Under the lights of Cherry Hill High School East’s stadium, it’s easy to think that the excitement belongs to the athletes. But look closer, and you’ll see that the pulse of East’s roaring student section comes from far more than the teams and players competing. From the blare of the marching band to the flips of the cheerleaders and the antics of the Crimson Cougar mascots, East’s energy is built by a collective family that turns every game into an electric experience.

East’s sports teams have been racking up wins across the board, particularly from the football team, boys’ and girls’ soccer teams, and girls’ volleyball team, among others. The scoreboard tells part of the story, but it doesn’t explain why student sections are fuller and Friday nights under the lights feel more charged than ever. Perhaps, the rise in spirit has less to do with records and more to do with the layers of energy surrounding the games — the band, the cheerleaders, and the mascots — all working together to create a sense of community that keeps the student body and community feeling engaged and invested.

At the center of East’s stadium energy is the marching band. William Lam (‘26), one of three drum majors for East’s marching band, described the marching band’s experience at football games as more than performing, instead extending to shaping the atmosphere in the stands and collaborating with other groups to keep the energy alive. The band travels to every football game, participates in pep rallies, and visits local middle schools, all while competing in the Tournament of Bands circuit across New Jersey and Pennsylvania, regularly earning state and regional awards.

“We play the National Anthem during home games, hype songs while the football team is playing, and entertain people during halftime,” Lam said. “Being able to contribute to the atmosphere of a football game and seeing people get excited is what makes it meaningful for me.”

Timing songs to match their choreography and sometimes playing music requested specifically by the cheerleaders, the marching band, Lam explained, coordinates closely with the cheer team to amplify the crowd’s excitement. Whether in the stands or at halftime, performing during football games allows the band to feel like they’re part of the game and gives them a role in molding the stadium’s energy. 

“It’s much less like the marching band, cheer team, and others are spectating a football game, but also actively contributing toward the overall enjoyment of it,” Lam said.

This season, songs such as “Hot to Go” have been added to the band’s rotation. Lam values the thrill of introducing new hype songs as part of what keeps the atmosphere dynamic throughout the game. He also emphasized the impact of drum cadences, taking pride in the beats carried across the field. The cadence sets a rhythm for the crowd and connects every part of the student section to the action on the field. 

“Being able to constantly mix up hype songs to fit the current trends is always fun,” Lam said. “The energy that drums bring isn’t replicable on the loudspeakers or in a crowd.”

Cheerleaders, too, play a vital role in sustaining East’s energy. Celebrating plays by performing stunts and chants, their routines sync with the band’s music, and they provide a visual and vocal anchor to keep every student engaged.

While the marching band drives rhythm and energy from the stands, the Crimson Cougar, East’s mascot, brings a different kind of spark to East’s games. Acting as a catalyst for the student section, one of East’s Crimson Cougars — a senior who wishes to remain anonymous — explained that finding a rhythm with the crowd took time, but once they did, the impact was unmistakable.

“At first, I almost felt like a ghost,” they said. “I wasn’t really hyping up the crowd in any way.” 

Over time, though, they learned to mimic the gestures and energy of the students in the stands, tapping their head after a tough play or mimicking chants, and the response grew. 

“That was the first time I felt like the student section was recognizing me. They were hyping me up and taking pictures, and it was really awesome.”

They said the mascot’s role extends beyond entertaining the crowd during plays. Weaving together all aspects of the gameday experience, the Crimson Cougar interacts with the cheerleaders, marching band, and athletes. To keep the crowd engaged and appeal to all groups attending games, the Crimson Cougar, for example, will steal a football from the field, wave to cheerleaders, or pretend to conduct the marching band’s music. For Crimson, the energy of East’s games isn’t complete unless every part of the stadium family is present.

“It’s not a football game if the marching band isn’t there,” they said. “It’s not a football game if the cheerleading team isn’t out there. It’s not a football game if Crimson isn’t there. In order for all the success of East sports to happen, it all has to stay like a family.”

At East, a football game is a family affair and a shared energy that grows louder with each person, each chant, and each celebration in the stands. Ultimately, the student section roars because every member of the East community, from band to cheerleaders to mascots, plays a role in shaping the gameday spirit. And that, perhaps, is the real victory.

