Homecoming Shutout: Eastside Tigers Roll Past Cherry Hill West 56-0

If you were anywhere near 31st and Federal on Saturday afternoon, you probably heard it. The Eastside Tigers homecoming game turned into a full-blown celebration as Eastside shut out Cherry Hill West 56-0 at Mike Rozier Stadium in Camden, NJ.

A Perfect Fall Day at Mike Rozier Stadium

You couldn’t ask for better football weather. Saturday, October 24 brought a crisp, clear fall day to Camden. It was the kind of afternoon that makes you grab a hoodie and post up in the bleachers for four quarters and cheer your hometown team on to victory.

The day started early. Tailgate setup opened at 10:30 a.m., a few hours before the 1 p.m. kickoff. By the time the Tigers took the field, the area around the stadium was full of families, alumni and neighbors catching up on the old times are celebrating the schools football program.

There was a nice touch for the next generation too. Camden City youth football players who showed up in their game jerseys got in free. Think about that for a second. Little kids in their own team colors, watching the high schoolers they look up to, on a field named after a Heisman Trophy winner from their own city. That’s how traditions get passed down.

The Final Score: An Eastside Tigers Homecoming ShutoutThe Final Score: An Eastside Tigers Homecoming Shutout

Let’s break this down. Eastside 56, Cherry Hill West 0.

In plain English, that’s eight touchdowns’ worth of points on one side of the scoreboard and nothing on the other. Putting up 56 in any high school game is a big day. Doing it while holding the other team scoreless takes everybody. The offense, the defense and special teams all have to do their jobs for four straight quarters.

Now this is important context. Eastside’s homecoming is happening while the school itself is being rebuilt.

The school opened in 1930 as Woodrow Wilson High School and was later renamed Eastside High. In 2023, the Camden City School District announced plans to replace the nearly century-old building. It’s the district’s last remaining traditional standalone public high school, and it offers programs like automotive training that aren’t available at Camden High.

The last class to graduate from the old building walked in June 2024. Since then, Eastside students have been temporarily housed in the former Cramer elementary school while the original building is demolished and rebuilt.

Think about it this way. The classrooms have moved, the building is coming down and going back up, but the football team is still winning, and the community is still showing up. For a lot of alumni, Saturday was a reminder that Eastside is more than a building.

What’s Next for the Eastside Tigers

The big one is still on the calendar. Eastside and Camden High meet on Thanksgiving in the Turkey Bowl, one of the oldest and most talked-about rivalries in South Jersey.

The Panthers have had the upper hand lately. Camden won last year’s Thanksgiving matchup 41-0, according to MaxPreps. But the Tigers have their own history in this series, including a 25-2 win in the 89th edition of the game.

There’s also the postseason to think about. Eastside plays in the NJSIAA’s Group II South section for football. Playoff brackets and seeding hadn’t been finalized as of this weekend, so where the Tigers land is still to be determined.