalties and the Marauders getting one along with an unsportsmanlike conduct flag. It calmed down after McQuarrie re-established control, leading John Stark on a 78-yard drive capped by a 6-yard Manny Biskaduros TD run with 1:06 left in the third quarter for the final score of the night.
Without John Stark’s early explosion, Hanover played the athletic, high-speed Generals to a statistical draw. The visitors amassed 396 offensive yards; Hanover produced 366. John Stark posted 20 first downs; so did the Marauders.
Those are the things that will encourage Cavallaro and his charges as they get ready for an unexpected visit to the postseason, regardless of whether it’s on their familiar artificial turf or at someone else’s yard.
“These guys, the thing that we’ve noticed about them is they’re hungry,” Cavallaro said. “It’s not a bunch of guys who are like, ‘Oh, it’s getting cold out.’ These guys want it. They’re hungry. It’s been fun. I can’t believe it’s the ninth week, but we’ll be right back at it tomorrow.”
Audibles: Plymouth’s 14-12 win at Milford on Friday night all but set the field for the D-II North branch of states. The Bobcats are even on point rating with Hanover (as of publication time) but trail by a game in the win-loss column. Lebanon (5-3) can mathematically get in with a victory over Bow today, but it would take a lot of help (and possibly use of a slide rule or advanced calculus) for it to come about. … Stark intercepted Stafford three times in the fourth quarter, including one by Cooper Gorski on the Generals’ goal line, to slow down Hanover’s comeback plans. … Leading Hanover running back Reed Winter sat out his third straight game with an ankle injury, but he watched the contest in full pads. He and 10 other seniors were introduced with their families prior to the contest. Winter may be able to return for next week’s tournament opener.
Greg Fennell can be reached at gfennell@vnews.com or 603-727-3226.