Archbishop Williams coach Mark Landolfi, formerly an assistant at Hanover under his brother, Chris, takes his undefeated squad up against his hometown team in the Division 5 quarterfinals.
Archbishop Williams coach Mark Landolfi, formerly an assistant at Hanover under his brother, Chris, takes his undefeated squad up against his hometown team in the Division 5 quarterfinals.Debee Tlumacki
It makes sense that Chris Landolfi sees a lot of his philosophies being deployed at Hanover while game planning for Friday’s Division 5 state quarterfinals matchup against his former program.
Now the defensive coordinator at Archbishop Williams, with his brother, Mark, serving as head coach, Landolfi spent a decade at Hanover from 2013-2023, winning a Super Bowl in 2016.
Hanover coach Brian Kelliher joined Landolfi’s staff in 2017 and succeeded him three years ago. Basically his entire staff is comprised of Landolfi’s former players, including offensive coordinator Tyler Coady (‘14), and assistants Seamus Boutin (’15), Matt Hughes (‘17), Mike Nassif (’19), and James Byrne (’20).
“Chris and I worked well together and Mark was a great resource as well. I learned a lot from those guys and we’re still close,” said Kelliher, who steered Hanover to a Super Bowl appearance in his first season. “We know what they like to do and how they like to coach. There’s a lot of history and I would assume both sides are just excited for a big playoff game.”
If No. 6 Archbishop Williams (9-0) falls at No. 3 Hanover (6-3), Landolfi said he truly hopes the Hawks go all the way. As a Hanover native who played his first football games in the town at 5 years old, he compared the Hawks coaches to his extended family.
“It feels like it’s going to be like playing against my twin brother,” said Landolfi, who attends Boston College football games with Kelliher since both of their kids go there. Landolfi’s son, Mike, is a redshirt freshman receiver.
“I see a lot of them in us. We have very similar philosophies, so we’re going to have to change some of our terminology. Every time they step on the field they play like champions, and so do we.”
Chris Landolfi led Hanover to a 2016 Super Bowl win, and now serves as defensive coordinator for his brother at Archbishop Williams.
Chris Landolfi led Hanover to a 2016 Super Bowl win, and now serves as defensive coordinator for his brother at Archbishop Williams.Steven Avitabile
The personnel is similar on both sides of this South Shore showdown. Hanover’s passing attack has remained dynamic with backup quarterback Max Morin filling in for injured starter Colin Arnold since Week 2. Arnold was recently cleared from a broken collarbone and will be available Friday. The Hawks have a fantastic receiving duo in Brandon Errico and Sebastian Brown, plus two great backs in Brendan Sacco and Thomas Regan.
The Bishops are led by highly touted dual-threat freshman quarterback Hudson Garrity, who led Archies to a 14-7 win over Swampscott last week in his playoff debut. Eighth-grader Ethan O’Connell has been great as a lead back, with Zay Whigham leading the receiving corps, and Blake Nelson and Luke Deftos starring on both sides of the ball.
“If I was scouting us, I would try to not let up the big play,” said Landolfi. “I would try to contain Hudson. He’s developed into an incredible dual threat and that makes it really difficult for our defense [in practice]. If you can limit his ability to run the ball and extend plays, then it makes it easier. [Hanover’s] receivers are really good too, so it’s going to be hard to scheme against. There’s going to be some guess work and hopefully as a defensive coordinator you guess right.”
Hanover will need to contain dual-threat freshman quarterback Hudson Garrity.
Hanover will need to contain dual-threat freshman quarterback Hudson Garrity.Debee Tlumacki
Quarterfinal primer
Friday, No. 5 Central Catholic at No. 4 Natick, (6 p.m.) — A true heavyweight fight leads the Division 1 slate of matchups with Natick looking to bottle up dual-threat QB Caden Smith and hold serve at home. Pick: CENTRAL CATHOLIC.
Friday, No. 6 Billerica at No. 3 Bridgewater-Raynham, (6 p.m.) — In D2, Jack Lambert leads an air-raid offense for the host Trojans against a Billerica team that has been grinding out wins using a double-wing formation. Pick: BRIDGEWATER-RAYNHAM.
Friday, No. 8 Mansfield at No. 1 King Philip, (6 p.m.) — King Philip has won 34 straight games, excluding a D2 Super Bowl loss to Catholic Memorial. Now in D3, the Warriors should handle business against a Hockomock rival. Pick: KING PHILIP.
Friday, No. 6 Marblehead at No. 3 Canton, (6 p.m.) — Marblehead bounced back from two tough losses to end the regular season with a 42-14 win over Shepherd Hill in the D4 Round of 16. Canton has been through a gauntlet in the Hockomock Davenport. Pick: CANTON.
Friday, No. 5 North Reading at No. 4 Medfield, (6 p.m.) — Brady McCormack has been unstoppable at the helm of a Medfield offense that is averaging 38.3 points per game. North Reading’s passing attack could chase points in an exciting D5 matchup. Pick: NORTH READING.
Friday, No. 7 North Attleborough at No. 2 Barnstable, (6:30 p.m.) — If the best Barnstable team this decade is going to make a push for Gillette, the road has to go through the defending D3 Super Bowl champions. Pick: BARNSTABLE.
Friday, No. 6 Masconomet at No. 3 Milton, (6:30 p.m.) — Can anyone stop Jack Fabiano in D3? Masconomet’s senior is on an incredible tear with 973 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns over his past three outings. Milton’s passing attack will challenge the Chieftains on the other side of the ball. Pick: MILTON.
Friday, No. 7 Stoneham at No. 2 Fairhaven, (6:30 p.m.) — Perennial D6 title contenders meet in the quarterfinals. With senior captain Peter Boccelli back from injury, Stoneham can compete in the trenches in a black-and-blue battle. Pick: FAIRHAVEN.
Friday, No. 7 Uxbridge at No. 2 Amesbury, (6:30 p.m.) — Amesbury’s upperclassmen will be looking to avenge a Super Bowl loss to Uxbridge two years ago by riding their nearly unstoppable four-down rushing attack at home in D7. Pick: AMESBURY.
Friday, No. 5 Burlington at No. 4 Duxbury, (7 p.m.) — Ryan Brooks and Burlington are on a magical run in Greg Sheridan’s first season at the helm. Winning at Duxbury against a D4 program with extensive playoff success is a tall task. Pick: BURLINGTON.
Nate Weitzer can be reached at nweitzer7@gmail.com. Follow him on X @nweitzer7.