The Cherry Hill East Cougars looked to get back on track this Saturday as they took on Princeton in commemoration for all that the class of 2023 has done for the program. 

The Cougars got off to the exact start that they were hoping for. After the defense forced an early punt, the offense put the ball into the hands of Mo Sample (‘23) and Ethan Haddock (‘23). Haddock got the drive started by taking a jet sweep around the left side for a big gain. Haddock ran for 33 yards on the day and caught a pass for five yards. Then it was Samples’ turn to take the ball for the Cougars. Sample would fight through tacklers and dive for the endzone to give the Cougars a 7-0 lead. Sample would finish the day with 114 yards on the ground.

All day long, it was a running back party in the endzone. The next offensive drive for the Cougars saw Brayden Peeler (‘24) getting in on the fun. Peeler took a swing pass from QB Zach Salsbery (‘25) for 43 yards all the way to the endzone. This was Salsbery’s first touchdown pass of his East career. Team captain Alex Tanaka (‘23) called next on the festivities. After yet another three and out by the defense, the Cougars ran a nice play resulting in Tanaka taking the inside handoff 18 yards to the house. Tanaka added another touchdown early in the 2nd half where he buried two defenders in the dirt with a nasty stiff arm. He finished the game with two carries for 39 yards and two touchdowns. 

The East defense was dominant all game long. Tanaka, Darius Barlow (‘24), and Jaxson Bowman (‘24) all added sacks. Daniel Guzman (‘24) made several tackles in open space along with a deflection. Ethan Haddock added an interception which he returned all the way inside the 10 yard line. Haddock found the endzone just two plays later to make the score 34-7. 

The Cougars were not done quite yet. Brayden Peeler broke right and took the outside handoff 25 yards to the endzone. Peeler finished the game with five carries for 50 yards and two total touchdowns.

The Cougars will look to carry their momentum into next week as they take on cross-town rival Cherry Hill West in the Battle for the Boot.