THE GRIDIRON 14 - 2010

By Dick Engelhardt

Last week Fair Lawn fans enjoyed seeing venerable foes in the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) playoff finals. The Bergen-Passaic Interscholastic League (B-PIL) was founded in 1943 by Bergenfield, Bogota, Hawthorne, Lyndhurst and Ramsey. Fair Lawn High School opened that same year but Coach Marty Fischbein’s CUTTERS played an independent schedule in 1943 and 1944. They opened with 3 JV games to get started, going 2-1 (.667) and then posted a remarkable 4-1-1 (.800) varsity record. In 1944, Fischbein’s CUTTERS had another winning season, going 5-3-1 (.625).

In 1945 Fischbein returned to Florence High School in Burlington County where he coached the FLASHES through the 1958 season. Fischbein and his original CUTTERS were inducted into the Fair Lawn High School Athletic Hall of Fame in 2009 along with this writer. Athletic Director Virgil “Virge” Sasso, after whom SASSO FIELD is named, brought his college friend, Frank Bennett to Fair Lawn in 1945 and our CUTTERS joined the B-PIL. They would be champions in ’45, co-champions with the BUCCANEERS of Bogota in 46 and the GOLDEN BEARS of Lyndhurst in ’47 when Bennett would be named “Coach of the Year,” and champions again in 1953 when they would share the North Jersey, Section 1, Group III title with the COMETS of Hackensack and 1955, when my twin brother, Bill, and I were water boys. Bennett and Sasso were in the initial 2006 group of inductees into the Hall of Fame.

Fair Lawn’s entrance into the B-PIL in 1945 saw the beginning of a wonderful long-time rivalry with the RAMS of Ramsey. The B-PIL would become the Northern Bergen Interscholastic League (NBIL) in 1956 when the BEARS of Hawthorne, then the only Passaic County member, dropped out. During 1945-58, the CUTTERS and RAMS squared off in B-PIL/NBIL action. Fair Lawn left the NBIL in 1959 for the Northern New Jersey Interscholastic League (NNJIL). In 1984, Fair Lawn, Bergenfield and Ramsey all returned to their old NBIL. Fair Lawn took the 1945-58, 1984-99 and 2002-06 rivalry with Ramsey by an astounding 28 games to 7 (.800)!

And now, in North Jersey, Section 1, Group II action at Kean University in Union, I saw the LANCERS of Lakeland Regional High School of Wanaque shutout those RAMS of Ramsey 20-0 for the State Championship. WGHT Radio (1500 AM) of Pompton Lakes broadcasted the game and it was nice to see on-air personalities John Fass and Marco Balletti there. The LANCERS looked just like the CUTTERS of Fair Lawn High in their spanking Red and Silver uniforms. Fair Lawn’s Crimson and Gray uniforms are identical except for their Crimson helmets with the Gray Michigan Wolverine symbol.

In North Jersey, Section 1, Group III action at the New Meadowlands Stadium, the PATRIOTS of Wayne Hills took the title edging the GOLDEN KNIGHTS of Northern Valley/Old Tappan 24-21. NV took a 21-17 lead with 23 seconds on the clock. The ensuing kickoff return featured a lateral and Hills took it to the house winning the game with 5 seconds on the clock! I listened to Fass and Balletti describing the astonishing finish on ghtradio.com. The PATRIOTS took the 1984-2008 NBIL Division 1 and 2009 North Jersey Tri-County Conference (NJTCC) rivalry with Fair Lawn 20-5 (.800). The 1984-93 Turkey Day rivalry between Fair Lawn and Wayne Hills wound up 5-5 (.500). Fair Lawn took the 1984–2008 NBIL Division 1 rivalry with NV/Old Tappan 15–10 (.600). The RAMS of Randolph took the North Jersey, Section 1, Group IV title Fair Lawn had aspired to shutting out the MONTIES of Montclair 19-0.

Next week we’ll close out THE GRIDIRON with observations on the 2010 season. Until then GO CUTTERS GO!!!