Rugby

One year ago, in its first season as a varsity sport, Hanover brought home the inaugural Division 2 State Title. This year, having stormed through the tournament, the team had hoped for the same outcome. But despite a strong season, it was not to be.

The Indians lost to Milton, their opponent in last year’s title game as well at Newton Douth High School on June 23. Hanover took the early lead on a score by Ethan Davis and kept the game close through the first half.  But they could not stop third-seeded Milton, who finshed 6-2 on the regular season. Final score was 32-14.

Led by captains Rian Boutin, JT Galvin, Jack Randall and Stephen Zinke, Hanover went 4-2 and earned 4th seed in the tournament. They beat 5th seed Weymouth (4-2-1) in the quarterfinals June 7 by a score of 48-33. In the semifinal June 14, the boys crushed top seed Catholic Memorial, 70-14. Corey Dooley, Cade Frucci, Jack Delahunt and Sam Perkins all scored for Hanover.

Dooley, Perkins, Zinke, Frucci and John Dailey were named League All-Stars. Frucci and Dooley also earned Patriot Ledger All-Scholastic.

Hanover Mariner Pictures

Baseball

This powerhouse team, loaded with players who had started for three or four years, hoped to go deep into the Division 3 South tournament. With pitcher Aidan Henderson going 9-0 on the mound, the team finished the regular season 17-3 and took home the Patriot League Fisher Division championship. They were seeded 2nd going into the tourney and scored a first-round bye.  But a heartbreaking 2-0 loss to 16th seed Falmouth knocked the team out in the second round.

Henderson, Aaron Boise, Liam Flynn and Andrew Carroll led the team as captains. The Simon brothers drove the offense, with Steve leading the league in batting for the second straight year and Mike taking the number 2 spot. Henderson, Flynn, both Simons and catcher Zach Stone were named league All-Stars. Henderson and the Simon brothers were also named Patriot Ledger All-Scholastics, while Steve received a further nod from the Boston Herald. In addition, Steve Simon was chosen to play in the MBCA Junior Select State All Star Game at Bentley College on June 17.

With Carroll, Mike and Steve Simon, and other underclassmen returning next year, hopes are high for another strong season.

Softball

Led by senior captains Lauren Gelly and Cameron Porzio, the team was a force to reckon with all season. They went  16-4 to earn 6th seed in Division 3 South. Gelly, Maegan Amsler, Caroline Zielinski and Katie Doyle were named Patriot League-Fisher Division All Stars. Zielinski, a consistent standout on the mound with 170 strikeouts on the season, also picked up league MVP.  After getting a first-round bye, the team topped 11th seed Medford 3-1 on June 9. They took 3rd seed Middleboro to 10 innings in the sectional quarterfinals on June 12, but lost 3-2.

Amsler, Gelly and Zielinski earned Patriot Ledger All-Scholastics. With Amsler, Zielinski and many others  returning next season, we’re sure to see more fight from this team.

Hanover Mariner Pictures

Girls Lacrosse

Behind the solid play of goalie Maeve McCarthy and midfielders Sydney Weber, Clare Connolly, Caitlin Park and Caroline Gordon, the team made it to the Division 2 South semifinals. Hanover finished the regular season 13-5 and earned 4th seed. The girls cruised past 13th seed Sacred Heart, 17-4 in the first round, and then topped 5th seeded Sandwich 11-6. But the championship run ended in the semifinals in a tough loss to top-seeded Norwell  on June 11.  Norwell (16-3) earned their fourth straight trip to the sectional final with a 18-2 win.

Despite the loss, the team showed great improvement from the start of the season to its end. Senior captains Jess Cully and Alyssa Wilcox set a strong example, earning MIAA Educational Athletics Achievement Awards for Leadership. Gordon, McCarthy, Weber and Megan Ross were named League All-Stars. Gordon also received a nod as a Patriot Ledger All-Scholastic.

There arehigh hopes for next season, with a lot of young talent and Cully, Wilcox and Lia Ehlers the only three seniors graduating.

