Eastern Regional High School
Basketball History
(This New Jersey School in the Eastern Section of
Camden County Serves Berlin Borough,
Gibbsboro Borough and Voorhees Township)

Recaps of Playoff Games (Top of Page)
Including South Jersey Sectional / State / Tournament of Champions
All-Time Record -- 38 wins, 42 losses (32-39 / 2-0 / 1-1) . . . Through 2021
Group 4 -- 19-23
Group 3 -- 17-12 (*2-0 / #1-1)
Group 2 -- 2-5
Group 1 -- 0-2
* - State Classification Playoff
# - Tournament of Champions Playoff
Top Playoff Scoring Performances (Middle of Page)
Coaches' Playoff Records (Bottom of Page)

Kevin Crawford's Coaching History (Pitman & Eastern)

  Details obtained from stories in the Philadelphia Inquirer and
Camden Courier-Post, or Eastern assistants.

To reach Ted Silary -- tedtee307@yahoo.com

Year Round Opponent W-L Score Details
   Group 4        
2021           Playoffs not held due coronavirus pandemic.
2020 First Rancocas Valley Won 58-54   Zubair Lee shot 8-for-15 en route to 17 points while adding 15 boards
          and four assists. Noah Klinewski, fresh off raising his career total to
          1,001 in the regular season finale, totaled 15/eight/five in those same
          categories. Shane Stauffer chipped in with 11 points.
  Qtr Cherry Hill East Lost 66-56   The Vikings suffered their third season loss to CHE despite 20 points
          by Zubair Lee and 17 by Noah Klinewski. The former shot 7-for-10
          from the floor and packed 16 points into the fourth quarter. The latter
          finalized his career total at 1,033 while adding seven rebounds, five
          assists and three steals.
2019 First Southern Regional Won 64-40   Ryan Ems powered home five dunks while recording 19 points for
          the No. 1 seed. The Vikings won every quarter and owned a 34-19 lead
          by halftime.  Noah Klinewski (18) and Drew Heck (15) also scored in
          double figures.
  Qtr Atlantic City Won 51-41   Quite the coincidence. As the Vikings claimed win No. 21 of the
          season, Ryan Ems (seven rebounds) and Noah Klinewski (7-for-12
          floor) scored 21 points apiece. Ems' three-point play broke a 29-29 tie
          and Eastern rolled from there. Drew Heck hustled for eight assists, four
          steals.
  Semi Millville Lost 61-60   The host Vikings roared back from a 15-point halftime deficit mostly
          because Jack Winsett (season high 18 points) nailed six treys. Alas, they
          hit just one of four free throws in OT (12-for-21 total) and lost on a
          buzzer-beating layup. Ryan Ems (19, nine rebounds) and Noah Klinewski
          (16) also reached double digits. Drew Heck had five assists.
2018 First Cherry Hill East Won 58-56   After driving all the way from close to halfcourt (right side), Matt
          Cotton (16 points, eight rebounds) curled in a scoop shot from the left
          block at 4.8. Jack Winsett preserved the win by blocking a left-corner
          trey. Jesse Barbera had 17 points, five assists. Ryan Ems added seven
          boards. CHE rallied hard from a 35-18 halftime deficit.
  Qtr Rancocas Valley Won 55-39   Matt Cotton's two treys left behind a 4-4 tie and the Vikings mostly
          coasted. Ryan Ems dominated inside with 19 points, 11 boards. Cotton
          added 15/eight and Jesse Barbera dished seven assists.
  Semi Shawnee Lost 59-54   As Matt Cotton (24 points) nailed four of his six treys, Eastern roared
          to a 14-5 lead in the first five minutes but then scored just 15 points
          over the next 19 minutes while falling behind by 10. Twice in the last 0:30,
          the Vikings missed treys while trailing by three. Cotton (seven) and Ryan
          Ems (six) led in rebounds. Jesse Barbera had seven assists and sub
          Drew Heck made five steals.
