The last time Cherry Hill East played a football game, it still was light at 5 p.m. and "Sandy" and the Jersey Shore were linked by one thing: a Bruce Springsteen song about the Fourth of July in Asbury Park.
A lot has happened since Oct. 20.
Late that afternoon, Cherry Hill East walked off the field after a loss at Washington Township.
On Friday, the Cougars will run back on the field to face host Cherokee in a game loaded with South Jersey Group 5 playoff implications for both teams.
"We've been telling the kids it's our bowl game," Cherry Hill East coach Tom Coen said.
East had its bye the weekend of Oct. 26. The Cougars were supposed to play Cherokee on Nov. 2, but that game was postponed - first to Wednesday night, then to Friday because of Wednesday's storm.
By Friday, Cherry Hill East will have gone 20 days between games.
"I've never heard of that kind of break," Coen said.
The Cougars practiced on Oct. 22 and 23. They were scheduled to practice again Oct. 29, but Sandy's arrival kept the school closed until Nov. 1 and kept the football team off the practice field for eight days.
Cherry Hill East (3-4) and Cherokee (3-4) are alive in the South Jersey Group 5 playoff race. The winner of Friday's game could earn a berth, pending the results of other games.
"Hopefully, it will not be an issue," Coen said of the layoff. "I will say this: We're as healthy as we've been all year."
Contact Phil Anastasia at panastasia@phillynews.com or @PhilAnastasia on Twitter. Read his blog, "Jersey Side Sports," at www.philly.com/jerseysidesports
