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West prevails in Cherry Hill battle

Tyrone Williams said the field conditions were "terrible." He said his coach told him to "stay out of the middle of the field."

Tyrone Williams said the field conditions were "terrible."

He said his coach told him to "stay out of the middle of the field."

On the decisive play of the last game of his career, Williams did exactly that.

Williams, a senior running back, took a pitch around right end for a 1-yard touchdown as Cherry Hill West beat Cherry Hill East, 8-0, Wednesday night in the annual Thanksgiving-week football clash of crosstown rivals.

"It's a great feeling," said Williams, who was covered with mud after playing four quarters in the quagmire that was the field at Jonas C. Morris Stadium.

Williams scored the only touchdown with 6 minutes, 16 seconds remaining in a game that was played in cold, hard rain for most of the first half and snow flurries for most of the second.

The field conditions and hard hitting on both sides led to a defensive struggle that turned on a misplay on special teams.

"I thought it might come down to field position or a special-teams play," Cherry Hill East coach Tom Coen said.

A high snap on a punt resulted in Cherry Hill West's taking possession at the East 40 midway through the fourth quarter.

Williams carried seven times for 38 yards on the scoring drive. With Cherry Hill West facing a fourth and goal from the 1, first the Cougars and then the Lions called timeout, adding to the drama.

"Ty Williams is a great football player," Coen said. "We knew they were going to give it to him."

The twist was that Williams took a pitchout for the only time of the night. He skirted around the right end and ran untouched into the end zone.

"We had been hitting them in the middle all game," Williams said. "The outside was open."

With the victory, Cherry Hill West finished 4-5. The Lions also kept the Al DiBart Memorial Trophy, an old, bronzed cleat set on a block of wood that is known as "The Boot."

Cherry Hill East leads the series that began in 1969 by 31-15. West has won 10 of the last 14, including the last two.

"I couldn't be prouder of how our guys played," said Coen, whose team finished 1-8.

Cherry Hill West 0 0 0 8 – 8

Cherry Hill East 0 0 0 0 – 0

CHW: Tyrone Williams 1 run (Chris Pascall pass from Joey Argentina)