SOUTH WESTERN MUSTANGS GRIDIRON 2012-6

By Bill Engelhardt
________

Last Friday evening, September 28, the Mustangs of South Western hosted the YAIAA Division II Warriors of Susquehannock at the Mustang Corral and galloped to a convincing 41-6 victory. Three quarterbacks, five receivers, and 10 running backs shared the offensive spotlight.

The Mustangs opened the game with a six-play drive that ended with a punt. The Warriors returned the favor with a three and out and punt.

The Mustangs then drove 37-yards in four plays, featuring a 29-yard pass from Mike Duffy to Gabe Morela to the 2-yard line. Duffy plunged in for the touchdown and Jake Tracy’s extra point kick put the Mustangs up 7-0 with 5:51 left in the first quarter.

The Warriors went three and out and punted again and the Mustangs drove 47-yards in four plays; a 20-yard pass from Duffy to Dillon Thomas, a 3-yard run by Brady Shultz, a 15-yrd run by Thomas, and a 9-yard touchdown run by Shultz. Tracy’s extra point kick made the score 14-0 with 2:41 left in the first quarter.

The Warriors went three and out and punted again and the Mustangs drove 66-yards in ten plays, featuring a 17-yard run by Thomas and a 17-yard run by Payton Taylor. Taylor plunged in from the 2-yard line and Tracy’s extra point kick upped the score to 21-0 with 10:14 to go in the second quarter.

The Warriors and the Mustangs exchanged punts, including one that Jerome Robinson returned for 32-yards, and the Mustangs turned the ball over on downs, but the first half ended with no more scoring.

The Warriors opened the second half with a six play drive, featuring an 11-yard pass from Bryan Kerr to Steven Nalls, but had to punt. The Mustangs then drove 58-yards in 9 plays, only to have Nalls intercept a pass for the Warriors at their 3-yard line. The Warriors went three and out and punted.

The Mustangs drove 41-yards in six plays, featuring a 19-yard run by Thomas and a 16-yard run by Dakotah Moses. Thomas ran in for a 13-yard touchdown and Tracy’s extra point kick upped the score to 28-0 with 1:36 to go in the third quarter.

The Warriors then put on their only sustained drive of the game, a 66-yard, nine play drive that featured 5 passes from Kerr; for a yard loss to Luke Knott, for 24-yards to Sam P. Miller, for 12-yards to Nalls, for 27-yards to Nalls, and for 6-yards and a touchdown to Kenyon Weber. The extra point attempt failed and the score went to 28-6 with 11:40 left in the game.

The Mustangs then drove 64-yards in five plays, featuring a 40-yard run by Thomas. Tyler Sterner plunged in from the 1-yard line and Tracy’s extra point kick upped the score to 35-6 with 10:03 left in the game.

The Warriors ended up punting again and the Mustangs drive 55-yards in four plays, featuring an 18-yard pass from quarterback Ryan Lane to Brandon McMinn. Camden Brown ended the drive with a beautiful 34-yard touchdown jaunt and the extra point attempt failed, making the final score 41-6 with 6:58 left in the game.

Jake Tracy kicked off 6 times for 309-yards, with the longest going for 56-yards, and Tyler Kohler kicked off 1 time for 41-yards. Jerome Robinson returned 3 punts for 47-yards, with the longest going for 32-yards, for the Mustangs. Brandon Utz punted 2 times for 68-yards, with the longest going for 42-yards, and Mike Harris punted 1 time for 15-yards, for the Mustangs.

Aram Moffit, with 5 tackles, a sack, and a pass hurry, led the Mustangs defense, followed by Eddie Layne with 5 tackles and a sack, Devon Ackerman with 5 tackles, Chris Weibe with 4 tackles, a sack, and a pass hurry, Brady Shultz with 4 tackles and 2 pass hurries, Gunner Holtz and Jordan Markle with 4 tackles each, Mike Duffy, Alex Jones, Dakotah Moses, Logan Neiderer, Hunter Palmer, and Josh Walker with 2 tackles each, Aaron Uttley with 1 tackle and 1 pass hurry, and Joe Bond, Rich Bosse, Matt Helwig, Tyler Jachelski, Doug Krout, Brandon McMinn, Mike Mooradian, Jerome Robinson, and Wyat Trostle with 1 tackle each.

Devon Ackerman, Alex Jones, Matt Helwig, Gunner Holtz, Eddie Lane, Aram Moffitt, Mike Mooradian, Gabe Morela, Dakotah Moses, Shawn Secola, Brady Shultz, Dillon Thomas, Aaron Uttley, and Chris Weibe, manned the offensive and defensive line and linebacker positions, with help from Rich Bosse, Ryan Krebs, Ryan Lane, Ethan Paul, Josh Walker, Wayne Trostle, and Brandon Utz. Mike Duffy, Jordan Markle, Jerome Robinson, and Payton Taylor patrolled the secondary for the Mustangs, with help from Aaron Doll and Hunter Palmer.

The Mustangs gained 360-yards rushing and 90-yards passing for a total of 450-yards of offense. Quarterback Mike Duffy completed 5 of 9 passes for 69-yards, quarterback Tyler Sterner completed 1 of 5 passes for 3-yards, and quarterback Ryan Lane completed 1 pass for 18-yards, for the Mustangs. Gabe Morela caught 1 pass for 29-yards, Dillon Thomas caught 2 passes for 27-yards, Brandon McMinn caught 1 pass for 18-yards, Dakotah Moses caught 2 passes for 10-yards, and Zach Osborne caught 1 pass for 6-yards, for the Mustangs.

Dillon Thomas led the Mustangs rushing attack with 20 carries for 187-yards (including a 13-yard touchdown), followed by Camden Brown with 6 carries for 64-yards (including a 34-yard touchdown), Payton Taylor with 5 carries for 44-yards (including a 2-yard touchdown), Dakotah Moses with 4 carries for 29-yards, Brady Shultz with 5 carries for 18-yards (including a 9-yard touchdown), Wyat Trostle with 3 carries for 7-yards, Mike Duffy with 2 carries for 4-yards (including a 2-yard touchdown), Zach Osborne with 2 carries for 4-yards, Bret Hertzog with 1 carry for 2-yards, and Tyler Sterner with 1 carry for 1-yard and a touchdown. Jake Tracy kicked 5 extra points, Aram Moffitt and Chris Weibe each recorded a sack and a pass hurry, Eddie Layne recorded a sack, Brady Shultz recorded 2 pass hurries, and Aaron Uttley recorded 1 pass hurry, for the Mustangs.

The Warriors gained 38-yards rushing and 88 yards passing for a total of 126 yards gained. Quarterback Bryan Kerr completed 8 of 21 passes for 88-yards and 1 touchdown, 4 for 51-yards to Steven Nalls, 2 for 32-yards to Sammy P. Miller, 1 for 6-yards and a touchdown to Kenyon Weber, and 1 for minis 1-yard to Luke Knott, for the Warriors. Mike Costa led the Warriors rushing attack with 6 carries for 31-yards, followed by Chandler Larkin with 5 carries for 10-yards, Knott with 1 carry for 3-yards, Kerr with 7 carries for minus 3-yards, and Weber with 4 carries for minus 3-yards.

The 9-time Cavalcade of Bands Champions, Tournament of Bands Group IV Champion and US Scholastic Band Champion 59 member strong South Western Mustangs Marching Band put on a stirring post game performance, presenting their 2012 field show “Unity: A Natural Balance.” The show took us on a musical and visual exploration of the three natural forces among us: Water, Air and Land. The show opened with “Of Men and the Sea,” depicting the energetic role of water in our world. The raging water calmed us as we turned our eyes to the sky, then with a ballad highlighting the beauty and mystery of the night air and the “stars.” The show closed with the exotic sounds of the land in “Puma.” The 80 member Warriors Marching Band put on a stirring half time show entitled “Tribal Power.”

The 23 member strong Mustangs Cheer Leading squad and the Warriors 13 member squad were very impressive as they roused the faithful. For this Homecoming Game, the Mustangs cheerleading squad included the JV and Middle School groups for the second half, some 43 members strong in total.

The Mustangs of South Western are 3-2-0 overall and 0-0-0 in York Adams Interscholastic Athletic Association (YAIAA) Division I league play.