Boys Lacrosse

Last year, the boys lacrosse team made it to the state semifinals of Division 3.  This year, after graduating 13 members of that team, Hanover moved to Division 2. The young team struggled with injuries and finished 4-12, earning the 15th seed and a tough first-round tournament matchup against 2nd seed Scituate. In a cold and rainy game June 4, Scituate defeated the Indians 14-6.

Team captains were Neil Calkin, Ben Fein and Chris Greene. Greene was named a Patriot League All-Star.

Pictures from the Patriot Ledger

Boys Tennis

After finishing the regular season 13-5,  the squad earned 6th seed in Division 2 South tournament. In their first-round matchup, they beat 11th seed Milton (9-9) 4-1. Nikolas Ginter racked up his 50th win during the match, on his way to becoming a League All-Star and a Patriot Ledger All-Scholastic. A 3-2 loss to 3rd seed Scituate, however, ended their season on June 8.

Captains were Ginter and Evan Suchoff.

Girls Tennis

If you could win matches based on how much fun you were having, Hanover would have been undefeated. Although the team failed to make tournament, there was a strong sense of camaraderie. They may have won only two matches, but they had a lot of fun on the courts together. Team captains were Chloe McKee and Becca Prentice, who was also named a League All-Star.

Outdoor Track

Gillian Kenney continued the legacy of her sister, Niamh, who graduated in 2017. Gillian set the school record in the mile run – twice – this season (5:03.03) and was named Patriot League-Fisher Division MVP.  The team sent several athletes to the Division 3 championship meet at North Reading High School on May 26. The boys were represented by mile-runner Chris Pacino, two-miler Nick Courtney, high jumper Jake Laprise and sprinter Garrett Madison. For the girls team, Alyssa Nee competed in the 400 meters and Audrey Wheeler ran the two mile. Nee, Wheeler, Jordanna Laprise and Erin Flynn joined for the 4×800 relay.

Captains were Bryan Hoyt, Nick O’Hara, Kevin Talbot, Jessica Blazo and Olivia Salvas.

Special Awards at HHS Sports Banquet

The recipient of the Athlete of the Year Award is a student who consistently performs at an elite level during his or her season and is integral to the overall success of the team. This year, the winners were Lauren O’Sullivan and Zach Taylor.

The Paragon Award is presented to the HHS senior athlete
that demonstrates excellence in academics, athletics,
leadership, and character. The 2018 winner was Alyssa Wilcox.

By Andrew Carroll

Growing up in Hanover, a town with 14,000 people, everyone seems to know what’s happening on any given day. During the fall, Friday night under the lights is the place to be. Hundreds of fans show up to the High School to watch an event that brings the community together. That’s the first thing that makes sports here in Hanover special: the support from our community.

Nowhere was this more evident than during the 2016 season, when the HHS football team had a stellar season and went on to win the Super Bowl for the first time in 40 years. As a member of that team, it was one of the greatest squads I have ever been a part of in my life.  While on the run to the Super Bowl, we played four home games and the community came together on those Friday nights in a way I will never forget. But out of all the games we played, the most special was the Super Bowl at Gillette Stadium. When we got on the buses that Saturday morning to drive down to Foxbor, hundreds of parents, students, and fans of the team showed up to the High School to send us off. It really shows how much our team meant to the town. When we got to the Stadium and looked at our fan section, nearly the entire town was there, taking up half of Gillette Stadium. People closed down their local business to come watch the game. When we won the Super Bowl, it was amazing to see the joy it brought people and how much they appreciated what we did for the town. Hanover sports teams have won four State Championships since 2016, and that pride and support has followed us every season.

Winning is another thing that makes Hanover High School sports so special. When you play a sport for HHS, you are expected to win, and our teams have experienced a lot of success. Since the Super Bowl win in 2016, Hanover High has brought home championships in boys hockey, boys basketball and rugby. We’ve also had a handful of league MVPs and athletes that have surpassed 100 points in hockey and 1,000 in basketball.

