The third week of sports of East saw every team in action, and lots of success stories to be told. From senior nights to conference championships and rivalry matchups, this week was jam-packed with great performances from all 7 teams.

Cougars football faced off against Robbinsville in a Friday night game under the lights. The Cougars would go on to lose 15-7 to Robbinsville, who were undefeated heading into the matchup. The game was very close except for a few costly mistakes, and this is the second game this season where a Cougars turnover has led to a loss.

East would give up an 8-yard rushing touchdown in the second quarter, as the first quarter went scoreless. Jack Kolbe (‘22) got the score, but it was a defensive affair that would headline this game. The extra point attempt was blocked.

There would be six defenders that recorded over 5 tackles for East, with Jadon Louis (‘21) securing 12 and Nick Brown (‘21) having 9. Senior Justin Becker (‘21) would record East’s only interception with a pass deflection by Tyler Burke (‘21) falling into his hands. Nick Tomasello (‘21) and Louis would also record a sack each.

The third quarter saw the bulk of action as East would throw a pick-six, with Robbinsville captain Shane Martin (‘21) taking it 51 yards for a score. The point after was no good. As Robbinsville took a 12-0 lead, East would rely on the run game to mount a comeback.

Nick Brown would tote the rock in the third quarter for the Cougars, capping off a drive with a 4-yard rushing score. Brown would rush for 86 yards on the night, a solid amount for East’s offensive leader this year. Robbinsville would knock in a field goal late to extend their lead to 15-7, eventually fending off the Cougars offense in the closing minutes.

East plays Cherry Hill West in what is the biggest game of the year and a highly anticipated rivalry game on Halloween afternoon.

The boys soccer team took home a 5-2 win over Bishop Eustace on senior night and a 1-1 draw against Lenape on Thursday evening.

A Luke Luehrs second half hat-trick is the header for what was a terrific performance late from the Cougars:

East boys soccer defeats Bishop Eustace 5-2 on senior night

East’s lone goal against Lenape would be a highlight-reel play as an Adam Blumenthal (‘23) cross was volleyed into the far post by Robbie Awaida (‘21). Matt Mueller (‘21) would play well in net, and it took a last-ditch effort from Lenape to tie the game up. The overtime periods would also cause a stalemate.

The boys face off against Seneca at home on Monday, Cherokee away on Wednesday and against West Deptford on Saturday morning.

The girls soccer team played at Bishop Eustace on Tuesday and at Lenape on Thursday.

Alyssa Bui (‘21) scored the lone Cougar goal with an assist from Jill Drumm (‘21) as Eustace was able to tuck three past the goalkeepers. The game was close early on, but would sway in Eustace’s favor after many counter attacks.

Against Lenape, the girls would take a commanding lead early on and never look back. Jill Drumm (‘21) would score with an assist from Laura Eyre (‘22), Briana Viscount (‘22) would score one with an assist by Kaylin Maher (‘22), and Viscount would assist Lizzy Sommeling (‘23) as well.

The girls are 3-4 and face off against Seneca, Cherokee and Cinnaminson on Monday, Wednesday and Friday next week.

Meanwhile, field hockey had two games this week, losing 9-1 to Eustace and 10-1 to Lenape.

Against Eustace, Becca Allen (‘21) would score the lone goal and Tori Jeffery would come up with 11 saves as the girls took on the No. 19 team in the state. The Crusaders would bag three goals each quarter, but the Cougars have faced formidable opponents for the second week straight.

Against Lenape, the game remained close early on until the Indians took a 4-0 lead into halftime. Consistent defense has been a theme for these girls, but Lenape stormed on late. Jeffery finished the game with 23 saves, a great showing for the senior goalkeeper.

The girls take on Seneca and Cherokee on Tuesday and Thursday for their final two games of the season.

Girls tennis secured wins of 5-0 over Winslow, 4-1 over Lenape, 5-0 over rivals Cherry Hill West and 4-1 over Cherokee.

Freshman Sophia Liu took only one loss as the girls first singles competitor, and has been a top player for the girls all year. Duos Sofia Pavlenko/Vivian Zhao and Nancy Shi/Jessica Wang also performed well this week. Pavlenko (‘21) received an athlete of the week nomination for her performances.

The tennis team faces off against Williamstown on Monday in the first round of NJSIAA quarterfinals.

Boys and girls cross country ran their way into the record sheets with championships brought home to East at the varsity level in both meets. Aidan Groff (‘21) and Alexis Tepper (‘23) received player of the week nominations for receiving first place in their respective races.

Groff ran his 5k in 16 minutes and 5 seconds, 2 seconds faster than second place and good enough to earn gold, being crowned the fastest runner in the Olympic Conference American Division. Gabe Rodriguez (‘21) finished in fifth place, while Aidan Eyre (‘21) came in tenth.

Tepper ran her 5k in 19 minutes and 37 seconds, and a 10 second gap placed her in great position over second place. She took home gold as the best runner in the division, and set one of the best times the race has seen. Marykate McCurdy (‘21), Maddy McNiff (‘22) finished 5th and 6th respectively, while Inesa Grace Linker (‘23) came in 11th.

That was the final meet for the runners as they now prepare for winter and spring seasons.

That is all for week three of fall sports at East. Tune in next Saturday as many seasons will be concluding by next weekend. And as always… ROLL COUGS.