The Mustangs have a career record of 340-208-8. The results of the 556 games played in the history of the South Western Mustangs are a career .620 winning percentage and a .626 non-losing percentage.

Next week the Mustangs visit the Wildcats of Dallastown (2-3 overall, 0-0 league). Dallastown is coming off of a 21-7 win over the Colonials of New Oxford. The Mustangs are looking to continue their winning tradition. GO MUSTANGS GO.

THE GRIDIRON 5-2012

By Dick Engelhardt

The CUTTERS of Fair Lawn High beat the INDIANS of Passaic 14-7 in the 7th annual FLHS Athletic Hall of Fame Game last Saturday in Big North Conference (BNC) crossover action. Captains George Alexandris, Kevin Osback, Franklyn Ramirez and Jeff Welsh won the coin toss and Fair Lawn received the kickoff. The drive stalled but later Pete Danko intercepted a pass and raced to the Passaic 30. Osback rambled to the 1 behind Center Kris Burger, right guard Brendan Sibilio and right tackle Mike Nieman. He then plunged for the TD behind Burger’s block. With Nieman snapping and Danko holding, Ari Moslavi kicked the extra point and our heroes led 7-0. Thomas Koike intercepted a pass and then caught a pass from Osback for a 1st down. Ramirez’ TD run and Moslavi’s kick put Fair Lawn ahead 14-0. Koike made a huge stop on 4th down with 25 seconds on the clock and Fair Lawn took the lead into halftime.

A long bomb from Osback to Alexandris that electrified the crowd was just out of reach as the Passaic crowd held its breath! After the INDIANS scored, Fair Lawn hung on to win a thriller. Nick Tsinkelis recovered a fumble and Alexandris intercepted a pass in the end zone. Osback broke up a pass and Fair Lawn took over with 1:26 on the clock and 3 kneel downs ended the game. Throughout the game heroic plays were made on “D.” Tsinkelis sacked the QB and teamed up with Matt Ferry on a big stop and Jake Gurrieri made a big play. Our CUTTERS have played well in all their games and could easily be 3-1 (.750). The win brought the Fair Lawn record against Passaic to 4-2 (.667) and made their fans ecstatic.

Fair Lawn’s BNC Liberty Division went 2-2 (.500) against outside opposition. In addition to Fair Lawn’s victory, the GHOSTS of Paterson Eastside edged the COMETS of Hackensack 7-6. The FIGHTING MUSTANGS of Clifton High were beaten 28-20 by the KNIGHTS of JFK of Paterson. The BNC Liberty Division two time defending champion BULLDOGS of Passaic County Technical Institute faced the number 2 ranked in New Jersey and number 9 ranked in the country Crusaders of Bergen Catholic and were trounced 62-20. The BNC Liberty Division is 4-8 (.333) against outsiders so far in 2012.

On Friday night at 7:00 our CUTTERS have to travel to Ramsey to take on the number 3 ranked in New Jersey and number 21 ranked in the country (As of this writing) IRONMEN of Don Bosco Prep. In 1976 in independent action and 1982 and 83 in the Northern New Jersey Interscholastic League (NNJIL) the IRONMEN went 3-0 over our CUTTERS. The unfair advantage the parochial schools had 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 and Bergenfield in 1949. It is a travesty for any public high school to be forced to play any of these parochial behemoths who operate college like programs. I’m not going to predict a score. I’m proud of our Cutters and I know they’ll give it their all. Let’s all be there to support them! GO GUTTERS GO!!!

THIS WEEK IN FLHS GRIDIRON HISTORY – 2012 Week 5

A WALK DOWN MEMORY LANE
By Dick Engelhardt

Fair Lawn High School opened September 13th, 1943. This 2012 history covers the years ending in “2.”

1952 – Fair Lawn High School opened September 13th, 1943. This 2012 history covers the years ending in “2.”

1952 – Frank Bennett’s Bergen-Passaic Interscholastic League (B-PIL) CUTTERS were shutout 28-0 by the RAMS of Ramsey in league action. - Fair Lawn took the 1945-58, 1984-99 and 2002-06 rivalry against the RAMS by an astounding 28 games to 7 (.800) in (B-PIL) and Northern Bergen Interscholastic League (NBIL) action!

1962 – Coach Ed Sheehy’s CUTTERS ambushed the HIGHWAYMEN of Teaneck 13-0 in Northern New Jersey Interscholastic League (NNJIL) action. During 1954-58 independently and 1959-82 in the NNJIL our CUTTERS went 17-11-1 (.607) over the HIGHWAYMEN. Fair Lawn’s 20-6 victory in 2009 in North Jersey Tri-County Conference (NJTCC) Division 3 action put our CUTTERS up 18-11-1 (.621) in the series.

1972 – Al Reinoso’s CUTTERS tied those HIGHWAYMEN of Teaneck 13-13.

1982 – Pete Natale’s CUTTERS were edged 21-14 by the COMETS of Hackensack in the NNJIL. During 1959-82 in NNJIL action the COMETS went 16-7-1 (.696) over our CUTTERS. In 1959, Fair Lawn’s maiden season in the league, our CUTTERS won 27-6 and yet saw Hackensack take the title by half a game. Frank Bennett’s 1953 B-PIL champs shared the North Jersey, Section 1, Group III State title with the COMETS. Mike Alberque’s 2000 CUTTERS put up a whale of a battle before losing 14-6 to the nationally ranked COMETS in the States. The 3-0 Hackensack lead in Big North Conference (BNC) crossover action in 2010 – 12 has the COMETS’ record against our CUTTERS 20-7-1 (.741).

1992 – Mike Alberque’s CUTTERS were beaten 30-7 by the GREEN RAIDERS of Ramapo in NBIL Division 1 action. Ramapo took the 1956-58 and 1984-2008 NBIL Division 1 rivalry 17-11 (.607).

2002 – Alberque’s CUTTERS drew a BYE.

SOUTH WESTERN MUSTANGS GRIDIRON 2012-5

By Bill Engelhardt
________

Last Friday evening, September 21, the Mustangs of South Western visited the YAIAA Division II Colonials of New Oxford and galloped and passed to a 52-0 shutout. Three quarterbacks, five receivers, and 12 running backs shared the offensive spotlight.

The Mustangs opened the game with a 77-yard, seven play drive, featuring an 18-yard run by Dillon Thomas. Mike Duffy threw a 31-yard touchdown pass to Brady Shultz and the Mustangs led 6-0 with 9:30 left in the first quarter.

The Colonials ran off three plays and faked a punt and Aaron Zimmerman ran for a first down but a penalty negated the play. The Colonials then punted and The Mustangs drove 53-yards in six plays, featuring a 15-yard run by Payton Taylor and a 12-yard run by Thomas. Dakotah Moses plunged in for a 4-yard touchdown and Jake Tracy’s extra point kick put the Mustangs up 13-0 with 5:38 left in the first quarter.

The Colonials punted again and the Mustangs drove 51-yards in eleven plays, featuring a 9-yard pass from Duffy to Dillon and a 7-yard run by Zach Osborne. The drive ended with Dillon’s 14-yard touchdown run, making the score 19-0 with 11:27 left in the second quarter.

The Colonials then drove 39-yards in nine plays, featuring a 23-yard run for a first down on a fake punt play by Zimmerman, only to turn the ball over on downs. The Mustangs then drove 60-yards, only to lose the ball on a fumble recovered by the Colonials at their 3-yard line. The Colonials punted and the Mustangs drove 23-yards in two plays, only to lose the ball on a fumble recovered by the Colonials at their 1-yard line. The Colonials ended up quick kicking on third down and the Mustangs drove 25-yards in five plays, featuring a 25-yard run by Thomas, only to miss on a 28-yard field goal attempt. Thus ended the first half.

The Colonials opened the second half by throwing an interception to Ryan Krebs on their first play. The Mustangs then drove 37-yards in three plays, featuring a 31-yard pass from Tyler Sterner to Hunter Palmer. The drive ended with Moses fumbling into the end zone from just outside the goal line and Jordan Markle recovering it for a Mustangs touchdown. The Mustangs were up 25-0 with 10:47 left in the third quarter.

