Cherry Hill East football turnaround has them in playoff contention

More than anything, it's the calendar that tells the tale for Cherry Hill East football.

"We're playing meaningful football in November," Cherry Hill East coach Tom Coen said.

That's a big deal for the Cougars. They were 1-9 in each of the previous three seasons.

Now they are 4-3 and preparing for one of the program's most significant games in recent years, a Saturday showdown with two-time defending South Jersey Group 4 champion Cherokee.

"These kids have endured a lot the last few years," Coen said. "For us to be in this position, playing a game like this on the first weekend in November, it just means so much to our players."

Cherry Hill East could qualify for the South Jersey Group 4 tournament with a victory, although that's no sure thing. The Cougars likely would need some help.

Still, it's something special for Cherry Hill East to be in position to qualify. And it's a rocket boost for the program to be hosting a game of such magnitude against an opponent such as Cherokee, which is 5-2 and needs to win to be assured of qualifying for the same tournament.

"This is just a great opportunity in front of us," Coen said.

Cherry Hill East put itself in this position with a dramatic, 31-27 victory over Lenape on Friday night.

The Indians took a 27-24 lead with a little less than three minutes to play. But senior quarterback Jesse Gold drove the Cougars down the field, completing two big passes to wide receiver Taj Frazier and firing an 8-yard touchdown pass to tight end Josh Flowers with 21 seconds on the clock.

"We looked at that game as a playoff game," Coen said of the Lenape game.

Familiar foes. When Camden Catholic (7-0) plays Bishop Eustace (4-3) this Friday, it will be more than just a renewal of a great rivalry.

It also will be a reunion for coaches Gil Brooks of Camden Catholic and Rob Cormier of Bishop Eustace.

Cormier spent three years as Brooks' defensive coordinator at St. Joseph's Prep in Philadelphia in the early to mid-2000s.

"Gil has had a huge influence on me," Cormier said. "So much of what we do as a program is modeled after the things that he did at the Prep. He's a great football coach."

Camden Catholic is the likely No. 1 seed in the Non-Public Group 2 tournament. Bishop Eustace assured itself of a berth in the same tournament with a dramatic, 17-14 victory over Cherry Hill West on Friday night.