THE GRIDIRON 3 - 2009

By Dick Engelhardt

The CUTTERS of Fair Lawn High ambushed the HIGHWAYMEN of Teaneck 20-6 last Thursday night in North Jersey Tri-County Conference (NJTCC) Division 3 action. Our “never-say-die” CUTTERS spotted the Highwaymen a 6-0 lead and roared back. Kevin Guy recovered a fumble and James Hegybeli and Anthony Tozzi picked up yardage. Egor Buharin and Tozzi got the ball to the 3 and QB Travis Kubasta passed to tight end James Mallon for the TD and the game was tied at 6 at the half.

In the second half, Kubasta snuck for a 1st down behind center, Regis Larkin. He passed to Mallon for a big 1st down and Tozzi lugged the ball deep into Teaneck Territory. Buharin bulled to the 8 and Kubasta passed to Hegybeli to the 2. Kubasta snuck in for the TD behind Larkin and passed to Mallon for the 2 point conversion to put our CUTTERS up 14-6. They never looked back. Guy pressured the QB causing an intentional grounding penalty. When Fair Lawn took over Buharin bulled in for the TD closing out the scoring. An interception by Bryan Turton with 4:19 on the clock sealed the victory. The “D” featured great punting by Kubasta, and more great plays by Guy, Mallon, Adam Polisi, Kelvin Rosario and Tim Schrettner and a sensational pass breakup by Turton.

The victory brings Fair Lawn’s record against Teaneck in the 1954-58 independent, 1959-82 Northern New Jersey Interscholastic League (NNJIL) and now the NJTCC rivalry, to 18-11-1 (.621). The most memorable game for our CUTTERS was in 1959. Fair Lawn and Ridgewood moved up to the tough NNJIL from the Northern Bergen Interscholastic League (NBIL) and many believed our CUTTERS would take a beating. Well, their first game in the big league had them beating Teaneck 12-7. It was week 2 and Fair Lawn had a bye in week 1. Now, in another move to a tough league, Fair Lawn faced Teaneck in week 2 with the HIGHWAYMEN having the opening week bye this time and we have another Fair Lawn victory. The 1958 NNJIL champion Teaneck team that shutout Fair Lawn 52-0 is being honored this year in the Teaneck High School Athletic Hall of Fame.

In the other NJTCC Division 3 game the PATRIOTS of Wayne Hills brought their winning streak to 54 games thrashing the HIGHLANDERS of West Milford 55-7. The GREEN KNIGHTS of St. Joseph brought the NJTCC Division 3 record against outsiders to 4-1 (.800) holding off the PALADINS of Paramus Catholic and Fair Lawn’s old NBIL 44-23. The GREEN KNIGHTS trailed 23-22 late in the game!

On Saturday at 1:00 our CUTTERS are home at SASSO FIELD against the BEES of Bayonne. The “Tailgate Party,” sponsored by the FLHS Parents Committee for Athletics, starts at 11:30. In 1987, our CUTTERS faced the BEES in the North Jersey, Section 1, Group IV playoffs at Veteran’s Memorial Stadium, now Don Ahern Veterans Memorial Stadium, renamed in honor of the late coach, Don Ahern. In gale force winds and bitter cold, the BEES prevailed 12-6. Coach Ahern admitted the terrible conditions thwarted the vaunted Fair Lawn offense which had concerned him. Fair Lawn is 2-0 and has outscored the opposition 32-14 for an average victory of 16-7. Bayonne is 0-2 and the BEES have been outscored 72-6 for an average 36-3 loss. From here it looks like Fair Lawn 27 – Bayonne 6. GO CUTTERS GO!!!