Mercersburg twice overcame four-goal deficits to defeat host St. John's Catholic Prep (Buckeystown, MD) 12-11 in a boys' varsity lacrosse contest April 17.

The Vikings jumped out to a 4-0 lead and after Mercersburg fought back to tie the score, St. John's extended the lead once again, taking a 9-5 advantage at halftime. In the third quarter the Storm scored four straight, including two goals within six seconds of each other, to tie the game at 9-9. Frank Bonsal '25 gave Mercersburg their first lead at 11-10 off an assist from Will Lavan '27, and Dylan Ridgway '26 scored what proved to be the game-winner with 7:22 to play. The Vikings scored one more goal for the final 12-11 margin, but strong defensive play, including overcoming a man down situation with two minutes left, helped the Storm hang on for the win.

Bonsal (three goals, five assists) and Will Donovan '25 (five goals, one assist) shared player of the game honors while Simba Nguyen '27 scored twice. Lavan and Ridgway had one goal each, with Lavan also chipping in the go-ahead assist. Max Strauss '25 picked up two assists and seven ground balls while Taimur Rehman '25 stopped nine shots on goal.

"Cole Piraino '26 and Winston Watkins '25 played strong as short stick defensive middies and made some tough plays in the clearing game," said head coach Tim Kerr. "Our defense really settled down in the second half highlighted by strong performances by Ian Kopp '26 and Wyatt Parks '25. Taimur made key saves when they were needed. Jonny Nussdorfer '26 and Max Strauss combined to go 14-24 at the dot, but won 8-10 in the second half, which really turned the possession tide."

"A ton of credit should be given to St. John's Catholic Prep," Kerr added, "for their grit and toughness. I'm incredibly proud of our group's resilience and fight to work their way back into the game after a sluggish and sloppy first half. The coaching staff challenged our leaders at halftime and they responded on both sides of the ball. We are certainly thrilled to be on the other side of a close game.  We'll enjoy this for a day, then our attention turns to our next opportunity."

That next opportunity is an away game against Jefferson County Club Lacrosse (Shenandoah Jct., WV) on Wednesday, April 23 at 6 pm when the Storm will try to extend their winning streak to three.