THE GRIDIRON

 

By Dick Engelhardt

NEW FAIR LAWN FOOTBALL COACHES READY TO GO

Robert “Rob” Gentile takes over the reins this season as the 12th head football coach in Fair Lawn High School history. Coach Gentile, who teaches physical education and health, has 15 years experience coaching high school football. He was offensive coordinator at Fair Lawn 2007-10 under Coach Stan Myles during which time our CUTTERS had their last 2 winning seasons in 2008 and 9. The 08’team scored the most points, 320, in FLHS history beating out Frank Devens’ ’66 CUTTERS by 6 points. The ’09 CUTTERS notched the only playoff victory at SASSO FIELD edging the INDIANS of Passaic 39-38. The other “Home” playoff games were in GIANTS STADIUM in 1980. During 2011-13 Gentile was the offensive coordinator at Ridgewood under legendary coach Chuck Johnson. The ’13 team went 11-1 and played in the State championship game at MET LIFE STADIUM.

Coach Gentile has put together an awesome staff! He will be offensive coordinator. The defensive coordinator will be Dan Muro. Dan teaches in Ridgewood and was with Gentile on the Ridgewood staff in 2003-4 when the Maroons won sectional tittles, and with that great ’13 State finalist team. Dan has 17 years coaching experience with 12 as defensive coordinator. He will also coach the secondary and wide receivers.

Mike Lucchesi will be the running backs and inside linebackers coach. He has 14 years experience coaching football, most recently as the head freshmen coach at Ridgewood. He’s been the head hockey coach at Ridgewood for 7 years.

Anthony Tozzi will coach the quarterbacks and assist with the secondary. He was on Amir Saadah’s staff at Fair Lawn 2013-14 and played on Stan Myles’ 2009 playoff team. He will also be the strength and conditioning coach. 

Brendan Walis will coach the tight ends and assist in the secondary and be the assistant strength and conditioning coach. He played on Stan Myles’ 2009 playoff team and coached on Amir Sadaah’s 2015 team.

Torre Watson will coach the offensive and defensive lines. He has 19 years assistant football coaching experience and 8 years head wrestling coach experience at Ridgewood where he has twice been district coach of the year. Torre was with Coach Gentile at Ridgewood in 2003 & 2004 when Ridgewood won state sectional titles as well as when the ’13 team was a State playoff finalist.

John DiGiorgio will be the head freshman team coach. He teaches special education at FLHS and has 10 years coaching experience. Coach DiGiorgio was on Stan Myles’ staff 2007-10 including Fair Lawn’s last playoff win in ‘09 and was on the Ridgewood staff in 2013 when the Maroons were State finalists. He will be assisted by Jon Piela. Jon has 15 years coaching experience and has coached football and wrestling at FLHS. He was on Mike Alberque’s staff when Fair Lawn gave the nationally ranked Comets of Hackensack all they could handle in a 14-6 thriller State playoff loss in 2000. He has coached Fair Lawn Football Association junior league football the last few years.

Also Volunteering in the Program will be Matt Biello, who teaches physical education at FLHS and will assist in fund raising and parent organization, and Scott Leathem who will be an assistant freshman coach and is currently Fair Lawns Head lacrosse coach. Scott was on Amir Saadah’s staff 2014-15.

Coach Gentile is making every effort to get the Fair Lawn football community behind the team. The high school staff will conduct a football clinic at SASSO FIELD July 11-14 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. for 3rd to 12th graders. Check it out at http://bit.ly/FLCamp16. A Kick Off Dinner is being planned for late August in the HS cafeteria. The opening game against Passaic on September 10th at 2:30 at SASSO FIELD will be preceded by Fair Lawn Football Association games. I can hardly wait. Until then, GO CUTTERS GO!!! 

FAIR LAWN HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL RECORD 1943 – PRESENT

 

By Dick Engelhardt

LEAGUES  

Independent Schedule 1943-44

B-PIL Bergen-Passaic Interscholastic League, 1945-55

NBIL The B-PIL was renamed the Northern Bergen Interscholastic League in 1956,

   1956–1958 and 1984-2008

NNJIL Northern New Jersey Interscholastic League, 1959 – 83

North Jersey Tri-County Conference (NJTCC) 2009    

BNC Big North Conference Liberty Division 2010-15

NJSFC North Jersey Super Football Conference Freedom Division Blue 2016-

                         

The 1940s

1943               4 - 1 - 1 (.800) Independent Schedule                                                

1944                5 - 3 - 1 (.625) Independent Schedule                                                            

1945                4 - 3 - 2 (.571) B-PIL Champs!

