SOUTH WESTERN MUSTANGS GRIDIRON 2012-10

By Bill Engelhardt
________

Last Friday evening, October 26, the Mustangs of South Western visited the den of the Bearcats of William Penn (York High) and galloped to a 28-21 victory. The Mustangs rang up 27 first downs, nearly twice as many plays, and 388 yard rushing, including 203-yards and 4 touchdowns by Dillon Thomas, but a few big plays kept the Bearcats in the game. The last 2 plays of the game were incomplete passes in the end zone by the Bearcats, so it was a cliffhanger until the end.

The Mustangs victory moved them up from number 17 to number 14 in District 3 playoff rankings in Class AAAA. The top 16 teams make the playoffs and William Penn dropped to number 17. If the playoffs began now the number 14 Mustangs of South Western would visit the number 3 Cougars of Harrisburg (7-2).

The Mustangs opened the game with a twelve play 56-yard drive, featuring a 20-yard run by Thomas, to the Bearcats 16-yard line. A field goal attempt failed and the Bearcats began a drive on their 20-yard line. The first play from scrimmage was a 72-yard pass from James Way to Dakeem Dennison to the Mustangs 8-yard line. After a penalty to the 4-yard line, Kelvin Nieves plunged in for a touchdown. Thurman Fogleman’s extra point kick put the Bearcats up 7-0 at the 5:36 mark of the first quarter.

The Mustangs and the Bearcats exchanged punts twice and the Mustangs began a drive on their own 5-yard line. Nate Delmotte intercepted a pass and returned it to the Mustangs 7-yrd line, only to have the play erased with roughing the passer penalty that maintained the Mustangs’ possession at the 20. Twelve plays later, featuring 16 and 20-yard runs by Thomas and a 20-yard run by Zach Osborne, Thomas scored a touchdown on a 1-yard plunge. Jake Tracy’s extra point kick tied the score at 7 with 2:12 left in the first half.

The Bearcats then drove 45-yards in about a minute, featuring a 12-yard pass from Way to Dennison. Way threw a 33-yard touchdown pass to Derek Wilson and Fogleman’s extra point kick put the Bearcats up 14-7 with 1:07 to go in the half.

The Mustangs then drove 65-yards in seven plays, featuring consecutive runs of 23, 19, and 20-yards by Brady Shultz. Thomas scored on a 6-yard run and Tracy’s extra point kick tied the score at 14 with one second left in the first half.

The Bearcats opened the second half with a 37-yard kickoff return by Nieves to the Mustangs 35-yard line. Nieves fumbled two plays later and Jerome Robinson recovered it for the Mustangs at their 16-yard line. Nine plays later, featuring an 18-yard run by Shultz, the Mustangs failed to convert on a 4th down play and turned the ball over on downs at the Bearcats 38-yard line. The Bearcats went three and out and punted.

The Mustangs then drove 64-yards in five plays, featuring a 23-yard run by Thomas and a 26-yard pass from Tyler Sterner to Mike Mooradian. Thomas scored a touchdown on a 13-yard run and Tracy’s extra point kick put the Mustangs up 21-14 with 2:27 left in the third quarter.

Nieves returned the kickoff 38-yards to the Mustangs 31-yard line for the Bearcats. The Bearcats drove 31-yards in seven plays, featuring a 14-yard pass from Way to Wilson, and ending with a 20-yard touchdown pass from Way to Bryshon Sweeney. Fogleman’s extra point kick tied the score at 21 with 11:55 left in the game.

Payton Taylor returned the Bearcats’ kickoff 28-yards to the Mustangs 43-yard line. The Mustangs then drove 57-yards in nine plays, featuring a 12-yard run by Shultz. The drive ended with a 4-yard touchdown by Thomas. Tracy’s extra point kick made the final score 28-21 in favor of the Mustangs with 7:25 left in the game.

The Bearcats had a drive end with an interception in the end zone by Mike Duffy. The Bearcats final drive ended with 2 incomplete passes in the end zone and time ran out.

Jake Tracy kicked off 5 times for 182-yards, with the longest going for 57-yards. Payton Taylor returned 2 kickoffs for 47-yards, with the longest going for 28-yards, and Camden Brown returned 1 kickoff for 15-yards. Brandon Utz punted 3 times for 137-yards for an average of 45.67-yards, with the longest going for 58-yards. Jerome Robinson returned 1 punt for 2-yards for the Mustangs.