2017 First Atlantic City Lost 61-48   Darren Gibson and Jesse Barbera scored 11 points apiece.
          Ryan Ems had 10.
2016 First Jackson Memorial Won 72-37   Justin Williams totaled 21 points, six rebounds and five assists.
  Qtr Cherry Hill East Won 45-43   Maliq Sanders (13) and Justin Williams (12) led in scoring and
          Darren Gibson saved the day by taking a charge -- his 34th of the
          season -- with 13 seconds left.
  Semi Cherokee Lost 45-42   Keithantonio Davis scored 16 points and Justin Williams was
          next with 14.
2015 First Rancocas Valley Lost 75-68   Maliq Sanders (24) and Logan Edwarrds (21) were prolific. RV won
          the game with a 10-2 run at the end.
2014 First Williamstown Won 63-41   Matt Klinewski scored 16 of his 27 points before halftime.
  Qtr Rancocas Valley Won 66-61   The leaders were Matt Klinewski (27 points, seven rebounds) and
          Alex Barr (21). Barr hit seven of eight FTs down the stretch.
  Semi Cherry Hill East Lost 44-37   Eastern dropped the second half, 26-18. Alex Barr (13) was the lone
          lone Viking with as many as 10 points.
2013 First Cherokee Won 49-39   Avery Walker (17), Devon Bell (14) and Matt Klinewski (12)
          combined for most of the points.
  Qtr Toms River North Lost 57-56   TRN hit a foul shot with 0:03 remaining. Matt Klinewski (11 FTs)
          and Avery Walker totaled 17 points apiece.
2012 First Washington Twp. Won 59-37   Avery Walker contributed 15 points, 12 boards. Mike Wilson 
          (12) and Steve Schneider (11) combined for seven treys.
  Qtr Williamstown Won 54-39   Eastern scored 35 of the final 54 points. Devon Bell had 14 
          points and four steals. Avery Walker notched five blocks.
  Semi Atlantic City Lost 65-63   Brett Knoblauch hit for 19 points.
2011 First Southern Regional Won 64-45   Five guys scored and all racked up double figures. The leaders
          were Jared Ford (18) and Devon Bell (16).
  Qtr Oakcrest Lost 63-53   Devon Bell had 17 points. Eastern lost the quarters by two,
          three, three and two points.
2010           Did not qualify
2009 First Cherokee Lost 73-50   Cherokee used a 20-6 run to claim a 54-36 lead. Shumeek
          Scott had 22 points. Bobby Harris played with a sprained MCL.
2008 First Absegami Won 64-62   Bobby Harris nailed two FTs with nine seconds left. Quason
          Burrell (16) and Shumeek Scott (14) were the leaders.
  Qtr Winslow Twp. Lost 63-54   Shumeek Scott (17) was the game's high scorer.
2007 First Toms River North Lost 63-45   The Vikings were held to 12 points in the first half. Bobby
          Harris used four treys to score all 12 of his points.
2006           Did not qualify
2005           Did not qualify
2004           Did not qualify
2003 First Shawnee Lost 41-37   Andrew Kirkland had 11 points.
2002 First   Bye      
  Qtr Winslow Twp. Won 65-57   Dominick Mejia (15 of his 29 points) and Lance Evans (11 of 21)
          dominated the fourth quarter. Eastern hit 22 of 28 FTs.
  Semi Lenape Won 53-40   Lance Evans (20) and Dominick Mejia (15) combined for 16
          points in a 19-9 fourth quarter run.
  Final Shawnee Lost 52-49   At Atlantic City High, Lance Evans (19) and Dominick Mejia (13)
          topped the Vikings. The latter could not connect on a trey at 0:06.
          The teams split two meetings during the regular season and
          shared the Olympic American crown.
2001 First Lenape Lost 70-65   Lenape drained a three to force OT. Dominick Mejia, a junior, rang
          up 27 points to finish the season with 999. 
2000 First Shawnee Lost 60-48   The Vikings dropped the first quarter, 21-11, and never bounced
          back. Justin Barton (18) and Dominick Mejia (15) led in points.
