THE GRIDIRON 1-2011

By Dick Engelhardt

It’s great to be on THE GRIDIRON again as the CUTTERS of Fair Lawn High begin their 69th football season with a 1943-2010 record of 314-290-14 (.520). Amir Saadah, a 2000 FLHS graduate who played for Mike Alberque’s 1997-99 CUTTERS, takes over as the 11th Football coach in FLHS history. He follows Marty Fischbein 9-4-2 (.692) during 1943-44, Frank Bennett 71-55-6 (.564) during 1945-60, Ed Sheehy 19-15-1 (.559) during 1961-64, Frank Devens 39-23-1 (.629) during 1965-71, Al Reinoso 7-18-2 (.280) during 1972-74, Rich Szura 6-21 (.222) during 1965-77, Pete Natale 58-36-1 (.617) during 1978-87, Mike Alberque 71-61-1 (.538) during 1988-2001, Greg Tanzer 14-36 (.280) during 2002-06 and Stan Myles 20-21 (.488) during 2007-10.

Championships came in the Bergen-Passaic Interscholastic League (B-PIL) in 1945, 53 and 55 with co-championships in ’46 with BUCCANEERS of Bogota and ’47 with the GOLDEN BEARS of Lyndhurst; the Northern New Jersey Interscholastic League (NNJIL) in 1965 and 66 with a tri-championship in ’80 with the FIGHTING MUSTANGS of Clifton High and the HORNETS of Passaic Valley and the Northern Bergen Interscholastic League (NBIL) Division 1 in 1984, 85, 87 and 89. The State playoff system began in 1974 and our CUTTERS were in the playoffs in 1979, 80, 85, 88, 89, 2000 and 2009.

Saadah has an all-star coaching staff. Billy Lynn is offensive coordinator, Bobby Guy is defensive coordinator and Dan Iozzia and Joe Borkowski are assistants. Jim Beshaw and Ed Guy coach the freshmen team. The names Beshaw, Guy, Iozzia, Lynn and Saadah are big in FLHS Gridiron history and Joe Borkowski is a nephew of former Fair Lawn Coach Mike Alberque!

FLHS Cheerleader Coach Lauren Gimon is proud as a peacock as Christie Artinger, a member of her first squad in 2002, was a member of the New York JETS Flight Crew Cheerleading squad in 2009 and 10 and is now a member of the San Diego CHARGERS “CHARGER GIRLS” squad! How many other high school cheerleading coaches in America can say that one of their cheerleaders has made, not one, but two, National Football League (NFL) cheerleading squads? Way to go Lauren and Christie!

This Saturday our CUTTERS travel to Passaic to take on the INDIANS at Boverini Stadium. Pete Natale’s CUTTERS roared from behind to beat the INDIANS 27-18 in 1st round playoff action at GIANTS STADIUM in 1980 in the most thrilling game in FLHS history to date and lost a 1985 playoff game 36-26 at Passaic in 1985. Stan Myles’ CUTTERS edged the INDIANS 39-38 in the first “Home” playoff game ever played at SASSO FIELD in 2009 in a game that edged out the 1980 game as the most thrilling ever played by our CUTTERS. The other 2 “Home” Fair Lawn playoff games were at GIANTS STADIUM in 1980. In 2010 in Big North Conference (BNC) Liberty Division action, Fair Lawn’s 25-6 victory put our CUTTERS up 3-1 (.750) over the INDIANS. The games have been fierce as our CUTTERS averaged a 29-25 winning score through the four games.

Our heroes got ready for the season with scrimmages against the BLUE BEARS of Barringer High of Newark, the CRIMSON of Morristown Beard, the HAWKS of Hudson Catholic of Jersey City and the TIGERS of Tenafly. I look forward to seeing our heroes get off to a good start in their quest for a BNC Liberty Division title and a playoff spot. From here it looks like Fair Lawn 21- Passaic 7. GO GUTTERS GO!!!