As fall high school sports progress, the beginning of November represents the start of the postseason; the final stretch where teams aim to win championships and extend their season as long as possible. The only way to do that is to win. When a team wins their first playoff game, if they even get into the playoffs in the first place, they continue on to play in a second playoff game and so on. However, when a team loses a game, their season ends instantly. If a team makes it to the playoffs, it is a fresh start because all that matters is how they perform in the present, nothing that occurred prior in the season plays a role.
Cherry Hill High School East athletes have endured countless hours of fitness, workouts, games and practices to make it to the postseason. Since the hot summer months; players, coaches, and fans have anxiously awaited the season’s outcome for each of the 2024 Fall Sports teams. This year, the East teams landing a spot in postseason games include: boys and girls soccer, field hockey, football, tennis and volleyball.
Girls Volleyball (22-4):
Coaching for his first year, Joe Feeney, led the East Girls Volleyball team to a record of 20-3 overall and a 8-0 record in the Olympic Conference. In the postseason, the three seed Cougars defeated the 13 seed, Atlantic Technical High School, 2-0 on November 5. In the second round of playoffs, on November 7, the Cougars defeated the 5 seed Egg Harbor Township High School, 2-0. However, on November 9, the Cougars lost 2-0 in the semifinals against first seed Williamstown. In addition to their other accomplishments, they defeated Coach Feeney’s old team, Sterling High School, in a close match. Also, Aubree Mon (‘25) broke the schoolwide service ace record with a career total of 170, passing the previous record of 155 from 2022.
Girls soccer (10-8-1):
For the first time in 14 years, the East Girls Soccer team achieved a winning record; experiencing more wins than losses for the season. Head Coach, Rachel Steelman-Tonon, and Assistant Coach, Ralph Steelman, led the East Girls Varsity soccer team to a 10-8-1 record. A major highlight of this turnaround season happened on October 19, when East defeated the Cherokee Chiefs for the first time since 2019. In the same week, they also won a game versus Seneca and tied Lenape. In 2024, the girls soccer team achieved an Olympic Conference record of 2-2-1; one their best Olympic Conference record and getting them into the sixth seed for playoffs. With a home field advantage in the first play-off round, the East Cougars defeated Rancocas Valley High School (12 seed), 6-2. To end the season, the Cougars lost 5-2 in the second round of playoffs against Egg Harbor Township (3rd seed).
Boys soccer (7-10-3):
After squeaking into the postseason as the 15 seed in the 2024 NJSIAA South Jersey Group 4 Tournament, the East boys soccer team pulled off a huge feat when they knocked out the 2 seed, Howell High School, in an overtime win of 4-3 on November 5. Even though the team felt as if they underperformed during the regular season, they were successful in making it to the second round of the play-offs. Unfortunately, the boys lost 7-0 in the next round of playoffs against the 7 seed, Toms River North High School on November 8. In the end, Coach Mike Melograna led the boys to a 7-10-3 season. Although he had hoped the team would “fulfill their potential and exceed their expectations,” the Cougars fell short of a winning season this year. Aside from the huge playoff win at Howell, another highlight of the season includes tying Cherry Hill West 1-1 in the big rivalry game on September 28. In the Olympic Conference, they ended with a record of 1-4.
Football (9-1):
Ending the season with a record of 9-1 and a trip to the Sectional Semifinals are just two of the many successes the East Cougars Football team encountered this season. After a 10-year losing streak, this season’s winning record showcases the team’s victorious results. When alumni player, Coach Tyler Drob returned to East as a football coach, he had three goals in mind; to beat West, to be Conference Champions, and to go to the playoffs. Not having posted a winning record since the 2011-2012 season, these aspirations seemed unrealistic. However, hard work, discipline, and commitment have been the perfect recipe for the Cougar’s success. They ended the season with an 8-0 record in the West Jersey Football League Memorial Division. Although undefeated, they still had to play against Bridgeton High School in their last game of the season to earn the title of Conference Champs. They took down Bridgeton and were sent to the first round of the Group 5 playoffs for the first time since 2006. The boys defeated Southern Regional High School 28-21 on November 1 in the first round of playoffs. After achieving a 9-0 record, the team meticulously prepared for November 8th, the second round of the Group 5 playoffs against Washington Township High School. In a hard-fought battle, they fell to the relentless Minutemen 35-7, ending the season with a 9-1 final record going 5-0 in the WJFL. Coach Drob attributes the team’s success to “the senior leadership on the team [being] really big and as [his] third year as [the] head coach, [they] understood [his] expectations.”
Field Hockey (7-11-1):
This season, the Girls Field Hockey Team achieved their best record in over a decade, which included seven wins, 11 losses, and one tie. In the Olympic Conference, they may have ended 1-4, but this included their first divisional victory in nine years. The Cougars best win this season was on their Senior Day when they defeated Delran, 2-1, in overtime. Not only that, but they made it to the first round of playoffs after a long four years. However, they were defeated 2-0 by Eastern Regional High School on November 4. Coached by Brooke Hullings, the field hockey team reached numerous milestones this season. Coach Hullings believes the most admirable thing about the program this year was the “dedication, hard work, and heart they put into this season. Day after day, run after run, rep after rep [and how] every player gave their all.”
Girls Tennis (11-4):
In the first three rounds of sectional playoffs, the Cougars defeated Bridgeton High School, Cherokee High School, and Vineland High School. Although the Cougars lost in the final round of playoffs against Egg Harbor Township High School, they still had a lot of success this season.
“A lot of people graduated last year, so underclassmen had to step up and play singles and top doubles. Coach [Mary] Jewett had high expectations of us and everyone stepped up and worked hard to meet those expectations,” said Chloe Ren (‘27).
With the high expectations being met, seniors Ariel Ivler and Maya Pater won the American division titles for doubles at the Olympic Conference match this season. Head Coach of the tennis team, Coach Jewett, led the Cougars to a record of 11-4 for the 2024-2025 season. The tennis team continues their 14 plus year winning streak, displaying their strength, potential, and culture across all grades.
Cross Country:
With a great regular season, the Girls Varsity Cross Country squad moved on to race at states, after finishing in 2nd place at the Group 4 South Sectional Championships. The Cougars finished in sixth place at the NJSIAA State Championship. As for the regular season, the Freshmen and Junior Varsity teams took first place at the Shore Coaches Invitational at Holmdel and Varsity took 4th place. Additionally, the Varsity and Freshman teams won their division at SJ Open. The Girls Cross Country team is coached by Christine Mason and Assistant Coach, Erin Cotoni, who led the Cougars to their success this fall.
While the Girls Cross Country team excelled this season, so did the boys. At the Group 4 South Sectional Championships, the boys finished in 2nd place, which qualified them for the NJSIAA State Championship. As for the State Championship, the Cougars successfully earned second place again, which is the second best finish in school history, with Brandon Lyons (‘25) and Brody Bogos (‘25) placing second and third place, respectively. However, the Cougars fell one point short of winning states, which is the closest second place finish in states history. During the regular fall season at the Shore Coaches Invitational at Holmdel, the boys team took third place out of 192 teams. Additionally, at the Olympic Conference Championship, the Boys Varsity and Junior Varsity teams took second place in their divisions. The Varsity boys had a team average of 16:01 for their race, which was their best this season. The Boys Cross Country team is coached by Christopher Corey.
