By Ben Freedman, ’25
Staff Writer
As the students and staff know, the Hanover High school’s varsity football team got off to an excellent start. This is not only due to Hanover’s extremely talented roster, but also the significant coaching staff, and the ecstatic fanbase that attends the games. With a 5-2 record after a Homecoming win over Pembroke Oct. 22, the team is ranked 6th out of 31 teams in Division 3. This sets up exciting possibilities for the upcoming tournament, and the varsity players are planning to go all the way.
“If we are healthy, we have a team that can win the state championship,” said Dylan Rice, #3, a senior wide receiver.
David Quinlan, #2, a junior wide receiver and defensive end, agreed. “I do really think we have a shot to take it,” he said. “Everyone keeps saying ‘oh next year,’ but I truly think we can go back to back (and win this year and next year). If we have everyone healthy and at the top of our game, we really have a shot.”
Michael Landolfi, #1, a junior and the team’s quarterback, said the secret to their success this season after a disappointing Fall 2 last year, is commitment. “I think we have a lot of kids back from last year and we are very locked in,” he said.
The Hawks are captained by Rice, Quinlan, Landolfi, senior Thao Lanagan and junior Joe Curran. The team’s performance has been stunning, with the squad racking up more than 30 points in six of its seven games. For Nick Freel, #10, a junior linebacker and running back who has scored a good share of those points, the Sept. 10 game against Whitman-Hanson showed the team its potential. Hanover won 33-20.
“There was a lot of skepticism going into the season, but that game helped us realize just how good we can be,” Freel said.
Hanover fans have been psyched for the return of a normal football season.
“I love going to the football games and it feels good after a year of not having games,” said Nieve Rowlette, a senior.
Anna Bucchianeri, a senior who sings in the chorus at the games, agreed. “I think it’s a very good social event for everyone, especially after COVID 19.”
Kaya Bianculli, a junior, said attending the games gives you a chance to see people you don’t always see in school. “The environment is really fun and energetic,” she said.
Senior Jack Johnston agreed. “They’re fun and electric!” He hopes to be there when the team comes up against Plymouth South again. Hanover’s’ 42-35 loss against them Oct. 1 was a nailbiter that the Hawks would love to avenge.
For players on the freshman and JV squads, attending the games is a preview of what’s ahead for them.
“It’s a super fun experience to go to the games, and you get to see what it’s like to watch a varsity football game,” said Noah DeMeule, a member of the freshman squad.
Michael Bean, a sophomore nose guard/defensive tackle on JV, added “Personally I feel like it’s nice to be there to support the team and the players.”
Whatever happens this year, the team and fans are confident exciting football is here to stay in Hanover.
“Next year the team is going to be even better since most of our team is juniors,” said Rice. “They will have another shot of making a deep run into the tournament and winning a state championship.”
Those long-term plans for success are echoed by junior Sam Healy, #77, a left guard/defensive tackle. “The hope is to win the following games, and then to win the championship the next two seasons,” he said. “Coach Landolfi always talks about playing like a championship team and to not let one bad play turn into another.”
Featured pictures are from the Hawks’ 47-13 win over Dighton Rehoboth on Sept. 24. For more, click on the link:
The Hawk 
This article was great, I loved hearing the first-hand opinions of the players on the season. I found it interesting how this team can even be better than this year, the article mentioned. I think the team definitely has a shot of winning the super bowl next year. I look forward to reading more articles about the team next year!
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This is a well put together article regarding the team. I am also quoted in it and know how Ben got his resources. His sources are all real and correct. Ben also asked some very good questions in order to get good feedback for this article. He has some future in sports writing and should continue to do his work to get better.
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Thanks Nick!
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Also thank you David.
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Very well written! I loved the commentary that you collected from everyone 🙂 It’s great to see sports up and running like this again.
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I enjoyed reading this article because i could not make it to a lot of the games. A lot of my friends play on the team and it is fun to read about them. I think whoever wrote this wrote it well and covered all the main thinking points of the players. I really liked the fan interviews.
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This was very interesting as it explored the many opinions of both players and fans, but also looked at the impacts that COVID had on last season. I also enjoy how the author used quotes from players to express his points such as the quote from David that states “I do really think we have a shot to take it,” showing how he is hopeful for this Tournament and the football team as a whole. I also like how he takes into account the impact of COVID on last season by including quotes like this “I think it’s a very good social event for everyone, especially after COVID 19.” I cannot wait to see more articles about our sports teams at HHS.
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I really liked this article! I thought the writer Ben Freedman did a great job reaching out to many of the team’s players along with other students as well. I think this is a really good way for him to share his thoughts about the football team. But also include the thoughts of his peers. The combination of the multiple perspectives make for a well written article.
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I love how you got so many different interviews from players to high school students who spectate the game. The interviews were amazing to hear as some players had a lot to say for this season and the season to come.
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I liked the way the author creates a sense of exactly what the football games are like by interviewing people watching the game. They also get opinions from the football players who are actually playing the game which is cool. Definitely explains how well the season went regarding all the wins!
