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Seneca defense comes through against Cherry Hill East

The only thing worse than the rain was the wind. The night was like a scene out of the movie Twister, just before the big storm hit.

The only thing worse than the rain was the wind.

The night was like a scene out of the movie Twister, just before the big storm hit.

One almost expected a local to run out onto the turf at Cherokee and tell everyone to batten down the hatches.

There was, it seemed, only one formula to win a football game in such terrible conditions: play tough and hold onto the ball.

Friday night, Seneca did that better than Cherry Hill East in a 21-0 win, played at Cherokee because of poor field conditions at Seneca.

"I love playing in weather like this," running back/linebacker Sam Pawlikowski said. "The way Seneca 'D' plays, these elements help us. We thrive off of muddy games, wet games. We're a smash-mouth defense."

Pawlikowski proved that point emphatically throughout the game, recording a sack and three tackles for loss - each a thunderous hit. He was a leader in a shutout in which Seneca yielded just 35 total yards in the first half and 73 overall. The Golden Eagles allowed just five first downs, completely stifling any attempt Cherry Hill East made to establish the run.

"In these conditions you have to be able to run the football and you have to play great defense," said Seneca coach Bill Fisher, whose team improved to 2-2 after a big win over Moorestown last week. "One thing we've been doing well is playing great 'D'. So I'm real happy with how those guys played tonight."

The game plan was clearly pared down for both teams.

The Golden Eagles moved the ball well, mostly by pounding it on the ground, in the first half.

Pawlikowski scored the first touchdown, a 12-yard pass from J.J. Scarpello - one of the five passes the Golden Eagles completed in the game - with 2 minutes, 23 seconds left in the first quarter.

Scarpello (16 carries, 99 yards) scored on runs of 19 and 16 yards in the second quarter as Seneca pounded the ball at will and built a comfortable lead. The two touchdowns came in a three-minute span, thanks to the Golden Eagles' recovering a fumble by Cherry Hill East (2-2) on the kickoff after Scarpello's first score.

"It's a blast playing in this weather," Scarpello said. "Our main goal this year is to deliver the first punch in the game. And our defense came out, shut them down, and we were able to move the ball and score."

A scoreless second half appeared more a test of survival for both teams.

But a trend stayed the same: Seneca kept hitting harder and running harder than its opponent.

"Everything clicked for us," Scarpello said. "Our defense was going, like it has been all year. Our offense finally clicked. We're just going to build off of this."

Cherry Hill East 0 0 0 0 - 0

Seneca 7 14 0 0 - 21

S: Sam Pawlikowski 12 pass from J.J. Scarpello (Kevin Gsell kick)

S: Scarpello 19 run (Gsell kick)

S: Scarpello 16 run (Gsell kick)

rallysports@phillynews.com