East Vs. Eastern

It was a day to remember. A day of glory, upsets, twists, and tragedy. Earlier today, East hosted its final dual meet of the season against the competitive Eastern High School. The blistering heat poured down onto the track as runners prepared themselves for battle. Dark and difficult times lay ahead, and East had to choose whether to do what was right, or what was easy.

Before long, the piercing sound of the gun echoed across the field and the 1600m race began. David Berger took the lead from the beginning and blew the competition away with a personal record of 4:32. Giving it his all for the good of the team, Nate Burt finished 3rd with a best of 4:40. Other impressive times include Chris Dinh's 4:47, Tony Chen's 8-second personal record of 4:54, and Jason Klein's 5:02.

The standards were already set high as the 800m race took off. To make things even more dramatic, the the once bright and fulfilling sky turned a fearful grey, with gusting winds and cold rain dripping upon the nervous runners. As the race began, all seemed lost as 2 opponents from Eastern took the lead. However, in an all-out, neck-and-neck, last 100m, Keith Johnson bursted past the competition with a winning time of 2:02.

With the 3200m as the only distance event left, the stage was set for an epic fight to the finish. David Berger returned to the track and paced the first mile in 5:02. It seemed as if Eastern's runners were strong enough to persevere, but a well-played surge ahead left them in the dusty trails of defeat. In a surprising upset, East swept the competition, with Berger finishing 1st again with a time of 10:07, John Arnold finishing 2nd in 10:08, and Dan Fuentes finishing 3rd in 10:16. Other noteable times include Kevin Lanni's 10:38 and Mike Liachowitz's 11:08.

Tensions were high as the team awaited their fateful and final score. With the clouded sky growing darker as the day progressed, the pressure grew deep. Finally, an announcement was made. For the first time in over 10 years, Cherry Hill East had beaten Eastern High School, with a crushing score of 81-59. Overall, the distance team scored 20 out of a possible 27 points. Excitement rang through the field as word of the win spread. It may have been a long walk to the lockers for East, but it was a much longer drive home for the boys from Eastern.

The next race will be this Saturday at the Camden County meet. 2 runners will be placed in each event. As always, keep running. I leave you now with a concluding quote:

"It ain't 'bout how hard you hit; it's about how hard you can get hit, and keep
moving forward. How much you can take, and keep moving forward. That's how
winning is done." -Rocky Balboa