1946               6 - 3       (.667) B-PIL Co - Champs with Bogota

1947               8 - 1       (.889) B-PIL Co – Champs with Lyndhurst

1948               4 - 3 - 1 (.571)

1949               7 - 1       (.875)                                             PF                   PA      

TOTALS:       38-15-5 (.717)                                             843                  458

A great start for the new “CUTTERS Of Fair Lawn High” under coaches Marty Fischbein 1943 – 44 and Frank Bennett starting in 1945. Bennett’s CUTTERS joined the B-PIL his first year and won championships in 1945, 46 and 47.

The 1950s

The 1960sThe 1970sThe 1980sThe 1990sThe 2000s

1950                1 - 7       (.125)

1951                3 - 5       (.375)

1952                6 - 2 – 1 (.750)

1953                7 - 1        (.875) B-PIL Champs & Co-State Group III Champs with

                                                       Hackensack

1954                2 - 6       (.250)

1955                7 - 1        (.875) B-PIL Champs

1956                5 - 3        (.625)

1957                3 - 3 - 1  (.500)

1958                2 - 5 - 1  (.286)

1959                6 - 2        (.750)                                                    PF                   PA      

TOTALS:       42-35-3  (.545)                                                   1,358               1,174

1943-59:          80-50-8  (.625)                                                  2,201               1,632

The 1950s saw Bennett’s CUTTERS take 2 more B-PIL titles just missing in 1952. The

League changed its name in ’56 when Hawthorne, the only Passaic County school,

dropped out. Fair Lawn and Ridgewood moved up to the NNJIL in 1959 and the

CUTTERS nearly took the title finishing a half game behind Hackensack though the

CUTTERS had beaten the COMETS 27-6.

 

1960                0-9       (.000)

1961                3-5       (.375)

1962                5-4       (.556)

1963                5-4       (.556)

1964                6-2-1   (.750)

1965                8-0-1   (1.000) NNJIL Champs

1966                8-1       (.889)   NNJIL Champs

1967                3-6       (.333)

1968                5-4       (.556)

1969                6-3       (.667)                                                     PF                   PA      

TOTALS:      49-38-2 (.563)                                                     1,476               1,188

1943-69:    129-88-10 (.594)                                                     3,677               2,820

Wow, what a decade! Legendary Coach Frank Bennett retired from coaching after the

1960 season, Fair Lawn’s first ever-winless season. His 16 years at the helm were the

longest of any coach. Mike Albergue’s 1988-2001 tenure was next longest followed

by Pete Natale’s 1978-87 reign. Coach Ed Sheehy was diagnosed with Cancer after the

1964 season and died before the 1965 season. After losing their first two games in ’64,

Sheehy’s CUTTERS began the wonderful 24 game non-losing streak that ended with

that shocking 40 – 34 upset by the MAROONS of Ridgewood on Thanksgiving Day of

1966 before some 13,000 fans at what is now SASSO FIELD. Coach Frank Devens led

our CUTTERS to NNJIL championships in 1965 and 1966. His 1965 team remains the

only undefeated team in FLHS history.

                                               

                        1970                3-6       (.333)

                        1971                6-3       (.667)

                        1972                3-5-1   (.375)

                        1973                2-7       (.222)

                        1974                2-6-1   (.250)

                        1975                4-5       (.444)

                        1976                0-9       (.000)

                        1977                2-7       (.222)

                        1978                6-3       (.667)

                        1979                7-2-1   (.778) Made The State Playoffs; lost to Clifton 30 – 0                    

                        TOTALS:      35-53-3 (.398)                                                  PF 1,233         PA 1,643

                        1943-79        164-141-13 (.538)                                             PF 4,910         PA 4,463

                        Not a good decade but 1978 did bring Pete Natale as head coach and athletic director after Al Reinoso (1972-74) and Rich Szura (1975-77) couldn’t make our CUTTERS winners. The ‘70s finished strong leading into the successful 80s.