Chris Weibe, with 7 tackles and a caused fumble, led the Mustang defense, followed by Ryan Krebs with 7 tackles and a pass defense, Eddie Lane with 6 tackles, Gunner Holtz with 5 tackles and 3 pass hurries, Payton Taylor with 5 tackles and a pass defense, Aram Moffitt with 4 tackles and 2 pass hurries, Brady Shultz with 3 tackles and a pass defense, Jerome Robinson with 2 tackles and a recovered fumble, Devon Ackerman with 2 tackles and a pass hurry, Brandon McMinn, and Aaron Uttley with 2 tackles each, Mike Duffy with 1 tackle, an interception and 3 pass defenses, Ryan Lane, with 1 tackle and 2 pass defenses, Gabe Morela with 1 tackle and a pass hurry, and Aaron Doll, Brady Thayer, Jake Tracy, Wyat Trostle with 1 tackle each, and Bobby Wildasin with a pass defense.

Devon Ackerman, Alex Jones, Matt Helwig, Gunner Holtz, Ryan Krebs, Eddie Lane, Ryan 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 Brandon McMinn, Ethan Paul, Josh Walker, Wayne Trostle, and Brandon Utz. Mike Duffy, Jordan Markle, Hunter Palmer, Jerome Robinson, Payton Taylor, and Bobby Wildasin patrolled the secondary for the Mustangs, with help from Aaron Doll.

The Mustangs gained 388-yards rushing and 53yards passing for a total of 441-yards of offense. Quarterback Mike Duffy completed 3 of 5 passes for 21-yards, 1 for 12-yards to Mike Mooradian, 1 for 5-yards to Brady Shultz, and 1 for 4-yards to Zach Osborne, and quarterback Tyler Sterner completed 2 of 3 passes for 32-yards, 1 for 26-yards to Mooradian and 1 for 6-yards to Brady Thayer, for the Mustangs.

Dillon Thomas led the Mustangs rushing attack with 34 carries for 203-yards (including touchdowns of 1, 6, 13, and 4yards), followed by Brady Shultz with 11 carries for 123-yards, Bobby Wildasin with 4 carries for 25-yards, Dakotah Moses with 5 carries for 21-yards, Zach Osborne with 4 carries for 21-yards, Mike Duffy with 3 carries for 3-yards, Wyat Trostle with 1 carry for 2-yards, and Tyler Sterner with 3 carries for minus 10-yards. Jake Tracy kicked 4 extra points for the Mustangs.

The Bearcats gained 101-yards rushing and 244 yards passing for a total of 354 yards gained. James way completed 10 of 27 passes for the 244-yards, 6 for 139-yards to Derek Wilson (including a 33-yard touchdown), 2 for 86-yards to Dakeem Dennison, 1 for 20-yards and a touchdown to Bryshon Sweeney, and 1 for minus 1-yard to John Phillips, for the Bearcats.

Way led the Bearcats rushing attack with 10 carries 66-yards, followed by Kelvin Nieves with 7 carries for 44-yards (including a 4-yard touchdown), and Sweeney with 1 carry for 2-yards. Thurman Fogleman kicked 3 extra points and Nieves recorded a sack for the Bearcats.

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 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 43 members strong Bearcats Marching Band put on a stirring post-game show entitled “Spies Among Us,” featuring music from espionage films.

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

The Mustangs of South Western are 5-4-0 overall and 2-2-0 in York Adams Interscholastic Athletic Association (YAIAA) Division I league play.

The Mustangs have a career record of 342-210-8. The results of the 560 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 Rockets of Spring Grove (7-2 overall, 4-0 league) to close out the regular season. Spring Grove I coming off of a 49-34 victory over the Wildcats of Dallastown. The Mustangs are looking to remain on the winning track. GO MUSTANGS GO.

THE GRIDIRON 9-2012

By Dick Engelhardt

I “voted” for “David” but, alas, “Goliath” won. The CUTTERS of Fair Lawn High ran into the juggernaut that is the playoff bound LANCERS of Lakeland Regional High of Wanaque last week at SASSO FIELD and were shut out 43-0. Captains George Alexandris, Pete Danko, Kevin Osback, Franklyn Ramirez and Jeff Welsh went out for the coin toss. The LANCERS won it and scored on their first drive and never looked back. Our heroes kept it close for a while and Lakeland led only 14-0 at the half. The clock operator observed that Fair Lawn was making a game of it. In the second half the Lakeland depth showed and our injury depleted CUTTERS fell victim to an avalanche of 29 more points. QB Alexandris passed to John Pagios for a first down and made some nice runs. He intercepted a pass in the end zone! On a dramatic fake punt, Danko rambled for a first down at the 50. Ramirez picked up a neat first down off a block by Brian Centeno. Kris Burger alertly recovered a fumble! Brendan Sibilio blocked an extra point try and nice defensive plays were made by Thomas Koike, Dan Laboy, Eugene Mbau, Pagios, Nick Tsinkelis, and Justin Williams. This was the first game ever played between our Crimson and Gray clad CUTTERS and the Scarlet and Gray clad LANCERS. The shutout loss, the 3rd this season, was the 86th in FLHS history and our CUTTERS have shutout their foes 82 times.

