Gabe McGuire ’24
Amid the exuberance and celebration of Family Weekend, Mercersburg Academy’s sports teams experienced an exciting game day as parents and families packed the stands, eager to see their children play. They were treated to a premier Mid-Atlantic Prep League matchup with Lawrenceville School competing against the Blue Storm soccer, field hockey, football, volleyball, and cross country teams.
The bright note of the weekend came from the undefeated football team which had a great game, winning 40-6 against Valley Forge Military Academy. Haris Yahaya ’24, wide receiver and cornerback, said, “The team did intense drills and workouts the week before the game, and that we were aware that Valley Forge had become a different team than when we had first beat them.” Ultimately, the football team prevailed and put on a great show for the parents who came to watch the game. Yahaya also said, “Playing in front of families made me nervous at first, but as we started to score I got more confident.” The preparation that Yahya and his teammates put in saw its direct results, as Mercersburg was left with yet another win to add to the football team’s undefeated record.
The field hockey team lost 2-0 in the matchup against the Big Red. Emily Heuer ’24, field hockey player, said, “Our team practiced like normal and did extra conditioning over the week. On the weekend, we played well and I didn’t feel much more pressure than usual.” She also said that her team managed the pressure but were basically outplayed. The girls’ varsity soccer team also suffered a loss against Lawrenceville with a 4-1 score.
Jack Quagliaroli ‘22, captain of the boys varsity soccer team, carried part of the weight of the training and preparation for Family Weekend. He said, “We started by mentally preparing. This meant getting to know the opposition and then playing as a unit. Going into our last MAPL game against Hun, we seemed to just jump in with little expectation of what the match would hold, but this week we doubled down on defense and where we struggled in the past so that we could be better than we were before.” Their effort did not produce the desired outcome. The Blue Storm lost 3-0, but coaches said that it was “arguably one of the best games that varsity soccer has played yet.”
Volleyball lost its match against Lawrenceville in three straight sets, though the last two each ended after a thriller seesaw battle but unfortunately resulted in a heartbreaking loss.
Some teams treated the presence of fans with relative indifference. Blanca Mendiola Bringdas ’24 from girls’ cross country said, “Nothing different happened that week, but we had two meets. Parents were here but it wasn’t enough to make much of a difference to our performance.”
Family Weekend brought with it numerous hotly contested meets and games, with Mercersburg teams pouring their most vigorous efforts into their sports, victory not.