Hanover’s Patrick Flynn and Matt Hughes are not your traditional linemen.

They look the part. Each stands 6 feet 3 inches, with Flynn about 10 pounds heavier at 280. But the senior captains are examples of a new kind of lineman.

Following a 2014 campaign that ended with five straight losses, Indians coach Chris Landolfi decided it was time for a change.

“We were looking at Pat and Matt and how athletic and big they are, and how well they play in space, and it made sense,’’ he said of the team’s decision to switch to a spread offense, which is designed to open seams and holes on the field.

The results were immediately positive. The Indians entered the playoffs with a 6-1 record and advanced to the South Division 4 finals with a 21-20 win over Foxborough.

Flynn, who was voted the Patriot League Fisher Division MVP, blocked an extra point attempt in the final seconds to secure the victory. The Indians lost to eventual Super Bowl champ Holliston, 21-0, in the South final to finish 9-2.

To increase their speed and mobility for the spread offense, Hughes and Flynn lifted weights five days a week during the offseason and had agility training twice a week.

Playing other sports also helped. “Lacrosse gets you in shape for the summer [football] workouts,’’ Hughes said.

Quinn Murphy, a 6-6, 300-pound sophomore lineman at Duxbury High, plays center on the basketball team, a sport he plays “every day of the offseason.’’

Besides size and foot speed, as a freshman he showed Dragons football coach Dave Maimaron that he wasn’t intimidated playing against guys up to the three years older.

“Sometimes you get gentle giants, but he’s not one. He has an edge,’’ Maimaron said.

“I’ve been playing against kids older than me my whole life,’’ said Murphy, who couldn’t play in his age group in town football because of weight limits.

Since this time last year, he has grown an inch taller and gained over 30 pounds. The challenge for Murphy, 15, is putting extra time into his footwork to avoid losing a step while growing into his body.

For Duxbury, mobility on the line is crucial, with dual-threat quarterback Bobby Maimaron and his top target, wide receiver Ryan Reagan.

“Most offenses we’ve played against don’t pass the ball as much as we do,’’ said Murphy. “We have a ton of depth with receivers.’’

Greg Wood of Braintree sees the challenges faced by high school linemen as a balancing act.

“If you bulk up, you’ll obviously lose some foot speed,’’ said the 6-2, 279-pound lineman, who has committed to playing at Bryant University next fall. “So you really can’t avoid those [foot speed] drills in the offseason.

“We’ve done more conditioning and running to help win long games,’’ said Wood, who also stays in shape by throwing the discus and shot put for the Wamps’ track team in the spring.

Like Duxbury’s Murphy, Milton Academy’s Allan Rappleyea has gained over 30 pounds since last season, and goes into his senior year at 6-5 and 273 pounds. But it’s his speed combined with his size that created a recruiting buzz that ended when the two-way lineman committed to Division 1 Wake Forest.

Though he’s bulked up, Rappleyea still runs a 4.81-second 40-yard dash. For that, he credits Milton Academy strength and conditioning coach Steve Darling.

“The era of big, heavy linemen has changed over the past 10 years,’’ Darling said. Now they must focus not on “how much weight they can move, but how they move the weight.’’

Sam Boyles can be reached at samuel.boyles@globe.com.