Twenty senior players and their escorts were introduced since this was the last scheduled home game. We don’t know whether the “Consolation Game” will be home or away yet. “Football’s Fabulous Females,” the FLHS Cheerleaders, led by their Coach, Lauren Gimon, looked great performing adorned in pink for breast cancer awareness. Coach Nicole Mattina’s JV Cheerleaders performed well too and fans had a special treat as the Fair Lawn Football Association Cheerleaders took the field!

In Fair Lawn’s BNC Liberty Division, the GHOSTS of Paterson Eastside, who play on Thanksgiving, had a Bye. The Division went 0-3 against outside opposition. In addition to Fair Lawn’s loss, the Liberty Division champion BULLDOGS of Passaic County Technical Institute were beaten 34-7 by he PATRIOTS of Wayne Hills and the FIGHTING MUSTANGS of Clifton High were beaten 35-6 by the MAROONS of Ridgewood. The BNC Liberty Division is 6-15 (.286) against outsiders so far in 2012.

On Friday night at 7:00 our CUTTERS travel to BAUERLE Field in Paterson to take on the GHOSTS of Paterson Eastside in BNC Liberty Division action. During 1947-54 and 1983 Fair Lawn went 5-4 (.556) over the GHOSTS. This was sweetened by the fact that, until FLHS opened in 1943, most Fair Lawn students attended Eastside. A few students from the Columbia Heights section went to Hawthorne and the Radburn section students went to Ridgewood. The teams are 1-1 (.500) in BNC Liberty Division play 2010-11 and our CUTTERS lead the rivalry 6-5 (.545). Fair Lawn comes into the game at 1-7 (.125) having been outscored 246-69 for an average 31-9 loss. Eastside comes into the game at 2-5 (286) having been outscored 152-77 for an average 22-11 loss. Our “never-say-die” CUTTERS will make an all out effort with QB Kevin Osback expected back from injury. From here it looks like Fair Lawn 21 – Eastside 17. GO GUTTERS GO!!!

SOUTH WESTERN MUSTANGS GRIDIRON 2012-9

By Bill Engelhardt
________

Last Friday evening, October 19, the Mustangs of South Western hosted the Lions of Red Lion at the Mustang Corral and galloped to a 28-5 victory. Junior running sensation Dillon Thomas led the way with three rushing touchdowns. He now has rushed for 1,071-yards and 12 touchdowns for the season to date.

The Mustangs opened the game with a surprise onside kick and Chris Weibe recovered the ball at the Red Lion 47-yard line. The Mustangs were not able to capitalize on their recovery as they went three and out and punted. The Lions ran off five plays and punted. The Mustangs ran off five plays and punted.

The Lions then ran off two plays before fumbling and Gabe Morela recovered the fumble for the Mustangs at the Lions 27-yard line. Five plays later Dillon Thomas plunged in for a 5-yard touchdown. Jake Tracy’s extra point kick put the Mustangs up 7-0 at the 3:07 mark in the first quarter.

The Lions then drove 49-yards to the Mustangs 16-yard line where they fumbled and Ryan Lane recovered for the Mustangs. The Mustangs ended up attempting a punt from their 20-yard line and the snap sailed over the punters head. Brad Gladfelter recorded a sack by tackling the punter in the end zone. That made the score 7-2 at the 9:15 mark of the second quarter.

The teams exchanged punts and then Jerome Robinson intercepted a Lions pass for the Mustangs and returned it 12-yards to the Lions 45-yard line. A seven-play drive, featuring a 9-yard pass from Tyler Sterner to Mike Mooradian to the 13-yard line, ended with Sterner’s 1-yard touchdown plunge. Tracy’s extra point kick upped the score to 14-2 with 37 seconds left in the first -half.

The Mustangs muffed the kickoff to start the second half and Ben Otte recovered for the Lions at the Mustangs 27-yard line. After advancing to the 15-yard line in six plays, Devon Bohlen kicked a 32-yard field goal for the Lions. That made the score 14-5 in favor of the Mustangs at the 8:39 mark of the third quarter.

The Mustangs then drove 80-yards in five plays, featuring a 38-yard run by Dakotah Moses. Dillon Thomas ended the drive with a 22-yard touchdown run. Tracy’s extra point upped the score to 21-5 at the 6:57 mark of the third quarter.

The Lions then drove 35-yards to the Mustangs 30-yard line, only to turn the ball over on downs. The Mustangs then drove 70-yards in six plays, featuring a 26-yard run by Thomas and ending with another 26-yard run for a touchdown by Thomas. Tracy’s extra point kick closed out the scoring at 28-5 with 11:33 left in the game.

Jake Tracy kicked off 5 times for 229-yards, with the longest going for 53-yards. Payton Taylor returned 1 kickoff for 12-yards. Brandon Utz punted 3 times for 102-yards, with the longest going for 36-yards, for the Mustangs.

