At the beginning of the school year, CHS students were informed of a new sports contest against a rival school. Sponsored by Chick-fil-A, the Chick-fil-A Cup is a competition between the Cinnaminson Pirates and Delran Bears where each school earns points based on its varsity records against each other. The competition will run from fall to spring and include all sports. Whichever school wins will have the displayed cup featured at their neighborhood Chick-fil-A. Currently, Cinnaminson is in the lead with a score of 27-17.
The origin of the cup started small. Athletic Director Brian Wilkinson described the many requests sent out by vendors to sponsor the school.
“In the athletic department, everybody wants to get into the market, and I know Chick-fil-A is popular with our students and stuff, so I had a conversation with a salesperson at Chick-fil-A,” Wilkinson said. “They suggested that they wanted to sponsor a cup for the football teams, but I really wanted to involve the entire school because we have so many good programs, and they liked the idea, and I called Delran, the two of us kind of came up with it together, and that’s kind of what got it going.”
As more Cinnaminson sports face off against Delran, CHS students and faculty have reported a change in the atmosphere at school.
“From my experience, it was cool to see just an ecstatic atmosphere when we beat them,” freshman Benjamin Carroll said about the Pirates’ win in football.
During the fall season, the boys’ soccer, girls’ soccer, boys’ cross country, girls’ cross country, and girls’ volleyball teams were able to score points for Cinnaminson in the Chick-fil-A Cup competition.
Before big games against the Bears, the Pirates like to prepare themselves by focusing on their sport and pumping themselves up with their team.
“We talk about our plays, we watch film, and run through things like how we can be better on the field, and we always have team dinners where we can bond,” sophomore Gianna Scaricaciottoli said.
Some may wonder why the rivalry between Cinnaminson and Delran is so fierce. The conflict has been going on for years, and Cinnaminson athletes can all agree that location plays an important role.
“They’re our neighbors, and there are kids that I think a lot of our kids grew up playing with,” Wilkinson said.
As the Fall season wraps up, girls’ and boys’ cross country will face off against the Bears. Soon, winter and spring sports will participate in the competition.
For now, CHS students can be seen showing their school spirit and building excitement for the different games across sports.
As CHS sports end the fall season, the Pirates are ready to step up and continue showing Delran that Cinnaminson is on top.
As a reminder, don’t forget: “Go Pirates, beat the Bears!”
