With one minute and 23 seconds left in the 3rd quarter, Ben Cohen (‘24) dropped back in the pocket at his own 23 yard-line. He threw the ball downfield to Ethan Haddock (‘23) who made the catch and ran right past his defender and eventually into the endzone for a 77-yard touchdown. It was a great way to cap off an amazing game for the Cougars.
The Cherry Hill East Cougars (3-7) defeated the Perth Amboy Panthers (3-7) by a score of 23-10 on Thursday morning in their season finale.
“It’s definitely important to end the season on a winning note,” Coach Daley said on the win. “We took our lumps there towards the end of the season against a bunch of good programs and to be able to bounce back and beat a good Perth Amboy program says a lot about our character.”
The Cougars offense has relied heavily on their passing game this year, but they could effectively run the ball against Perth Amboy. Mo Sample (‘23) rushed for 67 yards on 12 carries while Damian Frasier (‘22), who mostly plays linebacker, rushed for 45 yards on nine carries. Even Cohen, who had more rushing attempts than passing attempts, ran for 65 yards on 12 carries. This was the best the Cougars have been able to run the ball all season.
One of the highlights of the game was kicker Aryan Pradhan (‘22). After Cohen scored a rushing touchdown, the Cougars lined up in their normal kick formation. However, instead of kicking the ball deep, Pradhan attempted an onside kick that the Cougars recovered. Even though the offense stalled in the red zone on that possession, it was still a turning point in the game.
For Cohen, he made history on Thursday afternoon as he was the first Cougars quarterback to throw for over 1000 passing yards in a single season in 10 years. He was very proud of his accomplishment.
“I think it’s pretty cool to do something like that,” Cohen said. “It’s very special to accomplish something like that for the program.”
Looking to next season, there is a lot of optimism surrounding the team. With Cohen being just a sophomore and other weapons on both sides of the ball who are expected to return next season, there is a lot to look forward to.
“I’m looking forward a lot to next year,” Daley said. “We have a lot of talent coming back, but it doesn’t just happen by showing up in August, so we need to be able to have a strong and committed offseason.”