Chris Weibe, with 10 tackles, a fumble recovery, a caused fumble, a pass defense, and a pass hurry, led the Mustangs defense, followed by Payton Taylor with 8 tackles and a pass defense, Gabe Morela with 6 tackles, a recovered fumble and a sack, Devon Ackerman, Eddie Lane, and Aram Moffitt with 6 tackles each, Ryan Lane with 5 tackles, a recovered fumble and a pass defense, Dillon Thomas, Gunner Holtz, and Hunter Palmer with 4 tackles each, Jerome Robinson with 2 tackles, an interception and a pass defense, Mike Duffy with 2 tackles and a pass defense, Ryan Krebs, and Aaron Uttley with 2 tackles each, and Matt Helwig, Jordan Markle, Brandon McMinn, Sean Secola, and Wyat Trostle with 1 tackle each.

Devon Ackerman, Alex Jones, Matt Helwig, Gunner Holtz, Ryan Krebs, Eddie Lane, Ryan 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 Brandon McMinn, Ethan Paul, Josh Walker, Wayne Trostle, and Brandon Utz. Mike Duffy, Jordan Markle, Hunter Palmer, Jerome Robinson, Payton Taylor, and Bobby Wildasin patrolled the secondary for the Mustangs, with help from Aaron Doll.

The Mustangs gained 243-yards rushing and 26yards passing for a total of 269-yards of offense. Quarterback Tyler Sterner completed 3 of 6 passes for 26-yards, 1 for 11-yards to Payton Taylor, 1 for 9-yards to Mike Mooradian, and 1 for 6-yards to Jerome Robinson, and quarterback Mike Duffy failed to complete a pass in 3 attempts, for the Mustangs.

Dillon Thomas led the Mustangs rushing attack with 20 carries for 160-yards (including touchdowns of 5, 22, and 26-yards), followed by Dakotah Moses with 4 carries for 47-yards, Bobby Wildasin with 5 carries for 23-yards, Zach Osborne with 4 carries for 10-yards, Taylor with 3 carries for 6-yards, Camden Brown with 1 carry for no yards, Brandon Utz with 1 carry for no yards, and Sterner with 2 carries for minus 2-yards (including a 1-yard touchdown). Jake Tracy kicked 4 extra points, Ryan Lane, Gabe Morela, and Chris Weibe each recovered a fumble, Robinson intercepted a pass, Morela recorded a sack for an 8-yard loss, and Weibe recorded a pass hurry, for the Mustangs.

The Lions gained 91-yards rushing and 50 yards passing for a total of 141 yards gained. Blake Cahill completed 5 of 23 passes for 50-yards, 1 for 17-yards to Mitch Baublitz, 1 for 13-yards to Seth Haight, 2 for 10-yards to Dan Althoff, and 1 for 10-yards to Alex Keller, for the Lions.

Ken Holloway led the Lions rushing attack with 10 carries for 32-yards, followed by Cahill with 6 carries for 21-yards, Josh Jones with 7 carries for 20-yards, Don Gurreri with 3 carries for 10-yards, and Ryan Edie with 1 carry for 8-yards. Devon Bohlen kicked a 32-yard field goal, Brad Gladfelter recorded a safety by tackling the Mustangs punter in the end zone after a bad snap, and Dan Godfrey recorded a sack for a 7-yard loss for the Lions.

It was Band Night at the Mustang Corral and the 90 member strong Emory H Markle Intermediate School Marching Band performed the Spanish number “El Gato” and Santana’s classic hit “Evil Ways” in a pre-game show. They were joined by the Mustangs Marching Band for the joint performance of another number. 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 91 members strong Lions Marching Band put on a stirring half time show entitled “Escape from the West Side, featuring music (familiar and unfamiliar) from West Side Story.

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

The Mustangs of South Western are 4-4-0 overall and 1-2-0 in York Adams Interscholastic Athletic Association (YAIAA) Division I league play.

The Mustangs have a career record of 341-210-8. The results of the 559 games played in the history of the South Western Mustangs are a career .619 winning percentage and a .624 non-losing percentage.

Next week the Mustangs visit the Bearcats of William Penn (3-5 overall, 2-1 league) at Small Athletic Field in York. William Penn is coming off of a 50-24 loss to the Rockets of Spring Grove. The Mustangs are looking to remain on the winning track. GO MUSTANGS GO.

THE GRIDIRON 8-2012

By Dick Engelhardt

The injury depleted CUTTERS of Fair Lawn High were outgunned 38-0 by the MAROONS of Ridgewood in Big North Conference (BNC) crossover action last week at SASSO FIELD. Captains George Alexandris, Pete Danko, Franklyn Ramirez and Jeff Welsh won the toss and our heroes received. They mounted a drive with Alexandris and Ramirez picking up yardage. Then Ridgewood’s depth took its toll and the MAROONS led 17-0 at halftime. They scored 21 more points in the second half, one TD by an interception runback. Alexandris intercepted a pass, Matt Ferry sacked the QB, Nick Tsinkelis clobbered a punt returner and Tyler Argot, Kris Burger, Danko, Thomas Koike, Brendan Sibilio, Mike Venezia and Welsh made big plays. Danko once again played QB filling in for the injured Kevin Osback and Venezia took over his punting duties. Dillon Rinaldo finished up at QB.

