THE GRIDIRON 5 – 2010

By Dick Engelhardt

The CUTTERS of Fair Lawn High lost a heart breaking 12-6 thriller to the COMETS of Hackensack last Friday at SASSO FIELD in Big North Conference (BNC) crossover action. Captains Bryan Turton, Kelvin Rosario and Tim Schrettner went out for the coin toss which the COMETS won and elected to receive. They drove deep into Fair Lawn territory but Kevin Benjamin, Kevin Guy, Davon Johnson, Anthony Tozzi, Mike Venezia and Brendan Walis made heroic plays to stop them. Then Walis blocked a field goad attempt at the 9! Our CUTTERS moved the ball with big runs by James Hegybeli, Rosario and Steven Tatakawa behind center, Alex Callons, guards Max Jacobs and Matt Paisely and tackles Adam Polisi and Steve Sherlock. Our CUTTERS got to the 9 yard line before QB Kevin Osback was intercepted in the end zone. A Fair Lawn fumble resulted in a TD run by the COMETS who led 6-0 at halftime.

The COMETS scored again and then the 2nd half featured a beautiful long pass by Osback that just missed Walis and more runs by Fair Lawn’s talented backs including Corey Carlson. Hegybeli broke lose for a 25 yard TD run and it was 12-6. An on-side kick failed and the favored (Though not here!) COMETS held on for the win knowing they’d been in a tough ballgame. On “D” Tozzi recovered a fumble at the Fair Lawn 8 yard line, and Benjamin recovered one at the Fair Lawn 7. Dan Prigge broke up a long pass attempt and Polisi and Sherlock made some great stops. The win brings the Hackensack record against Fair Lawn during 1959-82 in the Northern New Jersey Interscholastic League (NNJIL), 2000 in the playoffs and now 2010 in BNC crossover action to 18-7-1 (.720).

In crossover action Fair Lawn’s BNC Division II went 2-2 (.500) against outside teams. In addition to Fair Lawn’s loss, the KNIGHTS of Passaic County Technical Institute were shut out 21-0 by the LANCERS of Lakeland. However, the FIGHTING MUSTANGS of Clifton High beat the KNIGHTS of Bergen Tech 42-13 and the GHOSTS of Paterson Eastside edged the BEARS of Bergenfield 12-9. The BNC Division II is 4-8 (.333) against outside teams so far. In the only BNC Division II game, the INDIANS of Passaic beat KNIGHTS of JFK of Paterson 26-6.

This Saturday our CUTTERS travel to Oradell to take on the CRUSADERS of Bergen Catholic. In 1981 and 82 the CRUSADERS went 2-0 over Pete Natale’s CUTTERS outscoring them 80-0. The unfair advantage the parochial schools have over public schools was the main reason Fair Lawn and Bergenfield left the NNJIL in 1984 and returned to the Northern Bergen Interscholastic League (NBIL), which Fair Lawn had left in 1959. More about that next week. BC has a real Fair Lawn connection. The CRUSADER’S head coach is Nunzio Campanile. His Dad, Mike, was a fabulous junior football coach for many years with the Fair Lawn Football Association where all the boys played. Sons Anthony, Nick and Vito coached at Fair Lawn High under Greg Tanzer. Anthony and Nick played for Fair Lawn after Mike’s stint as head coach of the PALADINS of Paramus Catholic ended. The Campanile family joins the Graff and Guy families as families most heavily involved in football in Fair Lawn over the years. BC comes into the game 3-1 (.750) having outscored the opposition 128-78 for an average 32-20 win. Fair Lawn comes into the game at 1-3 (.250) having been outscored 92-45 for an average 23-11 loss. It’s David against Goliath and I know our heroes will give it all they have. Like all public schools playing the parochial powerhouses, they’ll be outgunned, but will fight to keep it close. I hope I’m wrong but, from here it looks like Bergen Catholic 35 –Fair Lawn 20. GO CUTTERS GO!!!