Hanover High football team heats up in the second half to hand Quincy its first loss

QUINCY — In league games it’s not about how a team starts, it’s about how they finish.

After taking a 14-6 lead into halftime, the Hanover High football team exploded for 28 second-half points Friday to hand Quincy its first loss of the season, 42-12. Hanover quarterback Ben Scalzi, plus his running mates Joe Curran and Nick Freel, were in sync in the second half.

“Me and Joe (Curran) were talking the whole game and we felt like we weren’t doing our jobs,” said Freel, who finished with a receiving touchdown. “We said, ‘OK, time to step it up’ and all of the captains talked and we hit the switch from there. So I was balling out.”

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Freel's score came in the third quarter on a 30-yard pass from Scalzi with 2:39 left to extend the Hawks' lead to 28-6.

Hanover (3-2) set the tone from the opening drive of the second half, which John McDonald capped with a 53-yard TD reception on a Scalzi throw to make it 21-6. From there, the Hawks never looked back.

Curran scored the final two TDs for the Hawks. The first was a 12-yard rushing TD in the third quarter and the other a 35-yard touchdown reception from Scalzi in the fourth quarter. Curran finished with four catches for 94 yards.

“Joe Curran had a very amazing game,” Scalzi said. “He played very well on both sides of the ball and I’m happy for him.”

Scalzi, a junior, was 8 of 13 passing for 165 yards through the air with three TDs. He also had a 17-yard rushing TD in the first half.

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“When I see we face Quincy or North Quincy I expect it to be a good one,” said Scalzi on the second-half performance. “We started clicking and we got our stuff together.”

As a first-year starter at QB, it hasn't taken Scalzi long to get comfortable under center.

“It was new for them this year because we had a different quarterback last year,” said Hanover coach Chris Landolfi, whose son Michael started last season but transferred to Lawrence Academy. “But the more the season has gone on, the more their chemistry really heats up.”

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Along with the offensive onslaught, the Hawks' defense and special teams were efficient as well. McDonald, who played kicker and fullback, made all seven extra-point attempts to go along with a rushing touchdown, a forced fumble, and a blocked kick himself.

Senior captain Ben Hickey ended with nine tackles, two forced fumbles, and a sack that came in the second quarter. Vinny Mancini finished with nine tackles. Freel played linebacker as well. Senior Eric Lamanno recovered a fumble, too.

“The defense played amazing,” said Scalzi.

“Joe Curran and Nicky Freel have been playing in this defense for the last three years,” Landolfi said. “They’re the coaches on the field. They have the experience. They don’t stop until the whistle is blown. They play at 100 miles per hour.”

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For the Presidents, they were able to keep the game close early, thanks to running back Gabe Rodrigues’ 100-plus yard rushing performance. He also finished with a 5-yard touchdown at the end of the first quarter to close the gap 7-6.

“Gabe is a special player,” said Quincy coach Kevin Carey. “With a defense like that, good for him and the offensive line, but we can’t give up that many points.”

Quincy quarterback Andrew Novak did get himself a 1-yard TD at the start of the fourth quarter to make it a two-possession game, 28-12.

“History kind of repeated itself tonight,” Carey said. “Last year we lost 41-6 to these guys. It was very similar. Proud of the way we played, we just made too many mistakes.”

Every game is important in the hunt for a Patriot League Fisher Division title picture.

“It’s a league game, so it’s important,” said Landolfi. “You lose one game in this league, you're not going to win anything. It’s such a good league. So when you get a win in the league it’s special.”

The Hawks will get a home game next week against Scituate while the Presidents will have to get ready for another tough matchup against an undefeated Plymouth South team on the road.

This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Second-half scoring explosion powers Hanover High football over Quincy