                        1980                9-2       (.818) NNJIL Tri-Champs with Clifton and Passaic Valley

                                                                        and Beat Passaic in States at GIANTS STADIUM

                                                                        before losing 20- 0 to Passaic Valley in finals.

                        1981                2-7       (.222)

                        1982                0-9       (.000)

                        1983                2-7       (.222)

                        1984                7-2       (.778) Returned to NBIL & won Division 1 title

                        1985                9-1       (.900) Took NBIL Division 1 title & lost 36-26 to

                                                                        Passaic in States.

                        1986                7-2       (.778)

                        1987                9-1       (.900) Took NBIL Division 1 title & lost 12-6 to

                                                                        Bayonne in States.

                        1988                6-4       (.600)  Lost 20-6 to JFK of Paterson in States.

                        1989                8-3       (.727) Took NBIL Division 1 title & lost 19-14 to

                                                                       Hoboken in States after beating North Bergen 14-7.                     

                        TOTALS:     59-38     (.608)                                                  PF 1,607         PA 1,306

                        1943-89:  223-179-13 (.555)                                                  PF 6,517         PA 5,769

                        The 1980s were a great decade. 1980 saw our CUTTERS win 9 games for the first

                        time ever. They were Tri-NNJIL Champs with Clifton and Passaic Valley and, in

                        one of the most exciting games in FLHS history they trailed the INDIANS of

                        Passaic 7-0, 12-0, 12-7 and 18-7 before roaring back to win 27-18 in the States at GIANTS STADIUM. 1984 saw a return to the NBIL, which Fair Lawn had left in 1959 and our CUTTERS took the Division 1 title in 1984, 85, 87 and 89 and made the State playoffs in 1980, 85, 87 and 89.

1990                4-5       (.444)

1991                4-4-1   (.500)

1992                2-7       (.222)

1993                1-8       (.111)             

1994                5-4       (.556)

1995                7-2       (.778)

1996                6-3       (.667)

1967                5-4       (.556)

1998                4-6       (.400)

1999                5-5       (.500)                                                                                   

TOTALS:   43-48-1    (.473)                                             PF 1,446         PA 1,428

1943-99: 266-227-14  (.540)                                             PF 8,240         PA 7,331

The 1990s were not a great decade for our CUTTERS. 1994-96 were their only winning seasons and the ’95 CUTTERS beat Ramapo and the GREEN RAIDERS’ freshman QB Chris Simms (son of Phil, the great GIANTS QB). The CUTTERS of Fair Lawn High would finish out the 20th century with an overall winning record!

2000                7-3       (.700) Made States losing great 14-6 battle with Hackensack!

2001                7-3       (.700)

2002                4-6       (.400)

2003                5-5       (.500)

2004                2-8       (.200)                                                                                     

2005                2-8       (.200)

2006                1-9       (.100)

2007                4-6       (.400)                                                                         

2008                6-4       (.600)

2009                7-4       (.636) Made states beating Passaic 39-38 & losing to Roxbury 42-7

TOTALS:      45-56    (.446)                                               PF    1,960      PA 2,327

1943-2009:  311-283-14         (.524)                                   PF    10,200    PA 9,658

The 2010s

2010                3-7       (.300)                                                 149                  281

2011                1-8       (.111)                                                    72                  345

2012                2-8       (.200)                                                  128                  302

2013                0-9       (.000)                                                    80                  347

2014                2-8       (.200)                                                   118                 320

2015                3-7       (.300)                                                   167                 288

TOTALS        11-47   (.190)                                          PF       714      PA   1,883

1943-2014       322-330-14     (.494)                             PF 10,914       PA 11,541

FAIR LAWN HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL RECORD BY DECADE

Fair Lawn High School opened September 13th, 1943. The brand new CUTTERS under coach Marty Fischbein went 4-1-1 (.800) after going 2-1 (.667) in three JV tune-up games. The CUTTERS didn’t have a losing season until 1950!

Here’s the football record by decade:

1940s              38-15-5                      (.717)

1950s               42-35-3                      (.545)

1960s              49-38-2                      (.563)

1970s               35-53-3                      (.398)

1980s              59-38-0                      (.608)

1990s               43-48-1                      (.473)

2000s               45-56-0                      (.446)

2010s               11-47-0                      (.190)             

TOTALS        322-330-14                 (.494)