Hun School rolls Hill School
POTTSTOWN >> It spent the first four weeks of the season establishing its dominance over various opponents.
Saturday, it was Hun School’s turn to further reinforce that level of superiority. It did so, with The Hill School the latest target.
In a Mid-Atlantic Prep League game soaked by rain in the second half, the Raiders rolled to a 40-0 win over the Rams. It was the same story as in previous games, Hun (5-0) scoring in double digits while holding opponents to a combined 35 points with their first shutout of the fall.
Offensively, the visitors had 11 different players get touches as they worked to a 31-0 halftime lead. It’s reminiscent of how the Hill played against Pennington Prep two weeks earlier; and in the Raiders’ case, the level of performance was equal all through the roster
“We have a large quality of depth on the team,” head coach Todd Smith said. “We feel good about the kids. The kids understand when they get to touch the ball, they run as hard as they can because they’re not sure when they’ll get to touch it again.”
Marco Lainez did his part to involve a large part of the depth chart in the scoring. The junior quarterback threw touchdown passes to four different receivers in the first half, one marked by their scoring on each of their five possessions.
The defense, in turn, left the Hill (0-2, 2-4) kicking the ball away the first six times it had possession. The Rams managed just one first down in the first half, and their best series was an eight-play drive that went from their 15 to the Raider 45 before being halted on downs.
“They’re a good team,” Hill head coach Orlando Patterson said. “We knew what they’re going to play, There were no surprises.”
Lainez got Hun going with 33-yard touchdown passes to Benjamin Romano and Jake Lezzer in the first quarter. He added an 18-yard TD toss to Logan Howland and six-yard strike to Owen Wafle in the second before placekicker George McManus hit a 21-yard field goal as the clock ran out.
In the fourth quarter, Kerem Koyluoglu ran for a 16-yard score to establish the “running clock” for the remainder of the game. Hun got two more points on a safety, the Hill mishandling the ball on a snap and forced to cover it in the end zone.
“Our defense has been real well all year,” Smith noted. “We have some senior leaders there, and a lot of experience coming back. We play with a lot of pride.
“We’re excited about how, week in and out, we get the opportunity to showcase our abilities.”
Though it had eight players get touches through the first three quarters, the Hill found itself unable to get much going against the Hun’s interior line. Quarterback Charles Hewitt faced a similar challenge in the passing game, going 2-for-8 for 15 yards in that span.
“We didn’t establish the run,” Patterson said. “We like to run the ball. We have to be better in all three phases.”
The Hill now takes to the road for a MAPL game against Blair Academy (Oct. 23) and a non-leaguer with Kiski School (Oct. 30). It will close out the regular season Nov. 6 by hosting longtime rival Lawrenceville School.
“The Hill is a great school, and a great team,” Smith said. “They’ll get it going, It’s just a matter of time.”
