Motivated to play for a missing teammate, Hanover boys' rugby is dominating the field
For Carlson, the 34-29 loss — marking the third consecutive season Hanover had fallen to the three-peat champion Wildcats in the state tournament — wasn't an excuse to stop singing.
'One of the things we've done really well over the years is recognizing that sport is a fun part of the day,' Hanover coach
Andy McLean
said. 'Life can be hard, and you don't want to waste it getting all stressed out playing high school sport.'
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After enough encouragement, the beloved captain got his wish.
'It was quiet singing,' recalled
Aidan Boutin
, now a senior.
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Aiden Boutin is a key cog for Hanover.
Debee Tlumacki
A year later, the program's greater purpose has only been reinforced.
Despite a 4-0 record and an enormous lead in the MIAA Division 2 power rankings, the start to the 2025 season hasn't been without adversity. A couple weeks in, senior flanker
Noah Balewicz
was diagnosed with lymphoma. At 5 a.m. the morning of April 11, the Hawks held an event for their teammate.
Later that day, Hanover travelled to Brookline for what would eventually be a 36-12 win. Emotions ran high, and McLean wanted the game to be an escape.
'I made a point of telling them it's OK just to disconnect from everything and play some rugby,' he said.
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McLean has always guarded against his program defining itself by wins and losses, instead preaching to his players that they be process-oriented and focused on becoming the best they can be.
'It's much easier to have fun,' McLean said, 'when you're good at something.'
Boutin said that, last season, beating Weymouth was more important to some players than winning a state title. But then the Wildcats made the jump to Division 1 for the 2025 season. Weymouth is no longer on Hanover's schedule. Balewicz — who the team nicknamed 'Bowser' — has offered another thing to fight for.
'This year, the only thing that's motivating us is Bowser,' senior hooker
David Bonilla
said. 'The reason why we're dominating is because the motivation we all have is to fight for the player who can't play.'
And dominating, they are. In their first four games, the Hawks outscored opponents, 194-29. In the two after the Brookline game, Hanover froze the scoreboard at 50-0 against Lincoln-Sudbury at halftime, then won, 70-3, at Hingham on Wednesday. With the Wildcats out of the picture, the Hawks already seemed like a prohibitive favorite in Division 2, and they're getting even better.
'It's about quality, honestly,' said senior fly-half
Lochlan Garvey
(two tries, 19 conversion kicks this season). 'We've been winning these games by a lot, but what matters to me is we're getting better. We don't get complacent.'
'Why not dominate?' added Boutin, last season's Patriot League MVP who has six tries this season. 'Why can't we be the best team that's ever come through Hanover? Why can't we be the best team in the state? That's our thought process.'
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With a deep group of seniors — 17, in all, including Balewicz — and a strong program overall (54 players), Hanover has the structure to continuously improve. McLean assigned each of his four senior captains — Boutin, Garvey, prop
John Keegan
, and inside center
Juneau Mofford
(four tries) — to maintain standards in ball carrying, defensive alignment for the forwards and backs, and game management.
Senior Juneau Mofford has four tries for Hanover.
Debee Tlumacki
The group of backs, led by Garvey and Mofford, has especially improved.
'They know each other's lines of running a lot better,' McLean said of his backs. 'Rather than run a set play, which is robotic, we're able to think off the top more, and react to each other a lot more.'
Balewicz is not playing, but he remains a key presence. His teammates shaved their heads in support — 'I can't tell any of them apart now, they all look about 10 years younger,' McLean joked — and Balewicz's positive condition has improved the Hawks' morale.
'He's in a really good place,' McLean said, 'and you can see that in the players.'
Conversion kicks
▪ In Division 1, BC High is 2-0 against MIAA competition and leads the power rankings as it looks to repeat as D1 champions.
Led by senior captain
Mikey Smith
, a prop who toured with the US U-18 national team last summer, the Eagles ran through Weymouth before escaping a state title game rematch against Xaverian with a 36-35 victory Wednesday.
Early in the second half, the Eagles led, 26-7, before Xaverian stormed back to take a 35-33 lead with 10 minutes left. But with three minutes until full time, the Eagles drew a penalty, and
Charlie Thomison
nailed the 3-point penalty kick from 40 meters out.
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Smith and senior number eight
Conrad Babka
each scored two tries for the Eagles.
'We knew Xaverian would be physical, strong, and abrasive, and they sure were,' BC High coach
Paul Carty
said. 'Our guys want to play a wide and fast style of rugby, and sometimes their physicality slowed us down. There's no way around it.'
The Hawks were led by fly-half
Luke Bell
, a Globe All-Scholastic last season, who scored a try and went 5 for 5 on conversion kicks. Xaverian, at 1-1-1 with a win over Weymouth and a 17-17 tie with Belmont, is second in the power rankings after losing the program's first state title appearance to BC High last season, an equally thrilling 40-38 final.
'I said it after: 'Jesus, these guys are aging us like crazy,' ' Carty said.
▪ In Division 2, Chelmsford and Malden Catholic are the only undefeated teams besides Hanover, both at 3-0. Chelmsford (No. 2 in MIAA rankings) hosts the Lancers (No. 3) on Wednesday, in a matchup that could have major seeding implications for the state tournament. Neither program has made an MIAA state title game.
Sam Robb O'Hagan can be reached at
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