Cherry Hill Sports Week in Review: Football and Soccer Dominate

As the regular season begins to wind down for many of the varsity teams, tournaments begin to become the focus. The Cherry Hill East girls’ tennis team advanced to the Group 4 finals, while the East and West girls’ cross country teams had top-3 finishes at the Camden County championships.

Add in a pair of football victories and big performances in the South Jersey Coaches Cup, and it was another big week in local athletics.

Below is a look back at the week that was in Cherry Hill sports.

FOOTBALL

Daishi Goto was a man on a mission against Paul VI, racking up 211 yards
on 27 carries and three touchdowns in Easts’ 39-21 win. Goto scored on carries of 1, 50, and 80 yards, helping the Cougars win their third-straight and get back to the .500 mark.

Sophomore quarterback Brandon Stern also had a strong game, throwing a pair of touchdowns. He connected on a 31-yarder to Andrew Brown and a 44-yarder to Brandon Bryant.

East will be back in action Saturday when it takes on Washington Township on the road at 4 p.m.

Rodney Williams bounced back from a rough performance in is first action a week ago with a dominating showing in West’s 39-6 win over Woodrow Wilson. Williams finished with five touchdowons, including runs of one and three yards. He also scored on a 47-yard reception, threw a 36-yard pass for a score, and found the end zone on a 62-yard punt return.

The Lions also got a score on the defensive side of the ball when Nick Mallardi picked off a pass and returned it 32 yards for a touchdown. They will be back in action Friday night on the road against Moorestown.

GIRLS’ SOCCER

Cherry Hill East not only recorded an upset in the first round of the South Jersey Coaches Cup, but did something no other team had been able to do in over eight seasons in the process. When the No. 11 Cougars defeated No. 6 Haddonfield 1-0 Friday, they became the first opponent to defeat the Bulldawgs at Scout Field in 87 games. Haddonfield was 86-0-1 over that span.

The game’s only goal came with just over three minutes left when Alex Manofu sent in a corner kick that was deflected by a Haddonfield defender and snuck in the net. With the win, the Lions moved to 6-7-1.

The Cherry Hill West girls’ soccer team has found its stride in the second half of the season. The Lions scored wins over Timber Creek (5-1), Camden Catholic (3-0) and Winslow Township (2-0) to up their streak to four games. Sarah McGlinn had a hat trick against Timber Creek, and Taylor Gentile netted a pair of goals. Goalie Christina Oeumsami recorded the shutout against Camden Catholic and Winslow.

West has a tough showdown at home against Shawnee today.

BOYS' SOCCER

Cherry Hill West went 2-0 with wins over Camden Catholic (1-0) and Winslow (3-1). The win over Catholic came in overtime when Connor McFadded beat two defenders and sent a rocket into the upper left corner from 20 yards out.

After a slow start against Winslow, West responded with second-half goals from Chris Brandy, David Pyle and Michael Juan to pull out the win.

East bounced back from a 2-1 loss to Eastern with a 2-0 win over Kingsway in the opening round of the South Jersey Coaches Cup. The win was viewed as an upset as the Lions entered as the No. 14 seed and knocked off the third-ranked Dragons. Zach Steinbock and Adam Cohler scored for East, while Steven Oberlander made five saves.

GIRLS’ TENNIS

The Cougars will play for a Group 4 sectional title this week thanks to a 3-2 win over Egg Harbor Township in the semifinals. No. 3 singles player Nikita Shukla delivered the decisive point in a dramatic, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 victory. Tyler Haaz and Paige Leone were strong in first doubles, winning their match, 6-2, 6-3, and Lauren Romisher and Adel Boyarsky won easily at second doubles, 6-3, 6-0.

Thanks to a weather delay, East will host No. 2 Cherokee tomorrow at 3 p.m.

FIELD HOCKEY

Cherry Hill East was unable to get a win on the board, falling 4-0 to Shawnee.

West’s struggles also continued with a 4-0 loss to Seneca and a 6-0 loss to Timber Creek.

GIRLS’ VOLLEYBALL

It was a mixed week for the Lions, who went 1-1, with a loss to Washington Township and win over Lenape. Against Township, Jalena O’Leary had 16 digs and four blocks, while Emma Scott had a team-high eight kills. The Lions started slow against Seneca, losing the first game 25-12, but responded by winning hr final two games and the match. Sierra Machinski had a team-high 23 digs, while Scott had five kills and seven blocks.

Cherry Hill East pulled out a 2-1 win over Moorestown to move to 6-6.

BOYS’ CROSS-COUNTRY

East had a strong showing this weekend, placing second at the Camden County Championships. Mike Minion led the charge, finishing sixth overall in 16:35. Teammate Ben Dillon was two places behind, at 16:36. Jared Dashevsky, Dan Helfand and Chris Mele also contributed, finishing in the top 20.

Cherry Hill West placed seventh at the event. Peter Skryzalin was the top Cougars’ finisher, placing 13^th in 16:31.

GIRLS’ CROSS-COUNTRY

Cherry Hill West and East both performed well at the Camden County Championships, placing second and third, respectively. West did it with a strong pack, led by senior Kristine Thomas, who placed 15^th at 21:25.9. Julia Marzocca, Nicolette Graham and Georgeanne Siller came in together at 19, 20 and 21.

East was led by Monica Lee, who was the top local finisher, placing fourth at 20:16. Allison Smith (24), Sara Downie (28) and Caroline Sawn (29) also showed well.