New Hanover coach Brian Kelliher will lean on returning star QB Ben Scalzi
HANOVER -- The new Hanover High football coach is very glad that he doesn't have to break in a new quarterback.
That's because senior Ben Scalzi is coming off a standout junior campaign in which he threw for 27 touchdowns (against 7 interceptions) and a single-season school-record 2,800 yards in leading the Hawks (9-3) to the Division 3 state semifinals.
"It's a great place to start," said coach Brian Kelliher, a longtime Hanover assistant. "He's a great kid. Tremendous athlete, tremendous quarterback. When the ball's in his hands, good things happen. We're very fortunate that he's back and that he has a year of experience as well."
Scalzi's elevation to quarterback in 2022 and Kelliher's elevation to head coach in 2023 are linked in a way.
Heading into last season, QB Michael Landolfi appeared ready to build on his own stellar junior year of 2021 (32 TD passes, 2,323 passing yards). Instead, he transferred to prep school, meaning Scalzi, a backup quarterback who had gotten most of his action at receiver, was pressed into service.
Obviously, that went well.
"For sure (Scalzi) opened a lot of eyes because no one really knew him last year," said senior John McDonald, who leads a new-look receiving corps following the graduation of stars Joe Curran (77 catches for 1,061 yards last season) and David Quinlan (a playoff hero after returning from a knee injury). "Now I'd say he's one of the best quarterbacks in (Division 3). He has an unbelievable arm; he has a cannon. He just does things effortlessly."
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Michael Landolfi reclassified as a junior at Lawrence Academy last year. Hanover head coach Chris Landolfi, Michael's dad, has decided to take a one-year leave of absence to help out the LA coaching staff for his son's senior campaign. Chris Landolfi, who had been the Hawks' coach since 2013, is likely to return to Hanover in 2024.
For now, Kelliher is running the ship. The former Rockland player was the head coach at his alma mater from 2012-16 and had been on Hanover's staff as Landolfi's assistant since 2017. Kelliher, the defensive coordinator last year, will continue in that role as well.
"I learned to rely on my assistants and just let people coach and enjoy it," he said of what his Rockland gig taught him. Kelliher said he learned a lot from Rockland coaching legend Ken Owen. "Every one of those kids he had a personal connection with," Kelliher said. "That's what I took from him and I want to try to emulate that."
So far, so good.
"Coach Kelliher's been a coach forever," said senior two-way lineman John Regan. "He's always had a relationship with (the players). I feel like there wasn't a better person to fill those shoes."
The no-huddle
Scalzi (6-3, 200 pounds) brings prototypical size and arm strength to the position. He'll be throwing to a revamped receiving corps led by McDonald (5-11, 170) and fellow seniors Connor Hutchison, Mehki Bryan and Owen Cross. At running back, senior Vinny Mancini, among others, will try to replace Nick Freel, who rushed for 1,048 yards last season and was a standout pass-catcher. Left tackle Regan (6-3, 235) and junior LG Lukas Maynard return on the offensive line, joined by a trio of senior first-time starters: RT Kyle McCarthy, RG Joey Picard and C Owen Kennedy.
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Regan, Maynard, Picard and Bryan will anchor the defensive line. Mancini and Boutin head the linebacking corps while McDonald and Hutchison are starters in the secondary.
2022 recap
The Hawks, seeded fourth in the Div. 3 playoffs, opened with a first-round blowout of No. 13 Westwood, 42-7. The next two games were instant classics − Hanover beat No. 5 Walpole, 40-37, in the quarterfinals and then lost to No. 1 Milton, 32-30, in the semifinals. The Hawks concluded the season with a 30-13 win over Norwell on Thanksgiving.
Hanover's only losses came against Div. 4 state champ Duxbury (12-0), Div. 3 runner-up Milton (11-1) and Div. 3 power Plymouth South (10-1).
Three names to know
Ben Scalzi, QB: Senior was 11 of 12 passing for 222 yards in the second half of the Walpole playoff win.
John Regan, LT/DE: Senior has great size and will anchor both lines. Said Kelliher: "We're expecting a lot from him."
John McDonald, WR/S/K: Receiver came on strong down the stretch last year, including five catches for 129 yards in the semifinals. Kelliher calls him a "tremendous athlete and a game-breaker."
They said it
Kelliher on replacing star RB Nick Freel: "It's very difficult. But we have several kids we are looking forward to (seeing). Vinny Mancini ran the ball some for us last year and made some great plays. We're expecting (junior) Aidan Boutin to come out and take some of the load off Vinny and share it as well as (junior) Luke Sheridan. We're looking for those three (collectively) to do what Nicky did on his own."
McDonald on playing the first five games on the road as Hanover's turf field is renovated: "It was an adjustment (practicing at Hanover Middle School). Once you come out here, though, it's just the regular (routine). It's going to be tough having no home games the first half of the season, but we'll get through it and once we get that first home game it'll be very exciting."
Scalzi on getting three playoff starts under his belt last year: "Those were very high-pressure games. That will help me this year. I'm not as nervous anymore because those were must-win games."
Hanover High football 2023 schedule
Thursday, Sept. 7 − at Duxbury, 7 p.m.
Friday, Sept. 15 − at Hingham, 7
Thursday, Sept. 21 − vs. Stoughton (at Scituate High), 7
Friday, Sept. 29 − at Plymouth South, 7
Friday, Oct. 6 − at Scituate, 7
Friday, Oct. 13 − vs. Quincy, 7
Friday, Oct. 20 − vs. Pembroke, 7
Friday, Oct. 27 − at North Quincy, 7
Thursday, Nov. 23 − at Norwell, 10 a.m.
This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Hanover High football preview: New coach counts on returning star QB