1999 First Southern Regional Won 64-45   The sparks were provided by Dominick Mejia (18), Justin Barton
          (13, seven rebounds) and Adam Taliaferro (five assists).
  Qtr Atlantic City Lost 79-49   Justin Barton managed 23 points. AC won the second half, 48-22.
1998           Did not qualify
1997           Did not qualify
1996 First Cherry Hill West Won 67-58   Josh Ormond was dominant with 21 points, 17 rebounds. Jeff
          Schall mixed nine/eight and sub Dimitri Michel had 10 points.
  Qtr Shawnee Lost 71-41   Josh Ormond scored 12 points. Shawnee notched 32 of the game's
          first 40 points.
1995 First Washington Twp. Lost 66-59   WT avenged two losses to Eastern in the regular season. Mike
          Cherill offered 26 points.
1994 First Pemberton Lost 52-50   This OT tilt was lost on a follow at the buzzer. Jaron Brown tallied
          20 points. John Gavlick added 14.
1993 First Vineland Lost 67-53   Bill Morgan hit for 17 points. Vineland won the fourth quarter
          by nine points.
1992 First   Bye      
  Qtr Toms River North Won 84-50   Kirk Kerrin (27) and Rob Murray (19) paced this romp. Help came
          from eight three-pointers.
  Semi Shawnee Lost 62-55   The scoring leaders were Rob Murray (17), Jim White (15, all on
          treys) and Kirk Kerrin (14).
   Group 3        
1991 First Triton Won 67-53   Derek Bailey notched 19 points and Eastern went ahead for good
          on Bill Morgan's trey early in the third quarter. Triton hit just
          one of 19 shots from beyond the arc.
  Qtr Lacey Township Won 73-65   Derek Bailey exploded for 27 of his 39 points after intermission.
          Kareem Brown added 14 points, 15 rebounds, four blocks. The
          Vikings went 19-for-24 at the line in the fourth quarter.
  Semi Bridgeton Lost 67-66   With 31 points, Derek Bailey finished his career with 1,216. The
          winners hit two FTs at 0:10 to up their lead to four points.
1990 First Mainland Lost 82-62   Things went south from a 2-2 tie. Derek Bailey (21) and Tony 
          Kerrin (17) were the top scorers.
1989 First Point Pleasant Won 82-55   Michael Edwards fueled the Vikings to their 28th consecutive home
          win by firing away for 39 points while adding seven assists. John
          Yezzi (21) also starred.
  Qtr Central Regional Won 80-61   Michael Edwards was at it again. He poured in 38 points, with 22
          posted in the middle quarters.
  Semi Willingboro Won 79-58   Shaking off first half struggles (6-for-17), Michael Edwards
          finished with 35 points. John Yezzi hit four treys while scoring 27
          points (13 in third quarter).
  Final Kennedy Won 93-84   Before 1,400 at Washington Township Middle School, Michael 
          Edwards shot 17-for-40 and 5-for-6 for 39 points as the Vikings
          captured the sectional title. John Yezzi (12-for-16, 25) and Bob
          McKeon (7-for-10, 21) were true snipers. Eastern scored the final
          four points thanks to McKeon (one-and-one) and Edwards (layup).
  *Semi Red Bank Won 65-60   John Yezzi (24) packed seven points into an amazing 14-0 run over
          the final 2:38 as the Vikings pulled off an all-time stunner. They
          won the fourth quarter, 29-14. Michael Edwards had 13 of his 28 
          points while raising his SEASON total to 1,000. This one was played
          at Trenton Central, the next day after the Kennedy game.
  *Final Sparta Won 73-63   Michael Edwards ch-chinged his way to 33 points as Eastern seized
          its first state crown. Nineteen were posted in a 43-23 first half, in
          which Sparta committed 20 turnovers. John Yezzi was clutch with
          14 points, 15 rebounds. James Bailey (11/10) was on his heels. This
          game was played at Fairleigh Dickinson, in Hackensack, and 
          featured an interesting subplot: Sparta star Jon Deeb had attended
          elementary school in Voorhees.