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This was a very cool article to read because, as a member of the football team, I felt like my teammates were spot on with our expectations for the season. I think the author did a great job at describing what a Friday night is really like. The atmosphere, the energy and the noise are like nothing else.
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This article was very well put together and very interesting to read. I like how they included comments from some of the players on the team, because the players know the real ability and strength of the team so it was interesting to hear their point of views. I also enjoyed how some comments from fans and JV and Freshman players were included. This article shows how the community can all come together to support the football team. It does not matter if you are an athlete or not the Football games are a place for everyone.
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I thought this article was very well written. Hanover High school football really brings the Hanover community together as one. Every year the boys impress everyone. Any HHS football game there will always be a packed crowd in support of them. You did a great job writing this Ben!!
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Although we lost, I really enjoyed reading this article. As it has been a sad couple weeks, it made me happy to see how much fun the fans had watching the games this season. The atmosphere at the Home football games is ecstatic and I hope the school carries on the traditions it brings to Hanover. I also loved how you featured some of the players because to gives people off the team an inside look on how the players felt at this time of the season.
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This was a really great article that I enjoyed reading. I really liked how you incorporated the whole school community in this article, with quotes from varsity and jv players, fans, and students. I think you really captured how exciting these games are and how they bring the HHS community together. Great work!
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Thank you Mary
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This article is very well put together! I like the aspect of how it highlights personal player performances and also has input from players and students on what their feelings are around HHS football. For example, Anna Bucchianeri brings up a great point on how these football games are some of the large social gatherings we have had since the pandemic began.
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I really enjoyed reading this article! I felt that it was fun, inspiring, and made me incredibly excited for next year’s football season. As a fan I love the energy and excitement brought to the games, this article shows that football fosters a wonderful environment and really brings Hanover together as a community.
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I thought this article was great as it provided readers with first hand accounts of the players not just on varsity but also on JV and freshman. I also think Ben did a good job of explaining the situation the football team was in and where they might be headed in the future.
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I really enjoyed reading this article. I thought it was written very well, and I was engaged with the information that that Ben was providing. Like many of the other comments, I agree that getting the players involved in the article was great!
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This article is great. It gives a great view of the football program and what is hopefully coming in the next few years. The comments from students and players paint a clear picture of what the games are really like.
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I thought this article was very well written and included some important viewpoints. I liked how the author included many different viewpoints such as varsity players, fans and the younger JV and freshman teams. The insight into the team during their playoff push showed the emotions and feelings at the time and also how the fans felt. This article captures and explains the atmosphere of the games and captures the readers attention.
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I think Ben did a great job on this article, it was very well written. and I like that they got quotes from the team and others from the school. Great job!
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Ben does a great job of getting the readers hooked with his hook. Then the interviews of the players are very good and keep you intrigued. All of the players have predictions for there team in the playoffs. Finally Ben provides stats and records about the team that are very interesting.
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I thought this article was very insightful and interesting to read. I think that it is cool that you can paint such a positive spotlight on some of the student athletes at Hanover High. I also thought it was great how you used real quotes from players. I am very excited to see us play again on Thanksgiving Day.
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I really like this article. I like how in the beginning you talk about that the whole Hanover community is involved in the teams success. I also liked how you asked the members of the football team how they felt. Finally i liked how you talk about how everyone is looking at the rest of the season and why they think they can win so much.
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This article was great and really gets the fans and players excited for the coming years! Looking back at an article like this after being knocked out of the tournament it gives hope and excitement for next year. The article was structured well and the quotes were used perfectly to supplement the article but not over take it. I hope these types of articles are continued to be produced as they are my favorite type to read on The Hawk!
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I think you did a great job on this article. By including members of our school and players it gives a greater picture of the team and environment. Even though we lost, the article was entertaining and had lots of information about the future.
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I thoroughly enjoyed reading this article, as it included many viewpoints, insights, and even stats about the games. The many sources provided, including players, fans, and students, really show how these games bring the Hanover community together, and create a sense of unity. I think you did a great job in capturing the bigger picture here, and your work paints a picture for how these games really are. Me personally, I love watching these games, and thankfully we have other sporting programs at HHS that will do much of the same. Great work.
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I really enjoyed reading this article, and as a member of the football team I think it is really cool to see everyone’s opinions on our team, not only from the players but from other students as well. Also, I feel as though the author did a great job encapsulating the energy surrounding a Friday night football game. However, unfortunately our season has come to an end, but this article made me happy by showing me how much everyone cares about the team, and enjoys watching us play.
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This article was great with it including conversations with players and about the season that Hanover had this year. The players that were interviewed gave their thoughts on the season and had high hopes for it although they came up short. The article told the people what they may not hear behind the scenes of the football team. All the juniors of the team have the biggest hopes that we will go further in the tournament next year than this year. Also it tells us this season was bigger than football. It allowed everyone to come to the games again with no Covid-19 restrictions. The article pulls in the audience for the whole town for some classic football being back to normal.
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