A crisp wind brushed over the field as the Mercersburg Blue Storm hosted The Hill School Rams on Saturday, October 13.  It was Alumni Weekend at Mercersburg and the bleachers were nearly packed with both students and alumni, along with dozens of other spectators manning the sidelines.  The game opened with the Storm fielding the kickoff followed by running plays alternating between Tyler Mort ’08 and Ben Eaton ’08.  Eaton plowed into the end zone and A.J. Firestone ‘10 completed the point after to give Mercersburg an early 7-0 lead.  On the ensuing kickoff, however, Hill’s Brendan Kelly returned the ball for a touchdown to tie the game. 

The Storm came right back on two strong runs by Eaton.  After a pass interference call on the Rams, Eaton took off on another long haul for a Storm touchdown, but Firestone did not connect this time on the PAT, putting the score at 13-7.  The Rams appeared unwilling to pass and instead utilized mostly running plays in the first quarter.  But the “Blue Wall” line backing core, headed by Chris Freeland ’08, held Hill in check.  After forcing another punt the Storm went back on offense.  Quarterback Trevor Smith ’09 connected with Eaton on a nice pass play down the sideline, setting up a first and goal at the Rams' 10-yard line.  

The Storm settled for a 29-yard field goal that Firestone pulled right, either inside or outside the upright depending upon the referee.  After conferring for a while, the referees decided that the kick was wide.  The ruling led to a chorus of rowdy boos led by several of our ‘more senior’ alumni.  The Rams gained possession deep in their own territory, still continuing to run the ball and still being held by the Blue Wall.

After a nice reception by wide receiver Collin Stevens ’08, Eaton took a draw straight through the Hill middle, making several cuts before reaching the end zone for his third touchdown of the day.  Then it was Mort’s turn as he grabbed the ball on an end around and scored the two-point conversion, putting the Storm ahead 21-7.  The Rams then took to the air and had some early success, as the Storm linebackers seemed to still be guarding against the run.  But the defensive line soon adjusted and Campi got great penetration and sacked the Hill quarterback, forcing him to leave the game.  After another couple of series, the half ended and the Storm marched off the field with a commanding 21-7 lead.

The Rams’ opening drive stalled and Mercersburg got great field position after Hill was forced to punt.  On the second play of the drive, Smith dropped back and launched a beautiful pass to Josh Muller ’10, who had beaten his defender.  Muller raced to the end zone and put the Storm up 28-7.  The Rams began passing the ball once again but this time with more success.  On one play, Curtis Feigt ’09 broke through the Hill line and got to the quarterback, who had just managed to release the ball, which hit the Hill receiver in stride.  That led to Hill’s second touchdown.   

Back on offense, the Storm continued trying to run the quarterback keeper, but the Rams were able to contain it effectively, forcing Mercersburg to punt away.  The Rams then regained the ball and decided to switch back to their run game with Kory Kapinos, who was able to slice through the Storm’s secondary for a 65-yard touchdown, putting the score at 28-21.  Hoping to continue their good luck and keep the momentum rolling, the Rams attempted an onside kick, which went nearly twice the required distance.  Luckily the Rams’ defense continued to keep them in the game, as they forced Smith to rush his passes a bit.  That led to an interception by Hill’s Joseph Bauer.  But the Storm defense put aside the two long plays they had given up earlier and shut down the Hill offense, forcing another punt.  At the end of the third quarter the Storm continued pounding the ball up the middle, with Eaton showinghis many areas of expertise with several well-executed cuts which helped pull the Storm deep from their own territory. 

Early in the fourth quarter the Storm switched back to the passing game with Smith making several nice throws before hitting Stevens for a 45-yard touchdown reception that extended the Storm’s lead to 35-21.  The Storm then went into a more prevent style of defense, hoping to stop the Rams from mounting a comeback.  However, as they began to look for the pass more, the Rams returned to the run and began gaining momentum as they charged into Blue Storm territory.  On a beautifully executed handoff, Kapinos carried the ball straight up the middle before being hit by Mort, who got a hand on the ball and stripped it free, resulting in Hill’s first turnover of the game. 

Mercersburg took possession and logically began winding down the clock with a tandem of running plays featuring Mort, Eaton and Smith.  On a crucial third down pass Stevens out jumped the Rams’ defender and set the Storm up for a first down and a great chance to score again and put the game out of reach.  After getting stopped on three running plays, though, Firestone lined up to seal the game on 37-yard field goal attempt, but the Rams’ defense was able to get around the line and deflect the ball off its course just enough to cause it to sail wide.  However the Rams were unable to mount any offensive attack during the final seconds of the game.

Overall the Mercersburg Blue Storm played a great game making few mistakes on both sides of the ball.  With the exception of the long pass and run and the breakdown on the kickoff return, the defense played remarkably well, keeping the Rams in check at almost every point.  As for the offense, Ben Eaton once again topped the century mark with 118 yards and three touchdowns as well as fourteen total tackles on defense.  Stevens was productive as well with 128 yards and a touchdown.  Mort was the main playmaker on defense with the big forced fumble and thirteen total tackles. 

Other key players on defense included Freeland, who recorded several tackles and a sack, and Muller, who was a spot on corner closely covering the Hill receivers.  As the game ended the crowd was very festive.  One alum from the Class of ‘62 laughed while telling me, “it’s great to see them win, especially over Hill.  The energy was great too, especially on the long passes.”  The Storm moves to 3-3 on the season.  On Friday night, the team heads to Potomac, Maryland for a night game against Bullis School

-- by student reporter Peter Cooke ’08

-- assisted by Michael Reddy ’09

-- photographs by Trent Grogan '09