Season of Ups and Downs for West, East Football Teams

Fans of the football teams at Cherry Hill East and West were taken on a bumpy, yet often exciting journey over the last few months. From bad starts to winning streaks to playoff scenarios, both teams sprung up and down the seesaw before ultimately landing at identical 4-6 records.

And while neither team achieved their ultimate goal of reaching the postseason, both provided evidence that winning football may not be far off.

For East, the season could not have gotten off to a more difficult start. The Cougars were completely overmatched in their opening game of the season against Williamstown, falling 54-7. Losses to Pennsauken and Eastern followed, leaving East nowhere near playoff contention. Things shifted in the next game, though, as the Cougars pulled off a 26-25 win over Moorestown.

The win provided evidence that East still had plenty to play for and proved to the players that anything was possible, Cougars’ head coach Tom Coen said after the victory.

“We felt like we probably let two games get away from us,” Coen said. “This validates a lot of things we’re doing.”

That victory sparked a three-game winning streak that put the Cougars right in the thick of the Group 5 hunt. East had a chance to punch its ticket to the playoffs, but lost back-to-back lopsided contests to Washington Township and Cherokee to see that dream end. A consolation-game loss to Rancocas Valley left the Cougars 3-6 and reeling heading into the Thanksgiving eve game with West.

East dominated the rivalry game, 28-0, allowing the Cougars to end the season with their heads held high.

“It’s a big win (for the returning players),” said running back Daishi Goto, who broke East’s single-season rushing record during the game. “It gives them some momentum and confidence going forward.”

Lineman Jonni Cassano said the victory delivered a message to the younger kids in attendance who could become a Cougars down the road.

“No one really likes playing for a losing team,” Cassano said. “This game has been going on for years. People come out in thousands to watch it and nothing is more important than showing that East football is a traditionally good team and we are here to play. It such and honor to put on this uniform and getting this victory means a lot.”

Cherry Hill West had a similar rollercoaster ride that was filled with unexpected excitement and late-season disappointment. Little was expected of West entering the season, given the Lions were coming off of back to-back two-win seasons and the players were learning a new system under first-year coach Brian Wright.

Like the Cougars, the Lions got off to a slow start, winning just one of their first four games, while losing by three touchdowns or more in each of the defeats. However, the team responded with a 39-6 win over Woodrow Wilson and a 16-7 win over Moorestown that suddenly had the players thinking about the postseason. It also brought out team pride.

“We need to go to the playoffs to show that we are a good team,” receiver Dwuane Allen said. “We are not just West, we are West Nation, West Lockdown and West Football. That’s what that ‘W’ stands for.”

West really entered the thick of the playoff race with a win against Bishop Eustace that improved the squad to 4-3, with one game remaining before the cutoff. During the Lions’ winning streak Wright repeatedly emphasized that this was not the same West team that South Jersey had come to expect to finish at the bottom of the standings. His players clearly bought in.

West entered its Nov. 9 showdown with Camden Catholic a win away from securing a Group 4 playoff spot, in a game Wright dubbed as “the biggest in program history.” Unfortunately the gap between the Irish and Lions was exposed, as Camden Catholic ran away with a 42-16 victory to dash West’s playoff hopes.

West also lost its final two games, ending a season of hope on a down note.

“We are not quite there yet, as much as we like to believe in the success we have had the last couple of weeks,” Wright said. “The kids need to see these things. They need to learn from this and take it forward with them and understand that this is what it takes. (Camden Catholic) is an established program that wins year in and year out.

"They know how to win. We are still getting there.”