The last thing that makes Sports here at Hanover special is the students, both those who play and those who come out and cheer for every game. As an athlete, I love nothing more than a packed fan section for a big playoff game in the gym. As a fan, making the drive down to Gallo to watch boys hockey is something every single student should try to experience. The fan sections show us that our classmates want to win and succeed just as badly as we do. The Hanover fan section is unlike anything I have ever been a part of. Whether it’s traveling to the Garden for hockey, Springfield for basketball or Beverly for rugby, the super fans of Hanover never fail to show up.

All of the things that make Hanover sports special can’t be found at every school. I truly believe Hanover High School is the best in the area for sports, with all the tremendous coaches we have and the drive to win from the students.

College basketball’s March Madness kicked off this past weekend and it did not disappoint — except, perhaps, when it came to your bracket. Going into the first weekend, there were more than 70 million brackets filled out around the world, and after just day two, none of those remained perfect. The teams picked most often to win the championship were Virginia, Villanova, Kansas, and Duke. The first weekend proved to be a historic one.

For the first time in NCAA history, a number 16 team defeated a number 1 ranked team. UMBC defeated Virginia, the favorite to win the whole thing, in the first round. Going into this game, 16th seeds were 0-135 against the top seed. UMBC not only defeated Virginia but absolutely obliterated them, 74-54. Although there weren’t any other upsets as shocking as this one, there were a total of 15 upsets in the first round. Buffalo, seeded 13th, destroyed a popular pick for the championship, 4th seed Arizona, 89-68.  Loyola-Chicago, seeded 11th, topped 6th-seeded Miami on a buzzer-beater 3-pointer by Donte Ingram.  Ranked 13, Marshall topped 4th-seeded Wichita St. led by 27 points from their star sharpshooting guard John Elmore. Syracuse’s 11th-seeded zone defense dominated  in a 57-52 victory over 6th-seeded TCU.

The second round included several exciting games: yet another thriller for Loyola-Chicago, a historic comeback from Nevada, an unbelievable shot from Michigan, a blowout by Texas A&M, another top seed biting the dust and a defensive showdown by Syracuse.

In the South region, Loyola-Chicago went on to defeat the 3rd-seeded Tennessee on yet another last-second buzzer-beater, this time by Clayton Custer. With their first two games coming down to the last second, their matchup in the Sweet Sixteen is sure to be one to watch. Loyola-Chicago will take on 7th-seeded Nevada, another Cinderella story. Nevada defeated the 2nd-seeded Cincinnati after trailing by 22 points with only 10 minutes remaining in the game. The South region has now lost its top four seeds: Virginia, Cincinnati, Tennessee, and Arizona. Loyola-Chicago and Nevada.

The West region was full of action during the round of 32. The 3rd-seeded Michigan was able to keep its dreams alive thanks to a last second heave by unlikely hero Jordan Poole. The 7th-seeded Texas A&M destroyed number 2 seed North Carolina, 86-65, carried by their big men Tyler Davis and Robert Williams. Xavier, the 1st seed in the West, lost 75-70 to the 9th-seeded Florida State. The West has already lost its top two seeds as the madness continues.

The East region was calm during the second round as all the favorites survived to advance to the Sweet Sixteen. The same is true for the Midwest, aside from the Cinderella story  of Syracuse, who defeated a powerful Michigan State team, 56-53.

Some headline match ups of the Sweet Sixteen include Villanova versus West Virginia, both yet to be challenged in March, and Loyola-Chicago against Nevada. This March truly has been nothing but madness as more and more unlikely teams continue to survive and advance.

After their loss in Super Bowl 52, the New England Patriots were looking for ways to get better. This off-season figured to be tough, however, because of the number of players eligible to become free agents. The first move the Patriots made was getting offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels to return to the team. After agreeing to terms to become the next head coach for the Indianapolis Colts, McDaniels shocked the football world when he decided to stay with the Patriots.  The team did end up losing defensive coordinator Matt Patricia, who became head coach for the Detroit Lions.

The players on the field have changed as well. Malcolm Butler who didn’t play in the Super Bowl, signed with the Tennessee Titans, as did running back Dion Lewis. Danny Amendola joined the Miami Dolphins and left tackle Nate Solder signed with the Giants. All were part of Super Bowl-winning teams and were loved by Patriot Nation.

