FAIR LAWN HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL 2011

By Dick Engelhardt

Head Coach: Amir Sadaah
Assistant Coaches: Offensive Coordinator Billy Lynn, Defensive Coordinator Bobby Guy James Beshaw, Joseph Borkowski, Ed Guy, Daniel Iozzia
Volunteer Coach: Joseph Brislin

Sat. 9/10 AWAY Fair Lawn 14 - Passaic* 46
Sat. 9/17 HOME Fair Lawn 10 - NV/Demarest 48
Sat. 9/24 HOME Fair Lawn 9 - Passaic County Tech* 49
Sat. 10/1 AWAY Fair Lawn 0 - Hackensack 41
Sat. 10/8 BYE
Fri. 10/14 AWAY Fair Lawn 13 - Clifton* 12
Sat. 10/22 HOME Fair Lawn 0 - Paramus 48
Fri. 10/28 AWAY Fair Lawn 7 - Paterson Eastside* 28
Sat. 11/05 HOME Fair Lawn 7 - Paterson Kennedy* 32
Fri. 11/11 AWAY Fair Lawn 12 - Bridgewater-Raritan** 41
Totals: For 72 - Against 345

* Big North Conference (BNC) Liberty Division Game
** State Consolation Game (Bridgewater-Raritan)
BNC Liberty Division Record: 1-4 (.200)
BNC Crossover Record: 0-3 (.000)
Independent Record: 0-1 (.000) Consolation Game
Overall Record: 1-8 (.111)

Amir Saadah became the the 11th coach in FLHS history since FLHS opened September 13th, 1943, following 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. The disappointing 2011 season featured just one win, a thrilling and surprising 13-12 upset of the FIGHTING MUSTANGS of Clifton High!

Fair Lawn players have received a number of honors. Boris Lifshits and Kevin Osback made 1st Team All-BNC Liberty Division and George Alexandris, Kris Burger and Steve Tatekawa made 2nd Team. Honorable mention was given Kevin Benjamin and John Pagios. Lifshits, Nick Hickey and Osback received honorable mention All-Bergen County!

The last regularly scheduled home game against Kennedy was poignant as seniors soon to end
their participation in the football program were honored and introduced. We said goodbye and
wished the best to Benjamin, Andy Chorlian, Hickey, Lifshits, Dan Prigge and Tatekawa. Our
CUTTERS could be strong in 2012 with a number of players returning and freshmen moving
up.

THE GRIDIRON 15–2011

By Dick Engelhardt

Amir Saadah became the 11th coach in FLHS Gridiron history following Marty Fischbein 1943-44, Frank Bennett 1945-60, Ed Sheehy 1961-64, Frank Devens 1965-71, Al Reinoso 1972-74, Rich Szura 1975-77, Pete Natale 1978-87, Mike Alberque 1988-2001, Greg Tanzer 2002-06 and Stan Myles 2007-10. After good scrimmages including a 33-0 shutout of the BLUE BEARS of Barringer High of Newark, our CUTTERS had high hopes for a successful season. A harbinger of things to come, however, was the loss of star player Dan Prigge for the season to a concussion in that Barringer scrimmage. Star running back Corey Carlson was sidelined a good part of the season by appendicitis. Our heroes faced the INDIANS of Passaic to begin their Big North Conference (BNC) Liberty Division title quest. The 46-14 Passaic victory at BOVERINI STADIUM was a shock. Fair Lawn would face its 1956-58 and 1990- 2008 Northern Bergen Interscholastic League (NBIL) and 2010 BNC Crossover foe, the NORSEMEN of Northern Valley/Demarest, at SASSO FIELD next. Fair Lawn led the rivalry 13-10 (.565) and our CUTTERS and their fans hoped for a victory. The 48-10 loss to the NORSEMEN was a first class stunner! John Fass and Pete Gilmartin broadcasted the game on WGHT Radio (1500 AM) ghtradio.com.

Next, our CUTTERS went up against the BULLDOGS of Passaic County Technical Institute and fell 49-9 to the eventual BNC Liberty Division repeat champs who would go 5-0 in Division play. Then came the COMETS of Hackensack, who administered a 41-0 shutout in BNC crossover action. Hackensack coach Mike Miello retired at the end of the season. One piece of his career he once told me he doesn’t like to remember was losing all 4 games to Fair Lawn coach Pete Natale 1984-87 when he coached the GREEN RAIDERS of Ramapo!

The CRUSADERS of Bergen Catholic would have been next but they asked if they could play the KNIGHTS of Friendship Collegiate Academy of Washington, D.C. instead and Fair Lawn said, “Go right ahead!” The New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) may exempt Bergen Catholic and Don Bosco from the requirement to play 70% of their games against New Jersey teams so public schools won’t be forced to play these parochial behemoths. If that fails, these powerhouses could be put into their own league. A good start would be adding the GREEN WAVE of Delbarton, the MARAUDERS of St. Peter’s Prep and the PIRATES of Seton Hall Prep to the BNC United Division. With 8 teams, this would be a super parochial conference and its teams could fill out their schedules with 2 games against out of State powerhouses and NJ teams willing to play them.

If anyone told me Fair Lawn would win only 1 game this year and that would be against the FIGHTING MUSTANGS of Clifton High, I would have told them they were crazy! That’s exactly what happened as our CUTTERS edged Clifton 13-12 in a thriller. I was privileged to be the “spotter” at 5 Clifton games and to announce the Clifton High School MUSTANG Marching Band, the “Show Band of the Northeast,” at 4 games, including that Fair Lawn game! Losses to the SPARTANS of Paramus, the GHOSTS of Paterson Eastside and the KNIGHTS of Paterson Kennedy followed. In State Consolation action, the PANTHERS of Bridewater-Raritan beat our CUTTERS 41-12 closing out the season. Fair Lawn is 7-4 (.636) in Consolation Game action since these games began in 1998.