The win brought Ridgewood’s record 1944-83 on Turkey Day and 2012 to 27-11-3 (.711) over our CUTTERS. Fair Lawn’s last win was in 1980 by Pete Natale’s Northern New Jersey Interscholastic League (NNJIL) tri-champion (With Clifton and Passaic Valley) and playoff bound CUTTERS. The shutout was the 85th in FLHS history and our CUTTERS have shutout their foes 82 times.

It was nice to see right halfback Jim Harrison wearing his 1955 Bergen-Passaic Interscholastic League (B-PIL) championship Fair Lawn jacket at the game. Jim, who came down from Ringwood, received an ovation when I introduced him! My twin brother, Bill, and I were “Water Boys” on Coach Frank Bennett’s ‘55 championship team that came from behind to beat Ridgewood 19-7 on Turkey Day.

In the only BNC Liberty Division game, the FIGHTING MUSTANGS of Clifton High beat the GHOSTS of Paterson Eastside in a 28-21 thriller that ended in a donnybrook! The Division went 1-1 (.500) against outside opposition. While Fair Lawn lost, the champion BULLDOGS of Passaic Tech beat the KNIGHTS of JFK 45-14. The BNC Liberty Division is 6-12 (.333) against outsiders so far in 2012.

On Saturday at Noon at SASSO FIELD our CUTTERS play host to the LANCERS of Lakeland Regional High School of Wanaque for the first time ever. The Red and Gray will win this one! Trouble is we might have a hard time telling the Crimson and Gray clad CUTTERS apart from the perennial playoff contending Scarlet and Gray clad LANCERS! Their upset 29-25 loss to the GOLDEN KNIGHTS of Northern Valley/Old Tappan last week has them at 6-1 (.857) having outscored their opposition 246-103 for an average 35-15 win. That game showed the LANCERS can be scored upon. Fair Lawn comes into the game at 1-6 (.143) having been outscored 203-69 for an average 29-10 loss. Talk about David versus Goliath! Here’s a vote for “David.” I know our “never-say die” CUTTERS will give it their all. From here it looks like Fair Lawn 21 – Lakeland 19. GO GUTTERS GO!!!

THIS WEEK IN FLHS GRIDIRON HISTORY – 2012 Week 8

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 CUTTERS beat the BUCCANEERS of Bogota 31-13 in Bergen-Passaic Interscholastic League (B-PIL) action. Fair Lawn and Bogota shared the 1946 (B-PIL) title and our CUTTERS took the 1945-55 rivalry with the BUCCANEERS 6-3-2 (.667).

1962 – Coach Ed Sheehy’s CUTTERS edged the MAROON RAIDERS of Dwight Morrow High in Englewood 13-6 in Northern New Jersey Interscholastic League (NNJIL) action. Independently 1945-46, 1957-58 and 1986-89 and in the NNJIL 1959-71, our CUTTERS went 14-7 (.667) over the MAROON RAIDERS.

1972 – Al Reinoso’s CUTTERS edged the COMETS of Hackensack 7-6 in NNJIL action with John Cosgrove kicking the winning extra point. “Cos” is currently a Fair Lawn Deputy Mayor. 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 20-7-1 (.741).

1982 – Pete Natale’s CUTTERS were beaten 20-8 by the by the GREEN KNIGHTS of St. Joseph on Montvale in NNJIL action. In 2009 in North Jersey Tri-County Conference (NJTCC) Division 3 action St. Joseph shut Fair Lawn out 37-0.

1992 – Mike Alberque’s CUTTERS beat the RAMS of Ramsey 28-21 in Northern Bergen- Interscholastic League (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 NBIL action!

2002 – Alberque’s CUTTERS were beaten 36-24 by the INDIANS of Pascack Valley of Hillsdale in NBIL interdivisional action. Pascack Valley took the 1955-56, 1984-85 and 1988-2008 NBIL rivalry 14-10-1 (.583).

SOUTH WESTERN MUSTANGS GRIDIRON 2012-8

By Bill Engelhardt
________

Last Friday evening, October 12, the Mustangs of South Western visited the den of the Panthers of Central York and were defeated 54-13. The Panthers speedsters were too much for the Mustangs to stop.