The Colonials then drove 34-yards in five plays, only to have Payton Taylor intercept a pass and return it 57-yards for a touchdown for the Mustangs. Tracy’s extra point kick put the Mustangs up 32-0 with 8:53 to go in the third quarter.

The Colonials fumbled the kickoff and Palmer recovered it for the Mustangs, who then drove 28-yards in seven plays. A penalty had set the Mustangs back to the 43-yard line and they punted but a roughing the kicker penalty on the play gave them new life on the 20. Thomas then rushed to the 10, then to the 2, then in for a touchdown. Tracy’s extra point kick upped the score to 39-0 and invoked the mercy rule with 6:29 left in the third quarter.

The Colonials punted again and the Mustangs drove 67-yards in twelve plays, featuring two 10-yard runs by Wyat Trostle and a 10-yard run by Camden Brown. Ryan Lane, now in at quarterback, plunged in from the 5-yard line for a touchdown and Tracy’s extra point kick upped the score to 46-0 with 8:03 left in the game.

The Colonials punted again and the Mustangs drove 50-yards in three plays, a 3-yard run by Brown, a 2-yard run by Matt Shanks and, on a 3rd and 5, a 45-yard touchdown pass from Lane to Branden Fahs. That closed out the scoring at 52-0 with 3:37 left in the game.

The Colonials fumbled on their next possession and Josh Walker recovered for the Mustangs. The Mustangs then took a knee a couple of times to run out the clock.

The Mustangs substituted liberally, giving the backups some game experience, in the second half.

Jake Tracy kicked off 7 times for 327-yards, with the longest going for 55-yards, and Ryan Krebs kicked off 2 times for 80-yrds, with the longest going for 40-yards. Jerome Robinson returned 2 punts for 21-yards for the Mustangs. The Mustangs never punted and the only kickoff they faced was a touchback.

Chris Weibe, with 6 tackles and a pass defense, led the Mustangs defense, followed by Eddie Lane with 6 tackles, Gunner Holtz with 4 tackles, a sack, a pass hurry, and a caused fumble, Payton Taylor with 4 tackles and 2 pass defenses, Aaron Utley with 3 tackles, Josh Walker with 2 tackles and a fumble recovery, Aaron Doll, Ryan Hauf, Ryan Krebs, and Dillon Thomas with 2 tackles each, Zach Nixon with 1 tackle and a caused fumble, Devon Ackerman, Alex Jones, Ryan Lane, Jordan Markle, Aram Moffitt, and Gabe Morela, with 1 tackle each, Matt Helwig with a pass hurry, and Jerome Robinson with a pass defense.

Devon Ackerman, Alex Jones, Matt Helwig, Gunner Holtz, Eddie Lane, Aram Moffitt, Mike Mooradian, Gabe Morela, Dakotah Moses, Shawn Secola, Brady Shultz, Dillon Thomas, Aaron Uttley, and Chris Weibe, manned the offensive and defensive line and linebacker positions, with help from Ryan Krebs, Ryan Lane, Ethan Paul, Josh Walker, Wayne Trostle, and Brandon Utz. Mike Duffy, Jordan Markle, Jerome Robinson, and Payton Taylor patrolled the secondary for the Mustangs, with help from Aaron Doll and Hunter Palmer.

The Mustangs gained 357-yards rushing and 123-yards passing for a total of 480-yards of offense. Quarterback Mike Duffy completed 3 of 11 passes for 47-yards and 1 touchdown, quarterback Tyler Sterner completed 1 of 2 passes for 31-yards, and quarterback Ryan Lane completed 1 pass for 45-yards and a touchdown, for the Mustangs. Branden Fahs caught 1 pass for 45-yards and a touchdown from Lane, Brady Shultz caught 1 pass for 31-yards and a touchdown from Duffy, Hunter Palmer caught 1 pass for 31-yards, Dillon Thomas caught 1 pass for 9-yards, and Dakotah Moses caught 1 pass for 7-yards, for the Mustangs.

Dillon Thomas led the Mustangs rushing attack with 17 carries for 141-yards (including touchdowns of 14 and 2-yards), followed by Zach Osborne with 5 carries for 43-yards, Camden Brown with 6 carries for 31-yards, Dakotah Moses with 7 carries for 28-yards (including a 4-yard touchdown), Wyat Trostle with 4 carries for 31-yards, Mike Duffy with 3 carries for 27-yards, Payton Taylor with 3 carries for 22-yards, Brady Shultz with 3 carries for 19-yards, Matt Shanks with 2 carries for 10-yards, Ryan Lane with 1carry for 6-yards and a touchdown, and Bret Hertzog with 1 carry for 1-yard. Payton Taylor returned an interception 57-yards for a touchdown, Jake Tracy kicked 4 extra points, Moses fumbled near the goal line and Jordan Markle recovered it in the end zone for a touchdown, Ryan Krebs intercepted a pass, Hunter Palmer and Josh Walker each recovered a fumble, Gunner Holtz recorded a sack and a pass hurry, and Matt Helwig recorded a pass hurry, for the Mustangs.

The Colonials gained 80-yards rushing and 11 yards passing for a total of 91 yards gained. Quarterback Anthony Lippy was 0 for 8 in the passing department and backup quarterback Jordan Gardner completed 1 of 3 passes for 11-yards to Matt Staub for the Colonials. Wesley Beans led the Colonials rushing attack with 7 carries for 49-yards, followed by Aaron Zimmerman with 1 carry for 23-yards, Nick Slusser with 8 carries for 10-yards, Anthony Lippy with 3 carries for 6-yards, John Wallace with 1 carry for 5-yards, Matt Staub with 1 carry for minus 5-yards, and Corey Gartrell with 2 carries for minus 8-yards.

The 9-time Cavalcade of Bands Champions, Tournament of Bands Group IV Champion and US Scholastic Band Champion South Western Mustangs Marching Band put on a stirring half time performance, presenting their 2012 field show “Unity: A Natural Balance.” The show took us on a musical and visual exploration of the three natural forces among us: Water, Air and Land. The show opened with “Of Men and the Sea,” depicting the energetic role of water in our world. The raging water calmed us as we turned our eyes to the sky, then with a ballad highlighting the beauty and mystery of the night air and the “stars.” The show closed with the exotic sounds of the land in “Puma.”

The 23 member strong Mustangs Cheer Leading squad and the Colonials squad were very impressive as they roused the faithful.

The Mustangs of South Western are 2-2-0 overall and 0-0-0 in York Adams Interscholastic Athletic Association (YAIAA) Division I league play.

The Mustangs have a career record of 339-208-8. The results of the 555 games played in the history of the South Western Mustangs are a career .620 winning percentage and a .625 non-losing percentage.

Next week the Mustangs host the YAIAA Division II Warriors of Susquehannock (0-4 overall, 0-0 league). Susquehannock is coming off of a 43-0 loss to the Panthers of Central York. The Mustangs are looking to continue their winning tradition. GO MUSTANGS GO.

THE GRIDIRON 4-2012

By Dick Engelhardt

The CUTTERS of Fair Lawn High led the KNIGHTS of JFK of Paterson 17-6 in the 4th quarter and lost a heart breaker 27-17 in Big North Conference (BNC) crossover action at BAEURLE FIELD in Paterson last week. Captains George Alexandris, Kevin Osback, Franklyn Ramirez and Jeff Welsh won the coin toss and, with Corey Carlson running the ball and QB Kevin Osback throwing to Alexandris and Pete Danko, our heroes drove to the JFK 6 before the drive stalled. With the KNIGHTS deep in a hole, Laine White blocked a punt and Carlson recovered it for a TD. With Mike Nieman snapping and Danko holding, the sure footed Ari Moslavi kicked the extra point and our CUTTERS led 7-0. Moslavi’s 32 yard field goal gave Fair Lawn a 10-0 halftime lead. Carlson had been knocked out of the game by a viscous hit though.

