MERRIMACK – You’d think one Eichman is hard enough for opposing defenses to handle when it comes to the Merrimack High School football team.

But two? Brutal.

That’s the constant headache backs Joe and Ben Eichman give opposing coaches and players. Joe, a senior, was expected to be a big part of the Tomahawk offense this season as a running back/wideout. But Ben, a junior, has come on not only as a quarterback, throwing to Joe, but also can be used as a running back and receiver as well.

“It’s having two explosive versatile athletes on the field,” Merrimack coach Kip Jackson said. “We don’t have as many athletes with that skill set as we had last year, so it adds a lot to the team, a lot to the offense and defense.”

But they’re not clones of each other, that’s for sure.

“Different personalities,” Jackson said. “Like most families, there’s a lot of things that are similar, a lot of things that are different. Ben is a little more low-key than Joe, just in terms of his intensity, but they both want to compete all the time.”

The clear surprise has been the younger Eichman.

“It’s been a huge step,” Ben said of this season. “But having my brother and everybody else on the team last year as role models helped me improve on and off the field.

“But looking up to my brother, and having him there with me in the game, helping me, telling me what to do sometimes and with certain decisions – he’s a great role model. It’s great to have.”

Great for the Tomahawks, for certain.

“It definitely helps, to have chemistry in a relationship,” Jackson said. “I think they both love to compete and try to get the most out of their ability. So they also share that.”

“Last year was our first glimpse together, because (Ben) played some safety,” Joe Eichman said. “But this is the first time we’ve actually been on the field back-to-back.

“He’s just like another teammate but deep down inside we know there’s something better for both of us, we get to go home with each other and celebrate (wins).”

It wasn’t always that way, though, Joe says.

“Growing up the past couple years we weren’t that close,” he said. “But we’ve come together with football, it’s definitely brought us together. We were close when we were younger, and then there was a gap, separation of teams, separation of people.

“Now, the past few years, we’re definitely closer, being on the field is fun. If I’m not doing something, I look down the field and I feel him doing something. It’s blood and it’s fun to watch.”

Jackson was hoping Ben could be a big part of the Merrimack plans on both sides of the ball this season. He already knew Joe would be. But you always have to wonder about a sophomore making the next step to his junior upper class year.

“He’d been on the field before on a Friday night,” Jackson said, “unlike a lot of our other players that we have this year.”

Both are keys in the secondary. In his first full season, Ben Eichman is doing a lot of things right on both sides of the ball.

“Just his versatility,” Jackson said. “On offense, being able to throw the ball, catch the ball, run the ball. And on defense, he’s the leader in the secondary, he replaced a three-year starter (graduated Tyler DeNeil).”

And older brother Joe this year has taken the next step.

“He gets more touches now, just because of the makeup of our team,” Jackson said. “He gets stronger as the game goes on,and obvioulsy has a lot of versatlity because he’s able to run and catch the ball. But I think he’s put in more time to understanding where he fits in on defense, and that’s helped out a great deal.”

What’s like for the brothers away from the field?

“We try to stick together, keep arguing to a minimum, and go with the flow,” Joe Eichman said.

“We do a lot together,” Ben said. “We go to other football games, see other teams. We try to get the most out of the time we have together.”

The older Eichman was a baseball player early in his high school career, a sport he began playing when he lived for a brief time in North Carolina. But then “I just kind of knew football was my thing.

“I love the preparation and everything leading up to it. Just preparing and then being able to execute. Once you execute, it feels awesome.”

“He loves to compete, he’s a really good leader,” Jackson said. “He’s passionate about what he does. He’s a good student, not only of the game, but also in the classroom. He works his tail off. … He’s a special kid, I love coaching him.”

Joe, who runs track to keep in shape for football, has a football scholarship offer from Bryant University, but hasn’t committed yet as he explores all his options, also looking at the University of New Hampshire and Central Connecticut. He wants to study kineseology in college. Jackson feels he’ll be able to play running back, slot, or in the secondary at the next level.

“I’ve been going to a couple of games this season, to see the colleges and see the atmosphere,” Joe Eichman said. “By the end of the season, a lot will start to happen fast, and you’ll only have a couple of months to make a decision.”

Ben, of course, will face those decisions a year from now. He would like to play college sports – he may try out for baseball this spring at Merrimack instead of lacrosse — but he’s very academic oriented, looking to major in criminal justice/forensic science.

“I guess I’m proud to be where I am, and can fulfill any role the coaches ask me to play,” Ben said.