Welcome back to the weekly East sports recap! Now that spring sports are in full swing, Eastside is bringing summaries of the action to you. This week, all 10 spring teams were in action as the seasons got underway.

The Cougars baseball team played three games this week, facing off against powerhouse Bishop Eustace, the Cherokee Chiefs and Mainland. The boys fought hard at Eustace, losing only 3-0 to the Crusaders who were led by pitcher Joe Mascio (‘21), a St. John’s commit. Jake Atlas (‘22) and Josh Manders (‘21) pitched well while Josh Janove (‘22) recorded a hit. Against Cherokee on Thursday (due to a cancellation Wednesday), they lost by a score of 7-1 due to a single bad 6th inning. Ace Lin Asari (‘21) had five solid innings on the mound, while Jake Sipera (‘22) had two hits. The boys also faced off against Millville on Saturday afternoon, suffering a 9-1 defeat with the only RBI being accredited to Seba Miller (‘21). They take on Winslow and rivals Shawnee, Lenape next week.

For softball, the week was filled with high-scoring affairs. Against Clearview at home on Tuesday, the girls lost 8-0, a season opener they wish they could have back. The first inning proved to be their worst, giving up 5 runs. Against Shawnee on Thursday, the girls got some offense going, but it was the defense that cost them. In a 13-5 loss, Hannah Greenspun (‘22) recorded two hits, but it was not enough. In their final game of the week, the girls would lose 13-5 to Eastern. Rachel Bliss (‘21) recorded two hits in the loss. Bliss is hoping to get the team going next week against Seneca, Cherokee and Lenape.

Boys’ and Girls’ lacrosse had an action-packed week as well.

The boys faced off against strong teams in Haddonfield and Seneca this week, taking home two hard-fought losses. Haddonfield came to Decou and played very well, winning 18-5 over the Cougars. A bright spot for the home team was Chatham commit Rei O’brien (‘21), who recorded 2 goals and 2 assists in the game. Against Seneca on Wednesday, the boys would lose a heartbreaker 10-9 in which Nate Winters (‘24) scored 4 and freshman Colin Inman won 87% of his faceoffs. The boys hope to bounce back on defense against Eastern on Monday.

The girls played Bishop Eustace and Cherokee on Monday and Wednesday. The girls were unable to hold either team on defense, giving up 14 and 16 goals while scoring only 5 and 1. Players to watch for are Paige Miller (‘21) in attack and Haley Krassan (‘22)/Paige Watson (‘23) in defense and midfield.

Boys’ tennis had a great series of matches this week, winning 5-0 over Shawnee, Washington Township in their first two matches and 4-1 over Cherokee in their third. Top singles player Brett Schuster (‘22) is looking to win All-Conference honors this year and played like it, only dropping 1 set across 4 total games in the first 2 matches. The boys sweeped Township, dropping no sets. Against the Chiefs, they would dominate in the doubles division, but went only 2-1 in the tight singles matches. Coach Greg DeWolf hopes to continue their success against Bishop Eustace on Monday after a tournament this weekend.

Boys’ volleyball went 0-3 this week, losing to Kingsway, Rancocas Valley and Williamstown. None of the dropped games were blowouts, and senior Owen O’Connell and junior Ansh Mehta looked very good in the season openers. They would lose 2-0, 2-1 and 2-1.

Boys’ and Girls’ golf had several matches this week, too.

The boys faced Paul VI and Washington township in a tightly contested week. Freshman Brian Cotter would lead the way against Paul VI, scoring a 42 on the par 35, leading the way to a 25-point Cougar victory (189-214). Against the Minutemen, though, East would suffer a heartbreaking 1-point loss. Cotter and junior Eric Kang would continue their form, but it was not enough to overcome Washington Township. The boys are 1-4 entering next week against Eastern and Cherokee.

The girls would take home two victories against Cumberland and Seneca this week. Led by Ajuni Oberoi (‘24) and Grace Laird (‘22), the girls improved their record to 2-1 in their first season of play. This impressive start is hoping to continue in the coming stretch of games against Eastern and Cherokee.

For the track and field teams, only two meets took place due to a weather postponement on Wednesday.

The boys distance team ran the 2-mile at Cherokee on Friday night. This meet featured over 300 runners of both genders in one of the biggest events of the spring. Aidan Groff (‘21) would run a 9:28 to take 8th place overall at the meet, while seniors Gabe Rodriguez and Justin Whitney ran a 9:40 and 9:48 respectively. For the runners, a Saturday meet saw lots of great placements. In the 110-meter hurdles, East would place 3rd, 5th and 6th with Phillip Trieu (‘21), Joba Akeh (‘22) and Dillon Page (‘22). Senior Jordan Grossman finished 7th with a 52.83 in the 400. Aidan Eyre (‘21) and Dylan Hagan (‘22) placed 11th and 15th in the 1600, having not competed Friday night.

For the jumpers, Noah Kriesman (‘22) and Ken Komatsu (‘21) went one and two in the pole vault while Moustapha Fall (‘21) finished well in the high and triple jumps. The throwers saw Rohan Arige (‘21) finish 3rd in discus, and Robbie Fleischer (‘22) place 7th in the javelin.

The girls distance team ran the 2-mile as well on Friday. Senior MaryKate McCurdy would run a 12:16 and junior Michelle Barry a 12:17. At the Saturday meet, Gia Lamaina (‘21) would finish 11th in the javelin, while freshman Nadia McGinnis finished tenth in the 400-meter dash. The girls will compete in their entirety at Lenape on Monday.

Come back next week for more recaps of spring sports weekly. And as always… Roll Cougs.