The Mustangs opened the game by driving 49-yards in 4 plays, aided by a 15-yard penalty, to the Panthers 22-yard line. However, Jay Stone intercepted a pass from Mike Duffy and the Panthers took over on their own 15-yard line. Corey Hartz threw an 85-yard touchdown strike to Darian Hampton on the first play from scrimmage. Kyle Smith’s extra point kick put the Panthers up 7-0 at the 9:41 mark of the first quarter.

The Mustangs went three and out and punted and the Panthers drove 50-yards in seven plays. Marquis Fells dashed 15-yards for a touchdown and Smith’s extra point kick made the score 14-0 at the 4:36 mark of the first quarter.

The Mustangs fumbled on their first play and Myles Thomas recovered it for the Panthers at the Mustangs 23-yard line. Two plays later Fells dashed in from the 7-yard line for a touchdown. The extra point was missed and the score was 20-0 at the 3:54 mark of the first quarter.

The Mustangs drove 13-yards in seven plays, featuring a neat 10-yard run by Dakotah Moses, only to turn the ball over on downs with a fake punt on which Wyat Trostle didn’t make the first down marker. The Panthers took over on the Mustangs 33-yard line and six plays later Fells plunged in from the 1-yard line and the score went up to 26-0 at the 10:36 mark of the second quarter.

The Mustangs drove 17-yards in six plays and punted. Four plays later Ryan Krebs intercepted a Panthers pass for the Mustangs at the Panthers 32-yard line. The Mustangs then drove 32-yards in four plays, featuring a 24-yard pass from Tyler Sterner to Jerome Robinson. Dillon Thomas scored on a 4-yard run and Jake Tracy’s extra point kick made the score 26-7 at the 4:08 mark of the second quarter.

The Panthers then drove 64-yrds in five plays, ending with a 31-yard touchdown sprint by quarterback Corey Hartz. Smith’s extra point kick made the score 33-7 at the 2:05 mark of the second quarter.

The Mustangs only got in two plays and fumbled on the second one. Fells recovered the fumble and returned it 42-yards for a touchdown for the Panthers. Smith’s extra point kick upped the score to 40-7 with 1:07 left in the first half.

The Panthers opened the second half with a 65-yard touchdown run by Jay Stone on the first play from scrimmage. Smith’s extra point kick upped the score to 47-7 at the 11:42 mark of the third quarter.

The Mustangs again got off just two plays and fumbled on the second one. Sherief Sutton recovered for the Panthers at the Mustangs 31-yard line. The Mustangs defense stiffened and nine plays later the Panthers misfired on a 32-yard field goal attempt.

The Mustangs then drove 14-yards in six plays and punted. The Panthers then drove 70-yards in seven plays. On a fourth down play the Panthers appeared ready to punt but called time out and then backup quarterback Zach Beam threw a 47-yard touchdown strike to Terrance Carter. Smith’s extra point kick upped the score to 54-7 with 7:34 left in the game.

Each team then ended up turning the ball over on downs and then the Mustangs drove 63-yards in three plays, a 53-yard pass from backup quarterback Ryan Krebs to Brandon McMinn, a 7-yard run by Zach Osborne, and a 3-yard touchdown plunge by Camden Brown. That made the final score 54-13 with 33 seconds left in the game.

Jake Tracy kicked off 2 times for 51-yards, with the longest going for 26-yards. Jerome Robinson returned 3 kickoffs for 42-yards, with the longest going for 19-yards Camden Brown returned 1 kickoff for 22-yards, Payton Taylor returned 1 kickoff for 15-yards, and Jordan Markle returned 1 kickoff for 10-yards. Brandon Utz punted 3 times for 102-yards, with the longest going for 38-yards for the Mustangs.

Aram Moffit, with 9 tackles, led the Mustangs defense, followed by Payton Taylor with 8 tackles, Chris Weibe with 5 tackles, Jerome Robinson and Brady Shultz with 4 tackles each, Ryan Krebs with 3 tackles and an interception, Dillon Thomas, Gunner Holtz, and Wyat Trostle with 3 tackles each, Devon Ackerman, Eddie Lane, Ryan Lane, and Brandon McMinn with 2 tackles each, Aaron Doll, Richard Bosse, Bret Hertzog, Alex Jones, Doug Krout, Gabe Morela, Logan Neiderer, Jonas Walter with 1 tackle each, Aaron Uttley with a caused fumble and a pass hurry, and Mike Duffy 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, Rich Bosse, Ryan Krebs, Ryan Lane, Brandon McMinn, Ethan Paul, Josh Walker, Wayne Trostle, and Brandon Utz. Mike Duffy, Jordan Markle, Jerome Robinson, Payton Taylor, and Bobby Wildasin patrolled the secondary for the Mustangs, with help from Aaron Doll and Hunter Palmer.