The KNIGHTS scored on the last play of the 3rd quarter. But Osback’s 54 yard TD scamper and Moslavi’s kick put Fair Lawn up 17-6. A forward pass that was ruled a fumble (Even the official in the press box said it was not a fumble) gave JFK the ball and they scored making it 17-12. White blocked the extra point try. An errant snap gave JFK the ball deep in Fair Lawn territory and the KNIGHTS scored to go ahead 20-17 with 1:41 on the clock. Our “never-say-die” Cutters mounted a desperation drive but an interception and run back TD closed out the scoring. Our CUTTERS have played well in all 3 games they’ve lost and could easily be 2-1 (667). Alexandris intercepted a pass, Kris Burger recovered a fumble and a host of players including Tyler Argot, Thomas Koike, Bill Nicudemos, and others made big plays on “D.”

Fair Lawn is 8-5 (.615) over the COLTS of Paterson Central and their successor KNIGHTS of Paterson Kennedy during 1951-56, 1958, 1988, 2003 and 2009-12, .

In the only game in Fair Lawn’s BNC Liberty Division, the two time defending champion BULLDOGS of Passaic Tech walloped the FIGHTING MUSTANGS of Clifton High 40-6. The BNC Liberty Division went 0-2 against outside opposition. In addition to the Fair Lawn loss, the GHOSTS of Paterson Eastside were shutout 41-0 by the GREEN RAIDERS of Ramapo. The BNC Liberty Division is 2-6 (.250) against outside opposition so far in 2012.

This Saturday at Noon at SASSO FIELD our CUTTERS take on the INDIANS of Passaic for the 6th time in the FLHS Athletic Hall of Fame Game. The 2012 inductees will be introduced at halftime. Pete Natale’s CUTTERS beat the INDIANS 27-18 in 1st round playoff action at GIANTS STADIUM in 1980 and lost a 1985 playoff game 36-26 at Passaic in 1985. Stan Myles’ CUTTERS edged the INDIANS 39-38 in the 1st “Home” playoff game ever played at SASSO FIELD in 2009. The other 2 “Home” Fair Lawn playoff games were at GIANTS STADIUM in 1980. The 1-1 record in 2010-11 BNC Liberty Division action brought Fair Lawn’s record against Passaic to 3-2 (.600).

Fair Lawn and Passaic come into the game 0-3. Our CUTTERS have been outscored 82-48 for an average 27-16 loss. The INDIANS have been outscored 130-48 for an average 43-16 loss. I think our CUTTERS can win this one. From here it looks like Fair Lawn 21- Passaic 13. GO GUTTERS GO!!!

THIS WEEK IN FLHS GRIDIRON HISTORY – 2012 Week 4

A WALK DOWN MEMORY LANE
By Dick Engelhardt

Fair Lawn High School opened September 13th, 1943. This 2012 history covers the years ending in “2.”

1952 – Fair Lawn High School opened September 13th, 1943. This 2012 history covers the years ending in “2.”

1952 – Frank Bennett’s Bergen-Passaic Interscholastic League (B-PIL) CUTTERS beat the GOLDEN BEARS of Lyndhurst 13-6 in league action. Fair Lawn took the fierce 1945 – 53 rivalry with Lyndhurst in the old B-PIL 5-4 (.556). The B-PIL became the Northern Bergen Interscholastic League (NBIL) in 1956.

1962 – Coach Ed Sheehy’s CUTTERS beat the then MIGHTY MITES, now BEARS of Bergenfield 27-6 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 NBIL. State realignment ended the 51 season rivalry which was the longest in either school’s history.

1972 – Al Reinoso’s CUTTERS were beaten 14-6 by the Indians of Wayne Valley in NNJIL action. During 1967-80 the INDIANS went 9-5 (.643) over our CUTTERS in the NNJIL. They left the NNJIL for the Northern Hills Conference (NHC) Skyline Division in 1981 and Fair Lawn left the NNJIL to return to the NBIL in 1984.

1982 – Pete Natale’s CUTTERS were edged 12-7 by the BEARS of Bergenfield in the NNJIL. 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 NBIL. State realignment ended the 51 season rivalry which was the longest in either school’s history

1992 – Mike Alberque’s CUTTERS were beaten 41-14 by the NORSEMEN of Northern Valley/Demarest in NBIL action. Our CUTTERS took the 1956-58 and 1990- 2008 NBIL rivalry 13-9 (.591). The NORSEMEN are 2-0 in 2010 and 2011Big North Conference (BNC) crossover action and Fair Lawn leads the rivalry 13-11 (.552).

2002 – Alberque’s CUTTERS edged those same NORSEMEN of Northern Valley/Demarest 22-19 in NBIL action.

SOUTH WESTERN MUSTANGS GRIDIRON 2012-4

By Bill Engelhardt
________

Last Friday evening, September 14, the Mustangs of South Western hosted the Mid-Penn Commonwealth Division’s defending AAAA State Champion Rams of Central Dauphin at the Mustang Corral and were defeated 63-7. The explosiveness of a bevy of Rams running backs was too much for the valiant Mustangs to overcome.

The Mustangs opened the game with a three and out series and punted. On the first play from scrimmage Jordan Bowman, as quarterback in the wildcat formation, galloped 62-yards for a touchdown and the Rams were off to the races.

The ensuing kickoff bounced off a Mustang player and was recovered by the Rams but the Mustangs forced the Rams to punt. The Mustangs fumbled the ball and Daylin Russo recovered for the Rams. A 32-yard drive ended with Drew Scales dashing in for a 15-yard touchdown. This was followed by a Mustangs punt which Scales returned 64-yards for a touchdown. The touchdowns continued to pile up on the Mustangs, with a 7-yard touchdown pass from Brandon LaVia to Ben Mosey, and a 10-yard touchdown run by Zayd Issah and 5 extra point kicks by Casey Hartzel leaving the Rams up 35-0 at the half.

The Rams opened the second half with a four play 60-yard drive ending with Mosey’s 32-yard touchdown run, upping the score to 42-0 with Hartzell’s extra point kick.

The Mustangs then drove 65-yards in twelve plays, featuring runs of 15 and 20-yards by Dillon Thomas and his 6-yard touchdown run. Jake Tracy’s extra point kick made the score 42-7.

The Rams tacked on three more touchdowns with a 34-yard run by Nate Dickey, a 58-yard run by Josh Salek and a 10-yard fumble return for a touchdown by Spencer Joppy when the snap on a Mustangs punt attempt went over the kickers head.

The Mustangs substituted liberally, giving the backups some game experience, but the Rams went with most of their first team until late in the game.

Jake Tracy kicked off 2 times for 91-yards, with the longest going for 49-yards. Brandon Utz punted 6 times for 226-yards and a 37.67-yard average, with the longest going for 43-yards. Jerome Robinson returned 5 kickoffs for 61-yards, with the longest going for 17-yards, and Brady Thayer returned 2 kickoffs for 40-yards, with the longest going for 25-yards, for the Mustangs.

Gabe Morela, who had 4 tackles, led the Mustangs defense, followed by Robinson with 3 tackles and 2 pass defenses, Ryan Krebs with 3 tackles and 1 pass defense, Eddie Lane, Aram Moffitt and Chris Weibe with 3 tackles each, Mike Mooradian, Dakotah Moses, and Hunter Palmer with 2 tackles each, and Aaron Doll, Mike Duffy, Gunner Holtz, Alex Jones, Ryan Lane, Zach Osborne, Payton Taylor, and Josh Walker with 1 tackle each.

Devon Ackerman, Alex Jones, Matt Helwig, Gunner Holtz, Eddie Lane, Aram Moffitt, Mike Mooradian, Gabe Morela, Dakotah Moses, Shawn Secola, Brady Shultz, Dillon Thomas, and Chris Weibe, manned the offensive and defensive line and linebacker positions, with help from Ryan Krebs, Ryan Lane, Ethan Paul, Josh Walker, Wayne Trostle, and Brandon Utz. Mike Duffy, Jordan Markle, Jerome Robinson, and Payton Taylor patrolled the secondary for the Mustangs, with help from Aaron Doll and Hunter Palmer.

The Mustangs gained 111-yards rushing and 19-yards passing for a total of 130-yards of offense. Quarterback Mike Duffy completed 2 of 6 passes for 11-yards and quarterback Tyler Sterner completed 2 of 5 passes for 8-yards. Jerome Robinson caught 1 pass for 11-yards, Zach Osborne caught 2 passes for 4-yars, and Payton Taylor caught 1 pass for 4-yards, for the Mustangs.

