Hanover football holds off Walpole, 40-37, in instant classic in Division 3 quarterfinals

HANOVER – David Quinlan made it back just in time.

In time, that is, to play a starring role in what no doubt will go down as one of the wildest MIAA playoff games in any sport this fall.

Sidelined by a knee injury for almost all of the previous six games, the Hanover High senior receiver made a huge splash in his return to the lineup Thursday night. In a game littered with big plays Quinlan had perhaps the biggest of all – a 72-yard catch-and-run to set up Nick Freel's 5-yard TD run that gave the Hawks a 10-point lead with under five minutes to play.

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Despite some scary moments down the stretch, Freel's score (with an assist to Quinlan) held up as the winner as No. 4 Hanover held off No. 5 Walpole, 40-37, at Harry Gerrish Memorial Field in a rollercoaster of a Division 3 quarterfinal.

"We just had to keep our composure and make history, I guess," Quinlan said. "That's the biggest game I've ever played. Unreal. I can't explain the feeling."

The Hawks (8-2) advance to the semifinals and await the winner of Friday's matchup between No. 1 Milton (8-0) and No. 8 Marblehead (6-2).

A Hanover-Milton showdown would pit two of the South Shore's most lethal offenses against one another. But that matchup, if it happens, would be hard-pressed to match this one for drama. There were four lead changes, four scoring plays of 46-plus yards and seven combined touchdowns after halftime.

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Some of the individual numbers were staggering. Walpole quarterback Corey Kilroy accounted for four touchdowns (two passing, two running) and had 373 yards from scrimmage. Meanwhile, Hanover QB Ben Scalzi was 21-of-28 passing for 371 yards and a pair of TDs. In the second half alone, he was 11-of-12 for 222 yards.

"That was insane," said Hanover senior receiver Joe Curran, who caught seven passes for 75 yards and ran twice for 25 yards and a TD. "The drives up and down the field, that was crazy. There were just so many huge plays. Both teams played their hearts out, but we came out on top. Amazing."

Quinlan's big play came on a second-and-7 from the Hanover 23. Walpole (8-2) had called timeout with 5:09 left, giving the Hawks, who were clinging to a 33-30 lead, time to talk about what they wanted to do.

"I go in the huddle and (Scalzi) goes, 'It's a Congo,' which is a comeback," Quinlan recalled. "I said, 'If this (defender) is on me (tight), pump fake and I'm going (deep).' He pump-faked, I went and it just happened."

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The double move shook Quinlan free down the left sideline. He made a leaping catch around his own 45 and sped off, breaking one tackle before he was dragged down from behind and fumbled the ball out of bounds at the Timberwolves' 5.

"I was worried," Quinlan said. "Some kid called (it a) touchback. I thought, 'did I just fumble out of the end zone?' I thought I had just lost us the game."

Nope. Hanover retained possession, and Freel (16 carries for 73 yards, 2 TDs, plus 2 catches for 58 yards) took a pitch to the right side on the next play and darted into the end zone. John McDonald's PAT made it 40-30 with 4:43 remaining.

Quinlan finished with seven catches for a team-high 149 yards in his first significant game action since a Week 3 win over Stoughton. The next week, in a 29-27 OT loss to Plymouth South, he was injured on the game's very first play from scrimmage while playing defense. He returned to play one snap in last week's first-round playoff win over Westwood, a 42-7 blowout.

"I had a dislocated knee and then I tore (a knee ligament)," Quinlan said.

Getting him back was a big emotional lift for the Hawks.

"I've played with him for 10-plus years," Curran said. "He's my No. 1 guy. I love him. It was such a letdown to see him go down in that (Plymouth South) game. Having him back is huge."

Said coach Chris Landolfi: "Dave's always been a leader for us the last couple of years. Having him come back that fast from an injury like that (was a boost). He said, 'Coach, throw me the ball.' We threw it up to him and he made an unbelievable play. That pretty much sealed it for us, but nothing was (really) sealed in this game. It was crazy."

There was certainly still a lot of work to do after Freel's second TD of the day. (He ran in from 13 yards out in the final minute of the third quarter to put Hanover up, 26-23.) Walpole needed just six plays to answer with Andrew Falzone's 6-yard TD run. The PAT shaved Hanover's lead to 40-37 with 2:42 left.

Making matters worse for the Hawks, they thought they had gotten the Timberwolves off the field on a fourth-and-5 from the Walpole 43. Somehow, though, Kilroy (13-of-17 passing for 264 yards; 11 carries for 109 yards) avoided multiple free pass-rushers on a zig-zag scramble that took him more than 20 yards behind the line of scrimmage. Kilroy completed a 27-yard pass to Jamal Abdal-Khalaq (7 catches for 106 yards), and a 15-yard facemask penalty on Hanover brought the ball all the way to the Hawks' 15.

"That was ridiculous," Landolfi said with a laugh. "They have some really good athletes and they showed up today to play. That's Walpole football, though. But we matched it. Our skill guys showed up big today."

Walpole's onside kick did not travel the required 10 yards, and Hanover was able to run out the clock since the Timberwolves had used up all their timeouts. Scalzi did fumble on a third-and-15 scramble in the final minute, but senior center Shane Coleman, one of the Hawks' five captains, pounced on the ball.

"I was hoping that they didn't get the ball back there (in the final few seconds) because you never know," Landolfi said. "The team with the ball last had a good chance to win. They ran out of time."

Among the many stars for Hanover was McDonald, who caught four passes for 89 yards and two TDs – a 46-yarder that put Hanover up 10-3 in the second quarter and an 11-yarder for an 18-17 lead early in the third. He also kicked a 17-yard field goal to open the scoring and threw a 2-point pass to Mehki Bryan.

"Breakout player!" Quinlan exclaimed. "At the beginning of the year we had him at backup quarterback. They moved him to wide receiver at the beginning of the first game and he's just excelled. He's just meant for football."

"Johnny Mac's come around really well," Landolfi said. "We started putting a lot of plays in for him realizing he's a big-time player and getting him the ball would be (a good idea). With him, Joe Curran and Dave Quinlan, that's pretty tough to stop. And then Nicky Freel at running back, those are four pretty good football players."

With Scalzi at the controls, Hanover's offense is humming. Since a 21-7 loss to Duxbury in Week 1, the Hawks are averaging 38.4 points per game. It's been a nice vindication of Scalzi's ability, considering the junior was thrown into the starting job this season only after Michael Landolfi, the coach's son, transferred to Lawrence Academy, where he's tearing it up.

"I knew I had to keep the standards up," Scalzi said of clearing the high bar that Michael Landolfi had set. "I didn't want to let this talented team go to waste."

This talented team now is two wins away from a state crown.

"We're ready for any competition," Curran declared. "We're looking to win a ring. That's what my eyes are on."

This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Quinlan's big play helps Hanover football hold off Walpole in Div. 3