The acquisitions made by the Patriots were quiet, but still enough to keep them a favorite in the AFC. They traded for defensive line Danny Shelton and defensive back Jason McCourty, twin brother of Devin. To further beef up the defense, the Pats added lineman Adrian Clayborn. These moves should help a Patriots defense that gave up 41 points in the Super Bowl. On the other side of the ball, the Patriots added running back Jeremy Hill and wide receiver/kick returner Cordarrelle Patterson as weapons this year.

The Patriots have been very busy this off-season and, with the draft still to come, there will likely be more moves to improve the team.

The number of students taking part in winter sports was higher this season than it has been in more than a decade, according to HHS Athletic Director Mr. Hutchinson. And while boys hockey and basketball had memorable tournament runs, Hanover athletes excelled in the classroom as well. The average GPA of the winter student-athletes was a 3.70 and all 18 teams earned MIAA Academic Excellence Awards. Congratulations to the athletes and coaches on a great season!

Boys HockeyThe boys hockey team had a promising season right from the start. Led by captains Connor Morris, Zach Taylor, Drew Cratty, and Paul McCabe, the team swept the league with a regular season record of 19-0-1. The top-seeded Indians cruised through the Division 3 South playoffs at Gallo, shutting down every opponent and landing a well-deserved spot in the state championship game. Unfortunately, in this year’s final at the TD Garden, the Indians fell short 2-1 to defending champ Shrewsbury. The team’s final record was 24-1-1 and the league MVP was given to Taylor, the team’s high scorer. Kevin Chandler was outstanding as goalie throughout the season. Cratty won the 2017 Jim Gormley Scholarship Cup.

Under the leadership of Coach Abban, the team’s 14 seniors have had an impressive career. According to the Patriot Ledger,  the Indians went 80-11-7 with a 15-3 mark in the tournament since these players were freshmen in 2014-2015. This group won South Sectional titles in 2016 and 2018, plus a Division 3 state title in 2016.

Boys Basketball

The boys basketball team’s quest for a repeat state championship ended in the Division 2 South semifinals, a bittersweet moment that capped a stellar season. Seeded 5th in the tournament, the squad lost to top seeded Boston Tech, 58-47, on March 7. JP Landry scored 18 points and two-time league MVP Matt Delahunt added 17. But Tech’s offense came out on top.

Coached by Mr. Hannigan, the team went 17-4 in the regular season and finished with an overall record of 19-5. Delahunt scored his 1,000th point and he, Landry, Aaron Boise and Jake McInerney were named Patriot League All-Stars. This was the team’s first season in Division 2 South after winning the D-3 South title last year. The captains were Matt Delahunt, JP Landry, and Aaron Boise. Eight seniors – Landy, Delahunt, Boise, McInerney, Jeremy Openshaw, Liam Flynn, Dan Hamza and Aidan Henderson – are graduating this year. But their legacy, combined with a pool of younger talent, will hopefully keep the program just as competitive.

Girls HockeyThe Cohasset-Hanover girls hockey team fell in the first round of Division 2 action to the Norwood Mustangs, 3-2. Led by captains Alyssa Wilcox, Morgan Lundin, Kate Mccarthy, and Lindsey Beiche, Co-Han was seeded 21st after finishing the regular season 8-8-5. Norwood, the 12th seed, won a hard-fought contest. Hanover’s Jacqui Manning, Anna Tedeschi, and Lily Tobin were named League All-Stars. The Scholar Athlete was granted to Morgan Foley and Lundin was given the Sportsmanship Award.

Girls BasketballAfter graduating several strong senior players last year, the team went through some rebuilding this year. Led by captains Taylor Scott, Lauren Gelly and Bridget O’Connor, the team fell short of qualifying for tournament with a record of 6-14. Scott and Janey Devlin were named Patriot League All-Stars. Though the team will lose its senior captains after this season, the remaining three starters and juniors Devlin, Erin Flynn and Kathryn Fallon will look to be leaders for next season.