Dillon Thomas led the Mustangs rushing attack with 14 carries for 103-yards (including a 6-yard touchdown), followed by Camden Brown with 3 carries for 18-yards, Osborne with 3 carries for 10-yards, Brady Shultz with 3 carries for 6-yards, Sterner with 4 carries for 5-yards, Wyat Trostle with 2 carries for 3-yards, Bret Hertzog with 1 carry for minus 5-yards, Taylor with 2 carries for minus 7-yards, and Duffy with 6 carries for minus 22-yards. Jake Tracy kicked 1 extra point for the Mustangs.

The Rams gained 280-yards rushing and 92 yards passing for a total of 372 yards gained. Brandon LaVia completed 6 of 10 passes for 73-yards and 1 touchdown, and Nate Dickey completed 2 of 7 passes for 19-yards, for the Rams. Jordan Bowman caught 3 passes for 38-yards, Daylin Russo caught 1 pass for 26-yards, Andrew Burgwin caught 1 pass for 21-yards, Ben Mosey caught 1 pass for 7-yards and a touchdown, Zayd Issah caught 1 pass for 2-yards, and Malyk Harris caught 1 pass for minus 2-yards, for the Rams. Jordan Bowman led the Rams rushing attack with 1 carry for 62-yards and a touchdown, followed by Josh Salak with 1 carry for 58-yards and a touchdown, Mosey with 2 carries for 37-yards (including a 32-yard touchdown), Drew Scales with 4 carries for 36-yards (including a 15-yard touchdown), Dickey with 1 carry for 34-yards and a touchdown, Issah with 3 carries for 26-yards (including a 10-yard touchdown), Malachi Holmes with 3 carries for 14-yards, Chimdi Okpara with 3 carries for 6-yards, Quaniee Weedon with 1 carry for 6-yards, and Corey Allen with 1 carry for 1-yard. Scales returned a punt 64-yards for a touchdown, Spencer Joppy returned a fumble 10-yards for a touchdown, Casey Hartzell kicked 7 extra points, Jacob Kerschner kicked 2 extra points, Daylin Russo recovered a fumble, Mosey intercepted a pass, Spencer Chisolm, Issah, Mosey, AJ Perez, Elijah Robinson, and Joey Wilk each recorded a sack, and Nolan Pharris and Russo each recorded a half sack, for the Rams.

The 9-time Cavalcade of Bands Champions, Tournament of Bands Group IV Champion and US Scholastic Band Champion South Western Mustangs Marching Band put on a stirring half time performance, presenting their 2012 field show “Unity: A Natural Balance.” The show took us on a musical and visual exploration of the three natural forces among us: Water, Air and Land. The show opened with “Of Men and the Sea,” depicting the energetic role of water in our world. The raging water calmed us as we turned our eyes to the sky, then with a ballad highlighting the beauty and mystery of the night air and the “stars.” The show closed with the exotic sounds of the land in “Puma.”

The 23 member strong Mustangs Cheer Leading squad and the Rams squad were very impressive as they roused the faithful.

The Mustangs of South Western are 1-2-0 overall and 0-0-0 in York Adams Interscholastic Athletic Association (YAIAA) Division I league play.

The Mustangs have a career record of 338-208-8. The results of the 554 games played in the history of the South Western Mustangs are a career .619 winning percentage and a .625 non-losing percentage.

Next week the Mustangs visit the YAIAA Division II Colonials of New Oxford (1-1 overall, 0-0 league). New Oxford is coming off of a 9-0 loss to the Indians of Waynesboro. The Mustangs are looking to resume their winning tradition. GO MUSTANGS GO.

THE GRIDIRON 3-2012

By Dick Engelhardt

Captains George Alexandris, Kevin Osback and Jeff Welsh won the coin toss and the CUTTERS of Fair Lawn High roared out to a 13-0 lead over the FIGHTING MUSTANGS of Clifton High last Friday before losing a heart breaking 22-19 thriller in Big North Conference (BNC) Liberty Division action. Osback electrified the crowd intercepting a pass and galloping 85 yards for a TD putting our CUTTERS up 6-0. Osback threw a beautiful 17 yard TD pass to tight end Thomas Koike and With Mike Nieman snapping and Pete Danko holding, Ari Moslavi kicked the extra point. Our CUTTERS took the 13-0 lead into halftime and their fans were ecstatic!

The FIGHTING MUSTANGS scored twice to take a 14-13 lead but our “never-say-die” CUTTERS came right back as Osback threw a pass in the flat to speedy Corey Carlson who raced 76 yards for a TD putting Fair Lawn ahead 19-14. Late in the game a roughing the passer penalty put Clifton deep into Fair Lawn territory and the FIGHTING MUSTANGS plunged in for the TD and their 2 point conversion gave them a 22-19 lead. With 1:10 on the clock Osback and company tried to pull the game out. A long bomb intended for Alexandris was intercepted and the FIGHTING MUSTANGS took a knee to end the game. They knew they had been in a dog fight! The running game clicked behind center Kris Burger, left tackle Jeff Welsh, left guards Nick Perez and Scott Marcoux, right guard Brian Centeno and right tackle Mike Nieman. Great plays on “D” were made by Burger, Carlson, Centeno, Danko, Koike, Dan Laboy, Bill Nicudemos and Perez. Alexandris made a neat interception!

Clifton leads the 1972-81 and 2010-12 rivalry 10-3-1 (.769) including a State playoff victory in 1979. Our CUTTERS had won the regular season game that year 21-0.

Fair Lawn’s BNC Liberty Division went 1-1 (.500) against outside opposition. The Fair Lawn-Clifton game was the only one in the Division. The defending champion BULLDOGS of Passaic County Tech edged the COMETS of Hackensack 32-27 while the GHOSTS of Paterson Eastside were beaten 28-6 by the MAROONS of Ridgewood. The BNC Liberty Division is 2-4 against outside opposition so far in 2012.

This Saturday at Noon at BAUERLE FIELD in Paterson, our CUTTERS take on the KNIGHTS of JFK of Paterson. 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 the Big North Conference (BNC) Liberty Division 2010-11, Fair Lawn has gone to 8-4 (.667) over Central/Kennedy.

Fair Lawn comes into the game 0-2. Our CUTTERS have been outscored 55-31 for an average 28-16 loss. The KNIGHTS are 1-1 (.500) and have been outscored 41-21 for an average 21-11 loss. I saw their ragged 21-14 win over the INDIANS of Passaic at the newly field turfed Boverini Stadium last week. With an all out effort our CUTTERS can win this one. From here it looks like Fair Lawn 20- JFK 13. GO GUTTERS GO!!!

A WALK DOWN MEMORY LANE
By Dick Engelhardt

Fair Lawn High School opened September 13th, 1943. This 2012 history covers the years ending in “2.”

1952 – Frank Bennett’s Bergen-Passaic Interscholastic League (B-PIL) CUTTERS played a scoreless tie against the WILDCATS of East Rutherford, now Becton Regional. Of the old Passaic Valley Conference (PVC). In independent action 1950-53 the WILDCATS went 2-1-1 (.667) against our CUTTERS.

1962 – Coach Ed Sheehy’s CUTTERS were beaten 14-6 by the COMETS of Hackensack in Northern New Jersey Interscholastic League (NNJIL) action. During 1959-82 in the NNJIL the COMETS went 16-7-1 (.696) over our CUTTERS. In 1959, Fair Lawn’s maiden season in the league, our CUTTERS won 27-6 and yet saw Hackensack take the title by half a game. Frank Bennett’s 1953 B-PIL champs shared the North Jersey, Section 1, Group III State title with the COMETS. Mike Alberque’s 2000 CUTTERS put up a whale of a battle before losing 14-6 to the nationally ranked COMETS in the States. The 3-0 Hackensack lead in Big North Conference (BNC) crossover action in 2010 – 12 has the COMETS’ record against our CUTTERS to 20-7-1 (.741).

1972 – Al Reinoso’s CUTTERS beat the BOILERMAKERS of Garfield 26-8 in NNJIL action. During 1971-75 Fair Lawn went 5-0 (1.000) over Garfield in the NNJIL. The record went to 6–0 (1.000) in 2005 when Greg Tanzer’s CUTTERS trounced the BOILERMAKERS 47–7 in a State Consolation game.