  #First Haddonfield Won 56-54   As one of six teams in the first overall state tourney (and the last
          seed), the Vikings created a gigantic stir by bumping off 31-0 
          Haddonfield . . . after falling to that same nearby foe by 36 points
          one month earlier! Michael Edwards had 25 points while John 
          Yezzi mized 18 points with 16 boards. Eastern took the lead for 
          good, at 49-47, on James Bailey's lone basket and breathed many
          sighs of relief when a last-moments trey rimmed in and out.
  #Semi Elizabeth Lost 82-58   Before 6,500 at Rutgers, the Vikings finally experienced playoff
          struggles. They shot 16-for-61 from the floor and 4-for-25 on treys.
          With 24 points, Michael Edwards finalized his career total at 2,351, 
          No. 3 in South Jersey history. He packed 1,082 into this season for a
          31.8 average and wound up being named the SJ Player of the Year
          by the Courier-Post and Inquirer.
1988 First Brick Memorial Won 91-66   Eastern won the second half, 49-29. John Yezzi (29) and Michael 
          Edwards (22) paced the point parade.
  Qtr Willingboro Won 61-58   Michael Edwards had 20 points (14 in first half) and provided a
          59-58 lead with a 12-foot baseline jumper. John Yezzi hit for 21.
  Semi Middle Township Won 62-61 ?   The Vikings erased a nine-point fourth quarter deficit thanks
          mainly to Michael Edwards, who exploded for 19 points (7-for-8
          floor, 3-3 treys) in that stanza and tabbed 14 of the last 15.
  Final Cherry Hill West Lost 92-82   The Vikings lost three frontcourters to personal fouls. Michael 
          Edwards pumped home 16 of his 39 points in the third quarter.
          John Yezzi (24) sniped 10-for-11 from the floor. 
1987           Did not qualify
1986           Did not qualify
1985 First Central Regional Won 76-49   Scott Kerr led the way with 14 points while Kevin Brown and Rich
          O'Brien halved 26. Jim Graham claimed nine boards.
  Qtr Lakewood Won 55-52   Jim Stryker offered 11 points, 12 rebounds. Jim Graham (11/11)
          was in the same neighborhood. Rich O'Brien nailed two FTs to
          snap a 52-52 tie.
  Semi Kennedy Won 57-54   Scott Kerr and Kevin Brown scored 12 points apiece, Jim Stryker
          was right behind with 11 and reserve Joe Smith converted a 
          one-and-one at 0:03.
  Final Woodrow Wilson Lost 86-59   Kevin Brown (16) and Rick Bowen combined for 30 points.
1984         Did not qualify
1983 First Woodrow Wilson Lost 53-45   The Vikings dropped the third quarter, 12-4. Tim Walsh fought
          off a tender ankle to post 12 points.
1982 First Rancocas Valley Won 41-38   Tim Walsh posted 20 points and forced OT with a bucket at 0:06.
          Rob Finnegan added 14 points. Top scorer Craig Cohen was
          unavailable (illness).
  Qtr Kennedy Lost 63-50   Rob Finnegan hit for 18 points. The Vikings were thwarted by a
          20-8 third quarter.
1981 First   Bye      
  Qtr Toms River South Lost 57-53   Two serious droughts -- 13-pointer in the third, 12-pointer in the
          fourth -- produced this major upset. Marty Hulme (15) and Craig
          Cohen (12) reached double digits.
1980 First   Bye      
  Qtr Woodrow Wilson Lost 68-46   Chris O'Neill (12) managed to reach double figures. Rich King and
          Mike Murphy came close with nine apiece.
1979         Did not qualify
1978 First Cherokee Won 59-54   The Vikings went ahead for good on Bryant Edwards' only bucket
          while Oscar Sadler (15) and Carl Shanks (14) led in scoring.
  Qtr Collingswood Lost 87-66   Oscar Sadler knocked down 25 points.
