Cherry Hill East kicked off its first home game of the year with a win on Sept. 13, a Friday night under the lights made possible by a bond referendum.
The players recalled how the school’s stadium bleachers were filled with people – community members, peers and alumni – all cheering them on.
“We played Triton last year in a really close game,” said head football coach Tyler Drob. “This year, we had some extra motivation from last year. (East’s team) played really hard in the first half; we were tied 7-7, and in the second half, we outscored them 24-0, so we won 31-7.”
One of the highlights from the game was the team’s first offensive play, made by East senior, receiver and corner kicker Isaiah Donaldson. He intercepted the ball at the 9-yard line and brought it all the way down for a 91-yard touchdown.
“That really got the crowd jumping and everything,” Donaldson recalled.
” … Having (the game) on Friday nights now just completely changes the turnout,” noted East senior Jaxson Bowman, who is a defensive and tight end. “Two Fridays ago, playing in front of the whole school was something unlike anything I’ve ever done.
“I’ve played for a very long time. I’ve never experienced anything like that.”
Denzel Lee, senior at East and a running back and linebacker, observed that having support from both the school and community increased the team’s motivation.
“I definitely feel like it motivated us to do better and to be better,” he pointed out. “Because obviously, last year – every year – we want to do great and good and stuff like that, but we always played morning games at home, so we never had anyone to show up for us. (With newfound support), there were no other options but to win.”
The lights were installed last winter as part of the district’s ongoing effort to improve its facilities with bond-referendum projects, including improvements to the weight room and bathrooms. Before that, East’s home football games were played on Saturday mornings, with far lower turnout and team energy.
At a recent meeting of the board of education, its president Miriam Stern pointed out that there had been about 1,800 game tickets sold for the first Friday-night game, with the stadium packed and full of energy. She explained that the lights were initally not part of the referendum recommendations, until students made their voices heard.
“Those lights were brought to us in a town hall meeting,” she recounted. “The students said, ‘We want school spirit; we don’t have the opportunity for Friday night games …’ “Okay, that’s what the community wants,” Stern added. “That’s why we have town halls, and that’s why we put them in.
“As a board (member), I never would have imagined the impact it would have.”
As of deadline, the East team still had three more games to play at home, with its highly anticipated matchup against West on Thursday, Oct. 10.