1982 – Pete Natale’s CUTTERS edged the SPARTANS of Paramus 6-2 in an NNJIL thriller. During 1962-83 in the NNJIL, the SPARTANS went 12-10 (.545) over our CUTTERS. It was a great rivalry that ended when Fair Lawn returned to the Northern Bergen Interscholastic League (NBIL) in 1984. It resumed in 2010 in Big North Conference (BNC) crossover action where the SPARTANS are 2-0 (1.000) and lead the series 14-10(.583).

1992 – Mike Alberque’s CUTTERS were scalped 14-7 by the BRAVES of Indian Hills in NBIL interdivisional action. Our CUTTERS took the 1984-97 and 2000-2008 NBIL rivalry against the BRAVES 13-10 (.565).

2002 – Alberque’s CUTTERS beat the RAMS of Ramsey 33-20 in NBIL interdivisional action. Fair Lawn took the 1945-58, 1984-99 and 2002-06 rivalry against the RAMS by an astounding 28 games to 7 (.800) in B-PIL and Northern Bergen Interscholastic League NBIL action!

THE GRIDIRON 2-2012

By Dick Engelhardt

The CUTTERS of Fair Lawn High came out firing against the COMETS of Hackensack last week and led 12-8 late in the 3rd quarter before falling 33-12 in Big North Conference (BNC) crossover action. With QB Kevin Osback lugging the ball, their first drive stalled at the 13. Our heroes held Hackensack at bay and played a fascinating scoreless first half. After Hackensack went up 8-0, Osback uncorked a picture 33 yard TD pas to George Alexandris to make it 8-6. Osback and Alexandris teamed up on a 51 yard TD bomb to put our heroes back in front. Then Hackensack’s depth showed as the Comets pulled ahead. Our “never-say- die” CUTTERS fought valiantly with Alexandris intercepting a pass, Osback recovering a fumble and Tyler Argot, Kris Burger, Matt Ferry, Thomas Koike, Scott Marcoux, Nick Perez, Jeff Welsh and others making big plays. The COMETS lead the series 20-7-1 (.741).

I enjoyed being back for my 16th season as The Voice of The Cutters on The Gridiron with my “spotter,” Shawn Kerestes. It all started September 13th, 1943 when FLHS opened without seniors, who stayed at Paterson Eastside, Hawthorne and Ridgewood to graduate in 1944. Coach Marty Fischbein led the CUTTERS to a fine 9-4-2 (.692) record in independent action in 1943 and 44 after starting up with 3 JV games. Some called the new team the COMETS because they scored quickly in that 1st JV game, a 7-6 loss to Lodi, and others called them the CLIPPERS. It’s been said that some team members would leave school early to visit Doc Gurney, after whom Gurney Terrace is named, for taping and disappear for a time forcing Coach Fischbein to wait for the arrival of these "cutters" before he could run a full practice. Then, before the Leonia game, team captain Jack Van Olden led Tony DiNegri, Art Jaeggi, Jack Knowles, Al Livingstone and Bill Perkins on a sneak trip to the Rivoli Theater in Paterson to see a movie during school hours. The miscreants were caught and coach Fischbein kept those “cutters” out of the game. With the Lions up 12-0 he put our heroes in and Fair Lawn roared back to win 13-12. Livingstone took a pass from Van Olden and ran it 43 yards for a TD. In the 4th quarter, he ran 20 yards for a TD and plunged for the extra point winning the game. The student body, having chosen Crimson and Gray as the school colors, said “The CUTTERS won the game!” They insisted that the athletic teams be known as “The CUTTERS of Fair Lawn High.” And so it is 69 seasons later! The “original” 1943 CUTTERS were inducted into the FLHS Athletic Hall of Fame in 2009 along with this writer and others. Van Olden had been inducted individually in 2007.

Fair Lawn’s BNC Liberty Division went 1-3 (.250) against outside opposition. In addition to the Clifton and Fair Lawn losses, the GHOSTS of Paterson Eastside were beaten 19-10 by the BLUE DEVILS of Newark Central while the defending BNC Liberty Division champion BULLDOGS of Passaic Tech beat the INDIANS of Passaic 59-20.

On Friday night at 7 our CUTTERS travel to Clifton to take on the FIGHTING MUSTANGS. During 1972-74 independently, 1975-81 in the Northern New Jersey Interscholastic League (NNJIL) and 2010-11 in the Big North Conference (BNC) Liberty Division, Clifton has gone 9-3-1 (.750) over Fair Lawn, including a State playoff victory in 1979. I was the “Spotter” at Clifton School Stadium last week and saw the INDIANS of Pascack Valley, coached by former Fair Lawn assistant (1980-85) Craig Nielsen, wallop Clifton 42-0. Last year Fair Lawn upset the FIGHTING MUSTANGS 13-12. I think our CUTTERS can win this one. From here it looks like Fair Lawn 19- Clifton 6. GO GUTTERS GO!!!

THIS WEEK IN FLHS GRIDIRON HISTORY – 2012 Week 2

A WALK DOWN MEMORY LANE
By Dick Engelhardt

Fair Lawn High School opened September 13th, 1943. This 2012 history covers the years ending in “2.”

1952 – Fair Lawn High School opened September 13th, 1943. This 2012 history covers the years ending in “2.”

1952 – Frank Bennett’s Bergen-Passaic Interscholastic League (B-PIL) CUTTERS were shutout 7-0 by the BEARS of Hawthorne who would take the title. Independently in 1944 and in the B-PIL 1945-55, our CUTTERS went 9-3 (.750) over the BEARS. When Hawthorne, then the only Passaic County school in the league, left in ’56, the league was renamed the Northern Bergen Interscholastic League (NBIL).

1962 – Coach Ed Sheehy’s CUTTERS shutout the BULLDOGS of Rutherford 27-0 in Northern New Jersey Interscholastic League (NNJIL) action. During 1959 – 63 in the NNJIL, our CUTTERS went 3-2 (.600) over the BULLDOGS. Rutherford left for the Bergen County Scholastic League (BCSL) American Division in ’64.

1972 – Al Reinoso’s CUTTERS were beaten 25-7 by the FIGHTING MUSTANGS of Clifton High. During 1972-74 independently, 1975-81 in the Northern New Jersey Interscholastic League (NNJIL) and 2010-11 in the Big North Conference (BNC) Liberty Division, Clifton has gone 9-3-1 (.750) over Fair Lawn, including a State playoff victory in 1979. Last year our CUTTERS shocked the FIGHTING MUSTANGS 13-12 denying them a playoff spot.

1982 – Pete Natale’s CUTTERS were edged 13-8 by the HIGHWAYMEN of Teaneck in NNJIL action. During 1954-58 independently and 1959-82 in the NNJIL our CUTTERS went 17-11-1 (.607) over the HIGHWAYMEN. Fair Lawn’s 20-6 victory in 2009 in North Jersey Tri-County Conference (NJTCC) Division 3 action put our CUTTERS up 18-11-1 (.621) in the series.

1992 – Mike Alberque’s CUTTERS were scalped 12-9 by the INDIANS of Pascack Valley in NBIL action. Pascack Valley took the 1955-56, 1984-85 and 1988-2008 NBIL rivalry 14-10-1 (.583).

2002 – Alberque’s CUTTERS lost a 47-43 shootout at the hands of the GOLDEN KNIGHTS of Northern Valley/Old Tappan in NBIL Division 1 action. Our CUTTERS took the 1984–2008 NBIL rivalry against the GOLDEN KNIGHTS 15–10 (.600).

SOUTH WESTERN MUSTANGS GRIDIRON 2012-3

By Bill Engelhardt
________

Last Thursday evening, September 6, the Mustangs of South Western visited the Mid-Penn Keystone Division Colts of Cedar Cliff and were defeated 69-21. The passing of quarterback Andrew Ford for the Colts was virtually unstoppable, as he threw for 311-yards and 7 touchdowns. The valiant Mustangs never gave up and battled back but the Colts have at least 5 players who should go on to Division I college football and they were just too much for the Mustangs to overcome.