The Mustangs gained 144-yards rushing and 98-yards passing for a total of 242-yards of offense. Quarterback Tyler Sterner completed 5 of 7 passes for 41-yards, 3 for 32-yards to Jerome Robinson, and 2 for 9-yards to Jordan Markle, quarterback Ryan Krebs completed 1 pass for 53-yards to Brandon McMinn, and quarterback Mike Duffy completed 1 of 3 passes for 4-yards to Bobby Wildasin, for the Mustangs.

Dillon Thomas led the Mustangs rushing attack with 17 carries for 82-yards (including a 4-yard touchdown), followed by Dakotah Moses with 5 carries for 22-yards, Mike Duffy with 3 carries for 21-yards, Zach Osborne with 4 carries for 15-yards, Camden Brown with 3 carries for 9-yards (including a 3-yard touchdown), Brady Shultz with 1 carry for 5-yards, Bobby Wildasin with 1 carry for 1-yard, Wyat Trostle with 2 carries for minus 5-yards, and Tyler Sterner with 1 carry for minus 6-yards. Jake Tracy kicked 1 extra point, Ryan Krebs intercepted a pass, and Aaron Uttley recorded a sack for the Mustangs.

The Panthers gained 265-yards rushing and 179 yards passing for a total of 444 yards gained. Quarterback Corey Hartz completed 4 of 6 passes for 120-yards and 1 touchdown, 2 for 96-yards to Darian Hampton (including an 85-yard touchdown), 1 for 16-yards to Nate Trona, and 1 for 8-yards to Blue Curry, and quarterback Zach Beam completed 2 of 3 passes for 59-yards and 1 touchdown, 1 for 47-yards and a touchdown to Terrance Carter, and 1 for 12-yards to Zane Knaub, for the Panthers.

Marquis Fells led the Panthers rushing attack with 14 carries for 96-yards (including touchdowns of 15, 7 and 1-yards), followed by Jay Stone with 4 carries for 56-yards (including a 65-yard touchdown), Hartz with 3 carries for 44-yards (including a 31-yard touchdown), Sherief Sutton with 4 carries for 35-yards, Zach Steffee with 4 carries for 14-yards, Carter with 4 carries for 10-yards, Pearson Hinkle with 1 carry for 3-yards, Dylan Hose with 1 carry for 2-yards, and Beam with 1 carry for minus 3-yards. Fells returned a fumble 42-yards for a touchdown, Kyle Smith kicked 6 extra points, Stone intercepted a pass, and Fells, Sutton and Myles Thomas each recovered a fumble, for the Panthers.

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 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 152 members strong Panthers Marching Band put on a stirring post game show performing show tunes from the film “Back to the Future.”

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

The Mustangs of South Western are 3-4-0 overall and 0-2-0 in York Adams Interscholastic Athletic Association (YAIAA) Division I league play.

The Mustangs have a career record of 340-210-8. The results of the 558 games played in the history of the South Western Mustangs are a career .618 winning percentage and a .624 non-losing percentage.

Next week the Mustangs host the Lions of Red Lion (1-6 overall, 0-2 league) at the Mustang Corral. Red Lion is coming off of a 28-7 loss to the Rockets of Spring Grove. The Mustangs are looking to get back on the winning track. GO MUSTANGS GO.

THE GRIDIRON 7-2012

By Dick Engelhardt

The CUTTERS of Fair Lawn High came out firing against the now 3 time Big North Conference (BNC) Liberty Division champion BULLDOGS of Passaic County Technical Institute last Friday night in Wayne. Captains George Alexandris, Kevin Osback, Franklyn Ramirez and Jeff Welsh won the toss and our heroes received. On the 1st play of the game QB Osback rambled for big yardage. He picked up two more first downs and had the BULLDOGS reeling but was knocked out of the game. Pete Danko took over at QB. Franklyn Ramirez bulled for a TD behind center Kris Burger and our heroes led 6-0. With Mike Nieman snapping and Danko holding, sure footed Ari Moslavi kicked the extra point and Fair Lawn fans were ecstatic over the 7-0 lead. In the second quarter the BULLDOGS scored and the 7-7 tie was taken into halftime. The vaunted BULLDOGS were in a real battle!

In the second half, Passaic Tech showed its depth and the BULLDOGS scored 25 unanswered points to take a 32-7 victory. Thomas Jefferson had not won an election since 1804 but he rambled for 2 TDs in this game! The BULLDOGS are the BNC Liberty Division 2012 champions at 3-0. Our Cutters played hard again only to lose a lead. George Alexandris intercepted a pass, Brendan Sibilio recovered a fumble and Nick Tsinkelis downed a punt at the 14. Thomas Koike broke up a pass and Alexandris made a dramatic TD saving tackle. Nice plays were also made by Dan Laboy, Jeff Welsh and Laine White. Dillon Rinaldo finished up at QB. The win brought the 2010-12 Passaic Tech record against Fair Lawn to 3-0 (1.000) The BULLDOGS had to come from behind all three times!