The Cherry Hill East football stadium is in its second year, and what had been the long-awaited thrill has turned into an established tradition. The energy that filled the stands of the stadium in its first year has grown into something much bigger: tradition. This school spirit and culture expand beyond athletics and unite the community.

A year ago, an Eastside editorial discussed the first “Friday Night Lights” games and the $2.6 million worth of upgrades that made it possible. The article noted how themes, student involvement, and the East Countrymen helped spark a new generation of spirit at East. Today, a year later, that remark remains accurate: spirit has not only remained strong, it has grown stronger.

The football team has been at the center of this revolution. East is currently unbeaten with a 5–0 record, and the home game atmosphere has kept up with the team’s success. The theme nights have been a major success, from tropical to USA, to “pink out”. This has transformed each Friday into a party in the student section with tremendous energy and a strong turnout from students.

“The atmosphere is a little bit better than last year,” said football captain Ona Pela (‘26). “People are really into the themes now, and we’re becoming more united as a student section and a school.”

Pela said the players feel the connection directly.

“Although we’re on the field, we feel like we’re playing for so many other people,” he said. “When the crowd is hype, it makes us play a little harder to get the win for them.”

The impact is not only on football. The East vs. West soccer rivalry, one of the year’s largest events, was played on September 27 at night with students packing the stands. Both East teams won: the girls 3–1 and the boys 1–0.

“Playing the East–West game in the stadium was super cool because it gave our student section a whole area to cheer,” said defender Dylan Kratchman (‘27), who scored in the girls’ game. “When I scored, it definitely got louder, and it brought our energy back up. Winning with so many classmates and friends cheering felt really meaningful.”

Head football coach Tyler Drob said he has noticed a change since the stadium opened. He pointed out that interest in the program has grown, with more students following the team and coming out on Friday nights.

Playing in front of peers has also given players extra motivation to represent their school. Drob added that football often sets the tone for the rest of the year.

“When the football team’s doing well and everybody’s attending the games, school spirit increases because it’s just the beginning of school,” he said.

Two years in, the stadium has grown beyond simply a place to play sports. It is a rallying point where Cherry Hill East students, athletes, and fans can gather under the lights to celebrate their school. The result is clear: school spirit at East isn’t just alive, but better than it ever was before.

In American culture, the term “Friday Night Lights” (better known as “FNL”) has continuously grown in popularity amongst high school students in the past few years. From the promotion and hype surrounding it on TikTok to the spirit in schools, FNL has flourished. It embodies the principles of America: liberty and pride. This ideology among teenagers prevails on the bleachers of the stadium. 

Two years ago, a typical Friday night game at Cherry Hill East would’ve been filled modestly; a crowd scattered with mainly parents cheering on their kids. But today, it’s different. What once were just a few sections of bleachers now span almost the entirety of the football field, filled with students cheering on their peers. 

“I think a lot of [the hype] was because of the stadium, but I also think people were just excited to have a reason to go out in the fall,” said East student body president Anna Bardunias (’26).“If school was just academics, nobody would like it, but that’s the point of the school we’re building, the culture we’re building, the community–and I think [FNL] has helped us be able to do that.”

FNL is about not just games, but tradition and the desire to belong to something bigger than oneself. This change didn’t happen overnight at East; it began with the construction of its new stadium. This revision made to the school transformed what the students thought football games were; the culture of East football changed. FNL at East became a place where the entirety of the student body could come together regardless of who they were friends with or their grade, and join together as one. 

This growing momentum toward attendance and growth of school spirit at games has in part to do with the themed nights. Created by the student-led @checountrymen account on Instagram, East’s themes, such as “Red-Out”, or “USA”, give incentive for students to show up and participate, and it’s worked. It not only becomes a game people want to go to, but one they feel involved in.

“I look forward to going because I get to see everyone dressed up, and see everyone have fun, and see everyone feel like they’re a part of something, cause everyone is,” said Bardunias. “And I want to build that community, and I think that FNL [gives the] ability to build a community, because we’re able to see each other.  Everyone has a reason to be there, and everyone belongs there, and everyone has a purpose to be supporting East, and I think that’s kind of special.”

Both at East and across the country, FNL culture involves itself in a feeling everyone craves:  community. A stadium filled with students who silently walk beside each other in the hallways now sits in a crowd together and cheer for the same team.