Our CUTTERS finished the season 1-8 (.111) bringing their 1943-2011 record to 315-298-14 (.514). The BNC Liberty Division final standings were: Passaic County Technical Institute 5-0 (1.000), Clifton and Eastside 3-2 (.600), Kennedy 2-3 (.400) and Fair Lawn and Passaic 1-4 (.200).

At this writing Fair Lawn players have received a number of honors. Boris Lifshits and Kevin Osback made 1st Team All-BNC Liberty Division and George Alexandris, Kris Burger and Steve Tatekawa made 2nd Team. Honorable mention was given Kevin Benjamin and John Pagios. Lifshits, Nick Hickey and Osback received honorable mention All-Bergen County!

The Eastside game, the last regularly scheduled home game, was poignant as seniors soon to end their participation in the football program were honored and introduced. We said goodbye and wished the best to: Benjamin, Andy Chorlian, Hickey, Lifshits, Prigge and Tatekawa and their escorts. The return of a number of players next season and freshmen moving up could see our CUTTERS improve. Until then, GO CUTTERS GO!!!

THE GRIDIRON 14–2011

By Dick Engelhardt

The New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) introduced the playoff system in 1974. Prior to that, teams were declared State Champions in the various sections based on records and power points. Often there was lots of discussion about the choice, especially if the teams didn’t play each other. Frank Bennett’s 1953 Bergen-Passaic Interscholastic League (B-PIL) champion CUTTERS of Fair Lawn High shared the North Jersey Section 1, Group III State Championship with Tom Della Torre’s Northern New Jersey Interscholastic League (NNJIL) champion COMETS of Hackensack. That Fair Lawn team featured Dave Sime, who also starred in track and would later become known as “The World’s Fastest Human!”

Fair Lawn fans, young and old, had lots of rooting interests in the playoff finals at MetLife Stadium. In Group I heard the game on WGHT 1500AM, (ghtradio.com) as the CARDINALS of Pompton Lakes shut out the PANTHERS of Glen Rock 20-0. Jon Fass and Pete Gilmartin, who had broadcast the Fair Lawn – NV/Demarest game this year, did the honors. I imagine Glen Rock fans aren’t too happy that their PANTHERS blew away their Thanksgiving game against the BEARS of Hawthorne saving their starters for the playoffs and getting shut out 34-0. Pompton Lakes took its Turkey Day game seriously and beat the BULLDOGS of Butler 15-7. Fair Lawn fans remember the rivalry between Frank Bennett’s CUTTERS and Charlie Benson’s Cardinals. It began with a 14-6 Pompton Lakes victory over new Coach Bennett’s B-PIL champion CUTTERS in 1945 and ended in 1950 with a 25-0 shutout Pompton Lakes win. Fair Lawn and Pompton Lakes each won 3 games. Before Glen Rock High School opened, Glen Rock students attended Ridgewood High. So did students from the Radburn section of Fair Lawn before FLHS opened in 1943. The fierce Fair Lawn – Ridgewood 1944-83 Turkey Day rivalry wound up 26-11-3 (.703) Ridgewood.

In Group II at MetLife Stadium, I saw the GOLDEN HAWKS of River Dell fall 32-14 to the KNIGHTS of West Essex. In 1958, with Bill Parcells lugging the pig skin, the GOLDEN HAWKS beat Fair Lawn 26-13 in Northern Bergen Interscholastic League (NBIL) action.

In Group III at the stadium, I saw the PATRIOTS of Wayne Hills come from behind to edge the GOLDEN KNIGHTS of Northern Valley/Old Tappan 15-12. Fair Lawn took the 1984–2008 NBIL rivalry with NVOT 15–10 (.600). The PATRIOTS took the 1984-2008 NBIL and 2009 North Jersey Tri-County Conference (NJTCC) rivalry with Fair Lawn 20-5 (.800). The 1984-93 Thanksgiving Day rivalry wound up 5-5 (.500). I imagine GOLDEN KNIGHTS fans weren’t too happy that their team also blew off its Thanksgiving game, saving its starters for the playoffs and being smashed 59-14 by NV/Demarest.

In Group IV, in the most poignant game at the stadium, I saw the BRUINS of North Bergen dismount the MOUNTIES of Montclair 14-13 with a miracle 22 yard TD pass as time expired. Coach Vin Ascolese finished a 50 season coaching career at Hoboken and North Bergen with the most dramatic victory you could imagine! Shades of 2004 when our CUTTERS beat the BEARS of Bergenfield 19-18 on Thanksgiving. With 4 seconds on the clock, QB Vinnie Graff threw 16 yards to Stephen Macchairola in the corner of the end zone and Fair Lawn fans were delirious with joy! In 1978 Graff’s uncle, Richie, threw a 25 yard TD pass to Steve Jubelt to beat the MAROONS of Ridgewood 15-7 on Turkey Day as time expired. Screams of “He caught it! He caught it!” were heard then and, 26 years later, the nephew teamed up with Macchairola to do it again! Fair Lawn fans remember 1989 when Mike Alberque’s NBIL Division 1 champion CUTTERS surprised Ascolese’s BRUINS 14-7 in the opening round of the playoffs.

Next week we’ll wrap up the 2011 season. Until then, GO CUTTERS GO!!!