The second week of fall sports brought forth lots of thrilling moments and momentum building for the 5 out 7 varsity teams that competed this week. COVID did little to impact the games, and it was only weather implications that postponed Friday’s matchups to later dates.

The Cougars faced off against Bishop Eustace in a Saturday morning football game against Bishop Eustace (0-3). It was senior day for the older players and they truly played with a chip on their shoulder in this one, winning 26-0 in a dominating performance.

The game began with a quick fumble on the kickoff return, recovered by the Crusaders. Eustace was unable to exploit this field position, quickly punting the ball back to the Cougars. The game’s first drive was methodical and tactical from Coach Daley, pounding the rock early and often with Nick Brown (‘21). A quick screen on a 3rd and 8 would see Mark Hendri (‘22) collect a screen pass and make three defenders miss on his way for a key first down. Brown would finish the drive off, taking a handoff off-tackle for a 20-yard score. The extra point attempt was blocked.

The Cougars would prevent any Eustace momentum, forcing a key sack on Jeff Marshall (‘21) and getting an interception on the next play, caught by Brown off of a tip. The second quarter began with a Seba Miller (‘21) completion to Rome Ciocco (‘23) and an end around by Hendri both going for firsts. The drive would be capped off by a 23-yard rush by Brown, giving the Cougars a 12-0 lead.

The next drive for the Cougars after another defensive lockdown of the Crusaders was maybe their best all game. Big catches by Danny Yasenchak (‘21) put the Cougars in scoring position, and it was finished off with an 11-yard score by none other than Nick Brown. Brown would finish with 145 yards and 3 touchdowns on the game, the majority of that coming in the first half.

The second half was a Cougars drive finish off with a 27-yard touchdown to Hendri. Seba Miller lofted a dime over the top that would be hauled in by Hendri on the fade with the defender on his heels. Daniel Obeid (‘21) stepped in for kickoff duties, and the Cougars took a 26-0 lead heading into the fourth.

Damian Frasier (‘22) took over halfback duties, and Justin Becker (‘21), Tyler Burke (‘21), Kelvin Parris (‘22), Moustapha Fall (‘21) and Nick Tomasello (‘21) got key reps down the stretch. The game would finish with a 26-0 scoreline.

Senior Nick Brown said after the game- “I feel great after that team win. It is an amazing feeling, but we need to keep this momentum going forward.” The Cougars will be at Robbinsville next week.

Meanwhile, the boys soccer game had two big games on the week. One was a 2-1 win over Camden Catholic and the other a 1-0 loss to top-ranked St. Augustine.

The first game saw Hank Feudtner (‘21) score two goals with assists by Hugo Campoverde (‘21) and Jakub Semelko (‘23). Patrick Keller (‘21) would make four quality saves in net. The Cougars were without Trey Shaw (‘23) and Luke Luehrs (‘21) due to injury and suspension. The lone Camden Catholic goal would be scored by Shane Serio (‘21).

The game began and ended with pure brilliance from the Cougars. Adam Blumenthal (‘23) and Rei O’brien (‘21) would be key contributors in a game that should have seen many more goals from the home side in Cherry Hill. Evan Pfeiffenberg (‘23) slotted in defense and helped hold down the fort along with Jordan Grossman (‘21) and Drew Luehrs (‘21). Allen Gao (‘21) stepped in at center back and Brendan McGovern (‘22) would create chances up top as well.

Feudtner said after the game- “It was a team effort and I was able to contribute with the goals today.”

The next game against St. Augustine would not hold the same fate for East as they travelled to the Hermits home turf.

The girls soccer team took home a 2-1 win over Camden Catholic following a 3-0 defeat to Eastern on Monday.

The first game saw the Vikings’ Rutgers commit Riley Tiernan (‘21) score two goals and record one assist. The Vikings are one of the best teams in the state, and Cougars La Salle commit, defender Jillian Drumm (‘21), did very well to prevent any more scoring chances.

The second game told a different story. The Cougars would spoil the Irish’s senior day with a 2-1 victory. The goals were scored by Alyssa Bui (‘21) who had another great game, as well as Lizzy Sommeling (‘23). The assists came from Carly Drumm (‘22) and Brianna Viscount (‘22).

The girls take on Bishop Eustace and Lenape next week as the boys play Bishop Eustace on a Tuesday senior night game.

The field hockey team would suffer losses to No. 1 ranked Eastern and Camden Catholic. Although both games were shutouts, the girls played exceptionally well to hold off many opportunities for large portions of each game.

The Eastern game finished 13-0 as the Vikings got off to a hot start with 5 goals in the first quarter. East defender Aubrey Demurjian (‘21) played well this week, while goalie Tori Jeffery (‘21) made many key saves.

The Camden Catholic defense prevailed once again, but were only able to score 6 goals against a stout East defense. Catholic has allowed one goal all season while Eastern has scored over 10 goals in every game.

The girls tennis team defeated Seneca 5-0 in straight matches this week. Singles victories were won by Sophia Liu (‘24), Elliana Tonghini (‘22), and Julia Chan (‘23). The duos of Sofia Pavlenko (‘21) and Vivian Zhao (‘22), as well as Nancy Shi (‘21) and Jessica Wang (‘22) took home big victories as the girls moved to 4-1 on the year.

The boys and girls cross country teams would take a break with the varsity teams sitting out this week in preparation for the Olympic Conference races next week.

The second full week concludes with lots to look forward to during the week of 10/19-10/24. Check back next Saturday for the third week’s recap, and as always- ROLL COUGS.