1977 First Washington Twp. Lost 63-51   Burke Cain (16) and Calvin Moore (12) topped the Vikings, who
          were outscored by 42-24 in the second half. 
1976 First Oakcrest Lost 74-66   Oscar Sadler contributed 17 points. 
   Group 2        
1975 First Salem Lost 85-48   Lou Ridgway was outrageous (48 points) for Salem, which won the
          second half, 56-27. Pete Dethlefs (16) paced Eastern.
1974 First Maple Shade Won 66-57   This win could be traced directly to the foul line. Eastern won that
          battle, 30-5. Joe Bakanowsky tabbed 22 points. Jerry Bloodsworth
          added 15.
  Qtr Salem Lost 71-60   Pete Dethlefs nailed 10 FGs en route to 21 points. Jerry Bloodsworth
          had 15 points.
1973 First Pleasantville Lost 63-39   Pleasantville awakened after losing the first quarter, 16-13. Phil
          Ronkin (12) and Joe Bakanowsky (11) reached doubles.
1972 Qtr Haddon Heights Lost 65-48   Eastern sorely missed top scorer Bill Dethlefs (17.1 PPG; broken
          collarbone). The third quarter was lost by 16-5. Larry Simpson (11)
          and Frank Rechuitti (10) were the leaders.
1971 First Riverside Won 66-55   Doug White totaled 20 points and his three-point play lifted the lead
          to 58-52. The 6-6 White was joined in the frontcourt by 6-8 Steve 
          Walsh and 6-5 Dave Shanks.
  Qtr Burlington Lost 48-44   Burlington survived despite missing 18 of 28 FTs. Joe Stewart's FG
          moved the Vikings within 46-44 at 1:00. A much-discussed non-call
          on a layup was followed by a breakaway layup.
   Group 1        
1970           Did not qualify
1969           Did not qualify
1968 Qtr Wildwood Lost 73-57   The Vikings, who entered with 16 consecutive wins, were thrown
          for a 24-11 loop in the first quarter. Bob Muser and Paul Newhard
          halved 32 points. Reynolds Chamberlain, Wilt's nephew, paced
          Wildwood with 25 points.
1967 Qtr Florence Lost 28-26   Following its all-night pattern, Florence held the ball for the final 1:56
          and swished a jumper at 0:01. Eastern shot 11-for-34 (floor) amd
          4-for-11 (line). George Logan and Bob Muser halved 22 points. The
          latter was hindered by a second quarter injury.
1966           Did not qualify

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Top Playoff Scoring Performances
Year Name Pts Opponent
1991 Derek Bailey 39 Lacey Township
1989 Michael Edwards 39 Point Pleasant
1989 Michael Edwards 39 Kennedy
1989 Michael Edwards 38 Central Regional
1989 Michael Edwards 35 Willingboro
1989 Michael Edwards 33 Sparta
1991 Derek Bailey 31 Bridgeton
1988 John Yezzi 29 Brick Memorial
2002 Dominick Mejia 29 Winslow Township
1989 Michael Edwards 28 Red Bank
1988 John Yezzi 27 Willingboro
1992 Kirk Kerrin 27 Toms River North
2001 Dominick Mejia 27 Lenape
2014 Matt Klinewski 27 Williamstown
2014 Matt Klinewski 27 Rancocas Valley
1995 Mike Cherill 26 Washington Township

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Coaches' Playoff Records
Name Years W-L
Kevin Crawford 2015-20 7-6
Joe Murphy 2006-14 7-7
David Allen 1999-05 3-5
Bill Dorsey 1997-98 0-0
Dave Wiedeman 1993-96 1-4
Gary Wilson 1986-92 *13-5
Ray Haesler 1980-85 4-5
Glenn Albano 1979 0-0
Steve Kozeniewski 1975-78 1-4
Steve Riley 1972-74 1-3
Dave Wiedeman 1966-71 1-3
  Wiedeman total   (2-7)
Totals 1966-18 38-42
*-includes 2-0 in states/1-1 in TOC, 1989