Wrestling

Led by captains Rian Boutin, Cade Frucci, and Steve Zinke, Hanover wrestlers formed a joint team with Norwell for a solid season.  They competed with heart and sent several athletes to state competition. 

Though Boutin was sidelined this season with an injury, he and other seniors had memorable careers at HHS. His personal highlight was a gritty overtime win at the Cohasset tournament last year when he cracked open his head during the match.

Gymnastics

Although the team was very young, Hanover gymnastics proved that age did not matter this season. Captains Abby Stone, Julia Leskow, and Kaylee Harris led the team to a league title with a record of 12-0-0. Freshman Kaylene Boutin was an all-around all star, along with sophomore Hannah DeRice on floor, bars, and vault. The team broke the school record score of 136.95, held since 2003. With such young talent, the program will have nowhere to go but up.

Swimming and Diving

Led by captains Nick Jones, Brittney Champagne, Frank Gavin and Chloe McKee, the team sent several athletes to the Division 2 state tournament. Hanover’s top finisher was Lauren O’Sullivan, who placed 5th in one-meter diving. Jones finished 10th in the 100 individual medley. Danielle Taft earned 12th in the 100 free and 13th in the 100 back. Taft also combined with Channing Miller, Kelly Taft and Sarah Gavin in two relays. Next year’s swim captains will be Olivia Reddish, Lauren O’Sullivan, Danny Greene, and Danielle Taft.

Indoor TrackHanover debuted its first indoor track team this year, giving members of the Cross Country and Track and Field teams an opportunity to compete yearround. Indoor track is definitely a unique experience, with a shorter track translating to more laps, and a festive air in the arenas where the meets are held. Led by Coach Barrett, the inaugural team was small and struggled to compete against larger, established teams. Still, the athletes trained hard and built the foundation for future success. Captains were Alyssa Nee and Nick Courtney.

Skiing

Some people may not be aware that HHS has a ski team, but though the squad is small, they have fun on the slopes every winter. The team practices and takes part in weekly meets at Blue Hills, and travels to larger contests at Ragged Mountain three times a year. While the team, led by Coach McRae, did not send any skiiers to tournament, members improved their personal performances throughout the season.

For the third time in five years, the boys hockey team has earned a spot in the Division 3 state championship game. The Indians defeated Swampscott 5-0 March 14 to win the D3 Eastern Mass championship and a trip to the Garden. Manning Morris scored two goals, and Zachary Taylor, Connor Morris and Justin Conforti each added another.  Kevin Chandler had yet another shutout in net . The Indians are hoping for a repeat of 2016, when they took home the state title.

Named top seed in Division 3 South after going 19-0 in the regular season, the Indians  won the Sectional title with a 6-0 win over Rockland March 11.  Led by captains Taylor,  Connor Morris, Drew Cratty and Paul McCabe, the Indians had earlier rolled past 20th seed Ashland, 6-0, and 17th seeded Abington, 9-0. Their only post-season challenge has been a 2-1 win over 8th seeded Bishop Stang in the South Sectional quarterfinals March 5.

The championship game will be played at TD garden on Sunday, March 18. Hanover, which is the only unbeaten team in the state, will face defending champ Shrewsbury.

The boys basketball team’s quest for a repeat state championship ended in the Division 2 South semifinals, a bittersweet moment that capped a stellar season. Seeded 5th in the tournament, lost to top seeded Boston Tech, 58-47, on March 7. JP Landry scored 18 points and two-time league MVP Matt Delahunt added 17. But Tech’s offense came out on top. The squad had advanced to the semifinals  with a gritty win over Foxboro, 58-57, on March 4. A big crowd of supporters had traveled to 4th seed Foxboro to cheer on the Indians, who were powered by 25 points from Landry and a key basket in the closing seconds by  Delahunt. Coached by Mr. Hannigan, the team went 17-4 in the regular season and won the Patriot League Fisher Division.  Delahunt scored his 1,000th point and he, Landry, Aaron Boise and Jake McInerney were named Patriot League All-Stars. This was the team’s first season in Division 2 South after winning the D-3 South title last year .

