THE GRIDIRON 12 - 2008

By Dick Engelhardt

Fair Lawn fans had rooting interests in the State playoffs as their Northern Bergen Interscholastic League (NBIL) still had three teams in action. In North Jersey, Section 1, Group III, the NBIL Division 1 champion PATRIOTS of Wayne Hills ran their winning streak to an incredible 51 games edging the NBIL Division 2 champion INDIANS of Pascack Valley 17-10. The INDIANS gave the Patriots a real scare! Fair Lawn’s NBIL Division 1 is 15-7 (.682) over the NBIL Division 2 with 3 Turkey Day weekend games to go. In Group II, the NBIL Division 2 RAMS of Ramsey were beaten 27-6 by the KNIGHTS of West Essex and the Iron Hills Conference (IHC), Hills Division. The NBIL record against other leagues in 2008 is 7-6 (.538) with the Wayne Hills versus the Northern Hills Conference (NHC) Suburban Division champion LANCERS of Lakeland in the North Jersey, Section 1, Group III State championship game to go.

On Thanksgiving Day at 10:30 our CUTTERS host the BEARS of Bergenfield at SASSO FIELD in the 51st game played in the long rivalry. It all began in 1945 when Fair Lawn joined the then Bergen-Passaic Interscholastic League (B-PIL), which had been founded in 1943, the year Fair Lawn High School opened, by Bergenfield, Bogota, Hawthorne, Lyndhurst and Ramsey. It became the NBIL in 1956 when Hawthorne, the only Passaic County team in it at the time, dropped out. The then MIGHTY MITES of Bergenfield, who became the BEARS in the 60s, left the B-PIL in 1949 for the Bergen County Scholastic League (BCSL). Fair Lawn and Ridgewood left the NBIL in 1959 for the Northern New Jersey Interscholastic League (NNJIL). Bergenfield and Paramus joined the NNJIL in 1962 and the Fair Lawn – Bergenfield rivalry resumed. It continued in 1984 when Fair Lawn and Bergenfield returned to their old league. In 1994 the rivalry became a Thanksgiving Day affair. During 1945-48 and since 1962, our CUTTERS have gone 34-16 (.680) against Bergenfield and they lead the Thanksgiving Day series 10-4 (.714).

Fair Lawn comes into the game 5-4 (.556) and has outscored the opposition 278-227 for an average 31-25 victory. Bergenfield is 0-9 (.000) and has been outscored 328-51 for an average 36-6 loss. The BEARS have been shut out 4 times. Coach Stan Myles’ CUTTERS have had a good season and want to have a winning record. They figure to get it on Turkey Day. From here it looks like Fair Lawn 42 – Bergenfield 0. GO CUTTERS GO!!!