HANOVER – Paul Cohen knew his Bow Falcons were outsized on the line of scrimmage against Hanover. He knew the Marauders were going to run tough and try to get Cohen’s defensive tackles on their heels. So his guys had to push back in the trenches, on defense as well as offense, and Cohen said the result would favor the stronger, harder line.

The way things looked Saturday, the Bow boys up front ate their Wheaties.

Handling a couple heavy defensive tackles, the Falcons opened a hole up the middle for Jack Corriveau to take off on an 88-yard touchdown run in the third quarter. Later, they did it again for quarterback Matt Harkins on a 58-yard run to the end zone.

Finally, in the closing minutes with a seven-point lead, Bow pushed again and gave space for Nate Alford to score from 15 yards out. The score was the final of the game and gave Bow a 38-24 win over the No. 3 Marauders in the Division II semifinals in Hanover on Saturday.

Some credit goes to play calling – spreading the defense out through the air and then running up the middle – but Cohen gave his linemen credit, too.

Hanover (9-2) found some success there but not until the fourth quarter, the only frame where the Marauders held an advantage in scoring, 17-14.“We knew they outmanned us up front size-wise and we knew it was going to be a battle,” Cohen said. “Our offensive line coach said before the game, ‘It’s all about the trenches, baby,’ and sure enough when we were able to stop them, things went our way. And when we weren’t able to stop them, they were able to move right down the field on us.”

The win puts Bow (9-2) in its first D-II title game in its opening season as a member of the division. The Falcons will face No. 4 Plymouth in Durham at Wildcat Stadium on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. for the state title.

“It is so amazing,” Alford said after the game. “All the hard work has finally paid off. We’re at the point we want to be. That’s what we’ve been for the whole season, had our eyes set on UNH the whole year. This goal of ours is there now – we’ve just got to win.”

Alford finished with two touchdowns. He reeled one in from Harkins over the middle from 25 yards out in the first quarter. A successful point-after kick for Mac Kimball put Bow ahead, 7-0.

Hanover’s Avery Monahan received an 18-yard pass in the end zone from Connor Stafford that tied it. Bow’s Justin Mooney scored from 2 yards out on their next drive, and the Falcons never relinquished their lead.

Kimball went 4-for-4 on his PAT kicks and nailed a 44-yard field goal that put Bow ahead by 10 going into halftime.

The game was clearly in Bow’s control, but Alford reminded his teammates that they were the ones fighting from behind last weekend against John Stark before coming back to win.

“We can’t ever feel comfortable,” Alford said. “I was telling the guys at halftime that we were down (21-14) to John Stark and came back, so we couldn’t give up and stop fighting. It’s a whole new game in the second half, every time.”

So the Falcons didn’t stop. They added a third touchdown in the third quarter – Corriveau’s 88-yard sprint – and kept Hanover quiet. Bow had a 24-7 lead and hoped Hanover would go quietly in the fourth quarter as well.

But the Marauders fought back, first with a 33-yard field goal by Moises Celaya that put Hanover two possessions away. It was fourth-and-15 from the 16-yard line with 12 minutes on the clock. There was some debate, but Hanover Coach Sam Cavallaro said “we needed the momentum” and it paid off.

Harkins was sacked on the second play of the next drive and the ball squirted out into the hands of the Hanover defense. The Marauders started their drive with first-and-goal at the 9 and Caleb Putnam punched in a score from two yards out on the third play of the drive.

Suddenly, Bow held a seven-point lead that felt as light as feather. Were the playoff jitters getting to the D-II newcomers? Cohen says no, and pointed to his seniors that had plenty of experience in the playoffs in Division III.

“It’s a bend-not-break philosophy,” Cohen said. “They know what the pressure is all about, they understand what they’re going to have to deal with.”

It ended up being one of those upperclassmen, Harkins, who threw the momentum back on Bow’s side with his touchdown run from their own 42 in the fourth quarter.

Hanover snapped back with a 61-yard completion down the right sideline from Stafford to Monahan for a touchdown, cutting Bow’s lead back down to seven with 8:00 to play.

So the Falcons slowed it down and drained six minutes off the clock, melting it down to 1:55 when Alford scored his second touchdown to put Bow’s nerves at ease.

“Give them a lot of credit, that momentum had turned on two series in a row and they come out and score,” Cavallaro said. “I thought we had them on the ropes and they just made plays.”