The Mustangs opened the game with a fumble on their 11-yard line the second play, recovered at the Colts by Josh Emond for the Colts. Ford immediately tossed a pass to Mike Viti to the 5 and then plunged in for a touchdown. The Mustangs went three and out and punted and the Colts returned the punt 23-yards and then drove 37-yards in three plays, ending with Ford’s 32-yard touchdown pass to Mike Viti. The score was 14-0 with 7:34 left in the first quarter. Three Ford touchdown passes later saw the score upped to 35-0 by the end of the first quarter.

The Mustangs finally got untracked late in the first quarter and drove 66-yards in 11 plays, featuring a 12-yard pass from Duffy to Zach Osborne and an 8-yard pass to Brady Shultz. Dillon Thomas scored on a 1-yard run and Jake Tracy’s extra point kick made the score 35-7 with 9:29 to go in the second quarter.

The Colts went 3 and out, including a sack by the Mustang’s Gabe Morela, and punted. The Mustangs took over at their own 43-yard line and Thomas galloped 57-yrds for a touchdown. Tracy’s extra point kick made the score 35-14 with 7:36 to go in the first half.

The Colts tacked on another touchdown on a 2-yard run by Xavier Baney and Leo Van Buskirk’s extra point kick (he had 7 for the day) made the score 42-14.

The Mustangs came right back again, with a 76-yard drive, featuring a 42-yard pass from Tyler Sterner to Zach Osborne. The drive ended with a 13-yard touchdown pass from Sterner to Osborne. Tracy’s extra point kick made the score 48-21 with 50 seconds left in the first half.

The Colts drove 56-yards in five plays, ending with a 6-yard touchdown pass from Ford to Nathan Orris as the time ran out in the half. Van Buskirk’s extra point kick upped the score to 48-21 at the half.

Ford tossed two more touchdown passes, both to Yousef Ajlane, and Noah Malone rushed for a 4-yard touchdown in the second half for the Colts. Van Buskirk added three more extra points and the final score was 69-21. The Mustangs substituted liberally, giving the backups some game experience.

Jake Tracy kicked off 3 times for 139-yards, with the longest going for 49-yards. Brandon Utz punted 3 times for 108-yards and a 46-yard average, with the longest going for 39-yards, and Gabe Morela punted 2 times for 62-yards and a 31-yard average, with the longest going for 36-yards. Jerome Robinson returned 3 kickoffs for 72-yards, with the longest going for 32-yards, for the Mustangs.

Eddie Lane, who had 6 tackles, led the Mustangs defense, followed by Robinson and Chris Weibe with 5 tackles each, Gustave Landis and Aram Moffitt with 4 tackles each, Matt Helwig, Tyler Jachelski, Tyler Kohler, Ryan Lane, and Payton Taylor with 3 tackles each, Gabe Morela with 2 tackles and a sack for a 3-yard loss, Jordan Markle, Hunter Palmer, Brady Shultz, and Dillon Thomas with 2 tackles each, and Devon Ackerman, Rich Bosse, Mike Duffy, Branden Fahs, Gunner Holtz, Alex Jones, Mike Mooradian, Ethan Paul, Shawn Secola, Jake Tracy, Wayne Trostle, and Josh Walker with 1 tackle each.

Devon Ackerman, Alex Jones, Matt Helwig, Gunner Holtz, Eddie Lane, Aram Moffitt, Mike Mooradian, Gabe Morela, Dakotah Moses, Shawn Secola, Brady Shultz, Dillon Thomas, and Chris Weibe, manned the offensive and defensive line and linebacker positions, with help from Richard Bosse, Ryan Krebs, Ryan Lane, Ethan Paul, Josh Walker, Wayne Trostle, and Brandon Utz. Mike Duffy, Jordan Markle, Jerome Robinson, and Payton Taylor patrolled the secondary for the Mustangs, with help from Aaron Doll and Hunter Palmer.

The Mustangs gained 131-yards rushing and 133-yards passing for a total of 264-yards of offense. Quarterback Tyler Sterner completed 5 of 6 passes for 110-yards and 1 touchdown, 3 for 61-yards to Zach Osborne (including a 13-yard touchdown), 1 for 27-yards to Mike Mooradian, and 1 for 22-yards to Hunter Palmer, and quarterback Mike Duffy completed 3 of 7 passes for 23-yards, 1 for 12-yards to Zach Osborne, 1 for 8-yards to Brady Shultz, and 1 for 3-yards to Jerome Robinson, for the Mustangs.

Dillon Thomas led the Mustangs rushing attack with 14 carries for 117-yards (including touchdowns of 1 and 57-yards), followed by Shultz with 4 carries for 18-yards, Wyat Trostle with 1 carry for 8-yards, Camden Brown with 1 carry for 3-yards, Dakotah Moses with 1 carry for 2-yards, Bret Hertzog with 1 carry for 1-yard, Osborne with 1 carry for no yards, Payton Taylor with 1 carry for minus 4-yards, Duffy with 4 carries for minus 6-yards, and Sterner with 1 carry for minus 8-yards. Jake Tracy kicked 3 extra points and Gabe Morela recorded a sack for the Mustangs.

The Cedar Cliff Colts rang up 153-yards rushing and 322 yards passing for a total of 475 yards gained. Andrew Ford completed 19 of 24 passes for 311-yards and 7 touchdowns, 4 for 96-yards to Mike Viti (including a 32-yard touchdown), 5 for 95-yards to Yousef Ajlane (including touchdowns of 28 and 42-yards), 3 for 47-yards to Jacob Scott (including touchdowns of 12 and 10-yards), 2 for 41-yards to Nathan Orris (including touchdowns of 36 and 6-yards), 3 for 20-yards to Noah Malone, and 2 for 12-yards to Xavier Baney, and Noah Malone completed 1 pass for 11-yards to Derek Ford, for the Colts. Baney led the Colts rushing attack with 9 carries for 71-yards (including a 2-yard touchdown), followed by Malone with 5 carries for 33-yards (including a 5-yard touchdown), Jordan Stiles with 6 carries for 22-yards, Ford with 6 carries for 19-yards (including a 5-yard touchdown), Bobby Palmer with 3 carries for 9-yards, and Zach Rush with 1 carry for minus 1-yard. Ford threw a 2-point conversion pass to Scott, Leo Van Buskirk kicked 7 extra points and 7 touchbacks on kickoffs, and Josh Emond and Orris each recovered a fumble, for the Colts.

The 9-time Cavalcade of Bands Champions, Tournament of Bands Group IV Champion and US Scholastic Band Champion South Western Mustangs Marching Band put on a stirring half time performance, presenting their 2012 field show “Unity: A Natural Balance.” The show took us on a musical and visual exploration of the three natural forces among us: Water, Air and Land. The show opened with “Of Men and the Sea,” depicting the energetic role of water in our world. The raging water calmed us as we turned our eyes to the sky, then with a ballad highlighting the beauty and mystery of the night air and the “stars.”

The 24 member strong Mustangs Cheer Leading squad and the 19 member Colts squad were very impressive as they roused the faithful.

The Mustangs of South Western are 1-1-0 overall and 0-0-0 in York Adams Interscholastic Athletic Association (YAIAA) Division I league play.

The Mustangs have a career record of 338-207-8. The results of the 552 games played in the history of the South Western Mustangs are a career .620 winning percentage and a .626 non-losing percentage.

Next week the Mustangs host the Rams of Central Dauphin. Central Dauphin opened the season with a 24-7 loss to the Shamrocks of Bishop McDevitt. The Mustangs are looking to resume their winning tradition. GO MUSTANGS GO.

SOUTH WESTERN MUSTANGS GRIDIRON 2012-2

By Bill Engelhardt
________

Last Friday evening, August 31, the Mustangs of South Western hosted the Warriors of Gettysburg at the Mustang Corral and galloped and passed to a resounding 41-6 victory to begin their 53rd season, the first under new head coach Damian Poalucci. Mustangs running back Dillon Thomas kept the offense moving with 109-yards rushing on 12 carries. He scored 2 rushing touchdowns accounting for 12 of the 41 points for the Mustangs. The quarterback tandem of Mike Duffy and Tyler Sterner accounted for 172-yards and 3 touchdowns passing on 7 completions to round out the balanced offense.

