THIS WEEK IN FLHS GRIDIRON HISTORY – 2011 Week 6

A WALK DOWN MEMORY LANE
By Dick Engelhardt

1951 – Frank Bennett’s CUTTERS stepped out of their Bergen-Passaic Interscholastic League (B-PIL) to edge the Passaic Valley Conference (PVC) COLTS of Paterson Central 19-18. Those COLTS are now the KNIGHTS of JFK. Paterson Central was the Turkey Day rival of the GHOSTS of Paterson Eastside and most Fair Lawn students attended Eastside before FLHS opened in 1943. During 1951-56 and 58 Fair Lawn went 5-2 (.714) over Central. In 1988 the successor KNIGHTS of Paterson Kennedy beat our CUTTERS 20-6 in the States while, in the 2003 State “Consolation Game,” our CUTTERS prevailed 20-0. During 1951-56 independently, in the playoffs in 1988, in a Consolation game in 2003, in the North Jersey Tri-County Conference (NJTCC) in 2009 and in 2010 in the Big North Conference (BNC) Liberty Division, Fair Lawn has gone to 8-3 (.727) over Central/Kennedy.

1961 – New Coach Ed Sheehy’s CUTTERS were beaten 19-7 by the TIGERS of Tenafly in Northern New Jersey Interscholastic League (NNJIL) action. Fair Lawn joined the NNJIL in 1959 and the TIGERS made our undefeated CUTTERS play in a hurricane. In the only game played in North Jersey that awful day, Tenafly won 6-0. That loss, combined with the 13-7 Thanksgiving Day upset by the MAROONS of Ridgewood, gave the NNJIL title by half a game to the COMETS of Hackensack, who our CUTTERS had beaten 27-6. The TIGERS took the 1959-61 rivalry 3-0 (1.000) before leaving for the Bergen County Scholastic League (BCSL).

1971 – Frank Devens’ CUTTERS shut out the BEARS of Bergenfield 7-0 in NNJIL action. Fair Lawn took the 1945-48 and 1962-2008 rivalry 35-16 (.686) and the 1994-2008 Turkey Day rivalry 11-4 (.733). The teams squared off 1945-48 in the B-PIL, 1962-83 in the NNJIL and 1984-2008 in the Northern Bergen Interscholastic League (NBIL).

1981 – Pete Natale’s CUTTERS beat the BENGALS of Bloomfield 20-7 in NNJIL action. Our CUTTERS took the 1977 independent and 1978-81 NNJIL rivalry 4-1 (.800). In ’77 Bloomfield was not yet a full NNJIL member because of a commitment to play Irvington on Thanksgiving.

1991 – Mike Alberque’s CUTTERS edged the GREEN RAIDERS of Ramapo 19-14 in NBIL Division 1 action. Ramapo took the 1956-58 and 1984-2008 rivalry 17-11 (.607).

2001 – Alberque’s CUTTERS were beaten 34-20 by the PATRIOTS of Wayne Hills in NBIL Division 1 action. The PATRIOTS took the 1984-2008 NBIL and 2009 North Jersey Tri-County Conference (NJTCC) rivalry 20-5 (.800). Fair Lawn’s last victory was in 1989 when Mike Alberque’s NBIL Division 1 champion and playoff bound CUTTERS thrashed Wayne Hills 35-8. The teams went 5-5 (.500) against each other in their 1984-93 Turkey Day rivalry.