Check back for updates and a roundup of all HHS winter sports teams!

Since the All-Star break, the Boston Celtics have won four straight games and are playing some of their best basketball of the season. They are averaging 118 points per game while only giving up 103. Kyrie Irving has been leading the Celtics with 27 points per game over the last four. He continues to prove that the Celtics trade for him was a smart deal.

During this winning streak, the Celtics bench has been spectacular, with Marcus Smart back from a hand injury and the emergence of Terry Rozier. Jaylen Brown and rookie Jayson Tatum both have played well, each scoring double digits at least twice in this four game stretch. Lastly, Al Horford has played tremendously all year and has been doing everything for the Celtics. On a nightly basis, he rebounds the ball well, looks to score and has high assist totals for a big man. I believe the key to this win streak has been the rest that the team got over the break. They also are playing better defense and sharing the ball more on offense.

The next big test for the Celtics comes this Saturday night at 8:30 pm against the Houston Rockets, who have won 14 straight. The last time these two teams faced off, the Celtics won 99-98 after two key turnovers from James Harden. This should be a great matchup on Saturday and it definitely is must -watch NBA basketball.    

The New England Patriots appearance in Super Bowl LII marks the 10th for the franchise and the 8th in the Brady-Belichick era. The Pats are heading to Minnesota to face off against the Philadelphia Eagles after coming from behind to defeat the Jacksonville Jaguars in the AFC Championship on Sunday.

The Patriots were heavy favorites to beat Jacksonville until the cut heard around the football world occurred Wednesday. After Tom Brady sliced his right hand at practice, he missed Thursday and was limited on Friday. When news got out, many started picking the Jaguars to win the game. In his press conference Friday, Brady was optimistic about playing on Sunday, answering “ we’ll see.” With a Jaguars pass rush that can hit Brady and a great pass defense, Brady’s hand was up for a fight on Sunday.  But the hand was not a factor in the game. Brady finished 26/38 for 290 yards and two TD’s, while Danny “Playoff” Amendola had seven catches for 84 yards and two huge TD’s. 

On the first drive, Brady completed all 6 of his passes for 57 yards, leading  to a 31-yard field goal by Stephen Gostkowski. But then Jacksonville drove right down the field to score a touchdown and go up 7-3. The next possession stalled for the Patriots, forcing them to punt and give up the ball. That led to a Leonard Fournette touchdown and a 14-3 Jacksonville lead in the second quarter. The Patriots then got the ball with two and half minutes left in the second quarter and were looking for a touchdown to close out a sluggish first half. They did just that with a James White rushing TD with just under a minute left. Unfortunately, it came at the expense of Rob Gronkowski leaving the game due to a concussion.

To start the second half, the Jags got the ball and took it down the field but the Patriots defense held them to a field goal to make it 17-10. But while the Patriots defense tightened up in the second, their offense couldn’t get going and was stopped on its first two drives. Jacksonville once again had a great drive going, but the Pats defense stepped up and held them to yet another field goal to make the score 20-10 with 14:52 left in the fourth.

Just as the Patriots looked to gain momentum, the Jags defense recovered a Dion Lewis fumble on a trick play. But Jacksonville went 3 and out and gave the ball back to Brady and the offense. The Pats suffered a sack and an incompletion, leaving them in a desperate 3rd down and 18. That is when Brady connected with Amendola for the first down, a pivotal point in the game  that kept the drive alive and led to a nine-yard yard TD pass from Brady to Amendola. That brought the score to 20-17.

After that, Jacksonville got nothing going and punted it back to the Pats with about four minutes to go in the game. Brady drove them down the field and threw a four yard TD pass to – who else? – Danny Amendola. Amendola just got two feet down in the end zone to secure the score, putting the Patriots up 24-20 with 2:52 left in the game.  The Jags drove it down to the Patriots 43-yard line on 4th and 13 and Bortles threw a deep pass down the field, but Stephon Gilmore came soaring through the air and batted it down. The game was over after the Patriots ran out the clock. Brady took the final knee, sending the Patriots off to the Super Bowl for the third time in four years.