The undefeated streak continued for the Cherry Hill High School East Cougars football team as they defeated the Deptford High School Spartans. On Friday, October 18th, the Cougars came out on top with a score of 35-14 in East’s homecoming football game.
East got off to a slow start, letting up a touchdown to Deptford on the Spartans first drive. However, they came right back down the field with a commanding touchdown drive, capped off by a 14-yard score by Isaiah Donaldson (‘25) early on in the second quarter. The first half also featured a 29-yard rushing touchdown from Denzel Lee (‘25), one of three scores on the day for him. Lee rushed for 285 yards against Deptford, getting him over the 1000-yard mark on the season, becoming the first player in Cougars history to have two 1000-yard rushing seasons. Despite the offense shining in the first, the score was tied 14-14 at the half.
“Deptford came out with a good game plan against our defense. We missed a lot of tackles and struggled because of that,” said Coach Drob, referring to the first half.
But East came out of the gates strong, not letting up any points to the Spartans in the second half and scoring three touchdowns to salt the game away.
“Our senior leaders made [sure] everyone [knew] what the expectation was at halftime, and we played a lot more motivated to get the job done,” said Coach Drob.
One of those senior leaders is center, Ryan Gorman (‘25).
“We started off slow, but rebounded well from that. It felt good to block well for Denzel so he could have such a great game…I feel as a senior, I need to help show the underclassmen how it’s done, as they help the team just as much as us seniors, now and in the future,” said Gorman.
As it was the last regular season home game at East Stadium, it was Senior Day, with seniors from the football team, marching band, color guard, and cheerleaders being honored prior to the game. An unsung hero for the Cougars, Erik Jaime (‘25), kicked the game’s final extra point, the third of his East career. Jaime is a fan favorite, always supporting his team and urging the crowd to get loud for big plays.
Getting his chance on Senior Day, Jaime remarked, “I was so excited when the announcer called my name. It was my favorite moment of the season.”
As it was East’s homecoming game, the night before the homecoming dance, the homecoming royalty was announced at halftime which kept everyone excited at the break. The two homecoming queens for 2024 were Maggie Pierlott (‘25) and Jessica Zhao (‘25), who celebrated on the field before the second half began.
Looking ahead, the Cougars are just focused on one game at a time, trying to keep their undefeated streak alive.
“We had three goals coming into the season. We wanted to beat West, which we did, win the conference, and make the playoffs. With a win next week we can achieve both of the next two goals, so our guys need to focus up for that big game,” said Coach Drob.