The Warriors opened the game and went three and out, after Dillon sacked the quarterback for a 6-yard loss, punting to the Mustangs. The Mustangs opened with a neat 6-yard run by Dakotah Moses, a 3-yard run by Brady Shultz. Duffy then followed with a beautiful 50-yard touchdown toss to Jordan Markle. Jake Tracy’s extra point kick put the Mustangs up 7-0 with 9:04 left in the first quarter.

The Warriors only got in one play before Aram Moffitt recovered a fumble for the Mustangs. The Mustangs then went three and out and punted and the Warriors returned the favor by doing the same. Each team ended up punting again.

The Mustangs finally broke the logjam with a two-play drive from the Warriors 41-yard line. Dillon gained 8-yards to the 33 and Duffy lofted a picture perfect 33-yard touchdown pass to Payton Taylor. Jake Tracy’s extra point kick put the Mustangs up 14-0 with 19 seconds left in the first quarter.

Gettysburg went three and out and punted and the Mustangs drove 46-yards in three plays with Sterner at the helm. Sterner ran for 6-yards to the 40, Dillon jaunted 29-yards to the 11, Shultz gained 9-yards to the 2, and Dillon plunged in for a touchdown. The extra point kick was blocked and the Mustangs were up 20-0 at the 8:48 mark in the second quarter.

The Warriors went three and out and punted again and the Mustangs launched a 64-yard four-play touchdown drive. Shultz ran for 5-yards, Payton Taylor ran for 11-yards, Zach Osborne ran for 5-yards, and Sterner tossed a perfect 43-yard touchdown pass to Jerome Robinson. Tracy’s extra point kick upped the score to 27-0 with 5:33 left in the first half.

The Mustangs opened the second half by punting after going three and out. Alex Jones immediately got the ball back for the Mustangs by recovering a Warriors fumble at the 19-yard line of the Warriors. Four plays later Dillon scored on a 5-yard run. Tracy’s extra point kick put the Mustangs up 34-0 with 7:48 to go in the third quarter.

The Warriors drove 53-yards, aided by 35-yards in penalties, to the Mustangs, only to see Robinson intercept a Warriors pass and return it 8-yards to the Mustangs 31-yard line. The Mustangs drove 69-yrds in ten plays, featuring a 26-yard pass from Duffy to Moses and ending with a 3-yard touchdown plunge by Wyat Trostle. Tracy’s extra point kick upped the score to 41-0 and invoked the mercy rule with one minute to go in the third quarter.

The Mustangs substituted liberally after that. The Warriors then drove 67-yards in 12 plays, ending with a 13-yard touchdown pass from Logan Milhimes to Dane Purdy, closing out the scoring in the game with 5:40 left to play in the fourth quarter.

Tracy kicked off 5 times for 214-yards, with the longest going for 60-yards and a touchback, and Ryan Krebs kicked off 1 time for 41-yards. Gabe Morela punted 3 times for 69-yards (for an average of 23-yards) with the longest going for 38-yards. Brandon Utz punted 1 time for 40-yards. Robinson returned 3 punts for 18-yards, with the longest going for 9-yards, and returned 1 kickoff for 31-yards. Hunter Palmer returned 1 kickoff for 20-yards, for the Mustangs.

Aram Moffitt, who had 7 tackles and a sack, led the Mustangs defense, followed by Chris Weibe with 6 tackles and a sack, Eddie Lane with 5 tackles, Dillon Thomas with 4 tackles and a sack, Wyat Trostle with 4 tackles, Gunner Holtz with 3 tackles and a pass hurry, Joe Bond with 3 tackles, Matt Helwig, Alex Jones, Ryan Krebs, Ryan Lane, Babe Morela, and Josh Walker with 2 tackles each, Aaron Doll, Rich Bosse, Tyler Jachelski, Mike Mooradian, Ethan Paul, Shawn Secola, Brady Shultz, and Brandon Utz with 1 tackle each, Gunner Holtz with a pass hurry, and Jordan Markle with a pass defense..

Devon Ackerman, Alex Jones, Matt Helwig, Gunner Holtz, Eddie Lane, Aram Moffitt, Mike Mooradian, Gabe Morela, Dakotah Moses, Shawn Secola, Brady Shultz, Dillon Thomas, and Chris Weibe, manned the offensive and defensive line and linebacker positions, with help from Richard Bosse, Ryan Krebs, Ryan Lane, Ethan Paul, Josh Walker, Wayne Trostle, and Brandon Utz. Mike Duffy, Jordan Markle, Jerome Robinson, and Payton Taylor patrolled the secondary for the Mustangs, with help from Aaron Doll and Hunter Palmer.

The Mustangs gained 224-yards rushing and 172-yards passing for a total of 396-yards of offense. Quarterback Mike Duffy completed 4 of 8 passes for 116 and 2 touchdowns and quarterback Tyler Sterner completed 3 of 7 passes for 56-yards and 1 touchdown. Jordan Markle caught 1 pass for 50-yards and a touchdown from Duffy, Jerome Robinson caught 1 pass for 43-yards and a touchdown from Sterner, Payton Taylor caught 1 pass for 33-yards and a touchdown from Duffy, Dakotah Moses caught 2 passes for 26-yards, Hunter Palmer caught 1 pass for 12-yards, and Wyat Trostle caught 1 pass for 8-yards, for the Mustangs. Dillon Thomas led the Mustangs rushing attack with 12 carries for 109-yards (including touchdowns of 2 and 5-yards), followed by Trostle with 4 for 16 (including a 3-yard touchdown), Taylor with 4 for 15, Moses with 2 for 14, Matt Shanks for 3 for 13, Camden Brown with 5 for 12, Zach Osborne with 2 for 12, Brady Shultz with 6 for 11, Duffy with 1 for 11, Sterner with 1 for 6, and Bret Hertzog with 1 carry for 5-yards, for the Mustangs. Jake Tracy kicked 5 extra points, Robinson intercepted a pass and returned it for 8-yards, Aram Moffitt and Alex Jones each recovered a fumble, and Ethan Paul (for a loss of 8-yards), Aram Moffitt (for a loss of 8-yards), Dillon Thomas (for a loss of 6-yards) and Chris Weibe (for a loss of 6-yards) each recorded a sack for the Mustangs.

The Gettysburg Warriors rang up 40-yards rushing and 41-yards passing for a total of 81-yards gained. Quarterback Logan Milhimes completed 5 of 13 passes for the 41-yards and 1 touchdown, 2 for 24-yards to Dane Purdy (including a 13-yard touchdown), 1 for 10-yards to Jason Nye, 1 for 9-yards to Nathan Sharrah, and 1 for minus 2-yards to Jeremiah Colbert, for the Warriors. Nye led the Warriors rushing attack with 10 carries for 46-yards, followed by Sharrah with 5 for 9-yards, Colbert with 4 for 3-yards, Frederick Steimling with 4 for 1-yard, and Milhimes with 7 carries for minus 19-yards, for the Warriors.

The Mustangs are hoping to contend for the Division I championship in the YAIAA again this year.

The 9-time Cavalcade of Bands Champions, Tournament of Bands Group IV Champion and US Scholastic Band Champion South Western Mustangs Marching Band put on a stirring half time performance, presenting their 2012 field show “Unity: A Natural Balance.” The show took us on a musical and visual exploration of the three natural forces among us: Water, Air and Land. The show opened with “Of Men and the Sea,” depicting the energetic role of water in our world. The raging water calmed us as we turned our eyes to the sky, with the ballad highlighting the beauty and mystery of the night air and the stars.

The 24 member strong Mustangs Cheer Leading squad was very impressive as they roused the faithful.

The Mustangs of South Western are 1-0-0 overall and 0-0-0 in York Adams Interscholastic Athletic Association (YAIAA) Division I league play.

The Mustangs have a career record of 338-206-8. The results of the 552 games played in the history of the South Western Mustangs are a career .621 winning percentage and a .626 non-losing percentage.

Next week the Mustangs visit the Colts of Cedar Cliff. Cedar Cliff opened the season with a 55-27 win over the Buckskins of Conestoga Valley. The Mustangs played great offense and great defense in their season opener. They are looking to continue in their winning tradition and make this a memorable season. GO MUSTANGS GO.