Cherry Hill Sports Week in Review: Storm Shrinks Schedule

There wasn't much action on the fields in Cherry Hill as Superstorm Sandy forced the postponement of multiple games in multiple sports last week. There were a few playoff games that were squeezed in, with mixed results for the local teams. The best result came from the Cherry Hill East boys’ soccer team, which won its opening round contest against Lenape.

Below is a look at what action did take place.

FOOTBALL

Cherry Hill West is left playing the waiting game this week in terms of qualifying for the Group 4 playoffs. The Lions put themselves in that position after a 42-16 loss to Camden Catholic Saturday night. The Lions came out of the gate flat and fell behind 35-0 by halftime.

The offense did show signs of life in the second half with quarterback Joey Argentina connecting with James Verzicco and Geronimo Santana on touchdown passes. West now must wait until Friday night to find out its playoff fate. If Millville defeats Hammonton, the Lions have a good shot to grab the eighth and final playoff spot in Group 4.

East, meanwhile, took the NJSIAA-issued bye and moved its game with Cherokee to Wednesday. The Cougars (3-4) can find their way into for the Group 5 playoffs with a win and some help, but it will be no easy task against a Cherokee (3-4) team also fighting for its playoff life.

BOYS’ SOCCER

The East boys’ soccer team continued its impressive surge with a 2-0 win over Lenape in the opening round of the Group 4 playoffs. The win was an upset on paper for the No. 13 seeded Cougars, but anyone who saw them win the Coaches Cup knows better than to think so. East got second-half goals from Adam Cohen and Garrett McVeigh. Steven Oberlander made the goals stand up with assistance from Nevin Shanker, who had a goal line clear.

East now gets set for a potential quarterfinal showdown with Eastern, who owns 2-0 and 2-1 victories over the Cougars. “We usually have a tough time against them, but I think we’re due,” said Andrew Adler. Eastern was originally supposed to play its first-round game Monday, but will now play Tuesday, meaning East won't see a second-round opponent until at least Thursday.

The Cherry Hill West boys saw their season come to an end in the most unsettling ways a soccer season can end: penalty kicks. No. 15 West took No. 2 Washington Township through 100 minutes of intense soccer before finally succumbing in penalty shootouts 0-0 (3-0). Senior goalie Sean Mullarkey did everything he could to deliver an upset, making 20 saves, but the offense could not take advantage of the limited scoring opportunities it created.  

“I don’t think you could have asked for anything more than the effort we got from our guys,” said West coach Dan Butler. “I felt we played a high-quality game with great defense and great goaltending. That has been the story of the year.”

GIRLS’ SOCCER

Christina Ogunsami did her best to give West a chance at a monumental upset, but the Lions came out on the losing end of a 2-0 decision to No. 1 Eastern. Ogunsami made 18 saves, but Eastern got first-half goals from Madison Tiernan and Jaylyn Thompson and played shutdown defense the rest of the way.

The Lions closed the season 9-10.

FIELD HOCKEY

Cherry Hill East was left playing the waiting game, after Sandy's wrath shut down schools in Toms River, where the Cougars were scheduled to play Toms River South in the second round of the playoffs.

That game is now slated for Tuesday, barring any other changes.

CROSS-COUNTRY

The NJSIAA postponed the sectional championships to Saturday, Nov. 10, giving the Lions and Cougars a little extra rest before heading to Delsea for the annual race.