Fair Lawn’s BNC Liberty Division went 1-1 (.500) against outside opposition. The GHOSTS of Paterson Eastside beat the INDIANS of Passaic 20-14 while the FIGHTING MUSTANGS of Clifton High were edged 26-20 by the COMETS of Hackensack. The BNC Liberty Division is 5-11 (.313) against outsiders so far in 2012.

On Saturday at 2:30 at SASSO FIELD our CUTTERS play the MAROONS of Ridgewood for the 41st time and the 1st time since 1983. During 1944-83 the Annual Classic Thanksgiving game was a huge draw. In 1966 the MAROONS broke our CUTTERS’ 24 game non losing streak with a shocking 40-34 upset before 13,000 fans! Ridgewood took the 40 year rivalry 26-11-3 (703). Fair Lawn comes into the game 1-5 (.167) having been outscored 165-69 for an average 28-12 loss. Ridgewood comes into the game 3-2 (.600) having outscored the opposition 142-75 for an average 28-15 win. Just like in the old days, you can throw the record books out the window in this great rivalry. Throughout the Turkey Day series the big upsets were Ridgewood upsetting Fair Lawn. It’s time to return the favor! Beset by injuries, our heroes will give it their all and could pull off the upset of the year! From here it looks like Fair Lawn 14 – Ridgewood 13. GO GUTTERS GO!!!

THIS WEEK IN FLHS GRIDIRON HISTORY – 2012 Week 7

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 went out of the league to shutout the SPARTANS of Bloomfield Tech 52-0. The CUTTERS went 2-0 (1,000) against the SPARTANS in 1949 and 1952 outscoring them 66-0.

1962 – Coach Ed Sheehy’s CUTTERS were shutout 6-0 by the SPARTANS of Paramus in Northern New Jersey Interscholastic League (NNJIL) action. 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 2010-11 in Big North Conference (BNC) crossover action where the SPARTANS went 2-0 (1.000) and lead the series 14-10 (.583).

1972 – Al Reinoso’s CUTTERS beat the BEARS of Bergenfield 21-7 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 has ended the 51 season rivalry; the longest in either school’s history.

1982 – Pete Natale’s CUTTERS were beaten 26-14 by the PALADINS of Paramus Catholic in NNJIL Bergen Division action. – In 1982 and 83 the PALADINS went 2-0 (1.000) over our CUTTERS before Fair Lawn left the league for their old NBIL, which our CUTTERS had left in 1959 for the NNJIL.

1992 – Mike Alberque’s CUTTERS beat the GOLDEN KNIGHTS of Northern Valley/ Old Tapan 34-21 in NBIL Division 1 action. Our CUTTERS took the 1984–2008 NBIL rivalry against the GOLDEN KNIGHTS 15–10 (.600).

2002 – Alberque’s CUTTERS were beaten 45-28 in a shootout with 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.

SOUTH WESTERN MUSTANGS GRIDIRON 2012-7

By Bill Engelhardt
________

Last Friday evening, October 5, the Mustangs of South Western visited the den of the Wildcats of Dallastown to begin YAIAA Division I action for the season and were defeated 31-7. The teams were matched pretty evenly but Robert Catchings 90-yard kickoff return and 60-yard run, both for touchdowns, made a huge difference.

The first quarter and the beginning of the second quarter went by scoreless, with each team punting twice. The Wildcats did have a 32-yard drive to the Mustangs 20-yard line end with a missed field goal.

Drew Romesberg recovered a Mustangs fumble at their own 8-yard line for the Wildcats. Three plays later quarterback Andrew Henry plunged in from the 3-yard line. Josh Chronister’s extra point kick put the Wildcats up 7-0 at the 9:21 mark in the second quarter.

The Mustangs went three and out and punted and Malik Lewis returned the punt for 31-yards to the Mustangs 32-yard line for the Wildcats. The Wildcats turned the ball over on downs at the Mustangs 22-yard line.

The Mustangs then drove 78-yards in seven plays, featuring an 8-yard pass from Tyler Sterner to Jerome Robinson and a 15-yard run by Dillon Thomas. The drive ended with a picture perfect 35-yard touchdown pass from Sterner to Robinson. Jake Tracy’s extra point kick tied the score at 7 with 3 minutes left in the first half.

Robert Catchings returned the Mustangs kickoff 90-yards for a touchdown. Chronister’s extra point kick put the Wildcats up 14-7 with 2:45 left in the first half.

The Mustangs fumbled the ball away again and the Wildcats had it at the Mustangs 20-yard line. Three plays later Chronister kicked a 35-yard field goal, upping the score to 17-7 with 1:07 left in the half.

The Mustangs opened the second half by punting after 4 plays and the Wildcats drove 39-yards in four plays. The drive ended with a 1-yard touchdown plunge by Andrew Henry. Chronister’s extra point upped the score to 24-7 at the 7:56 mark of the third quarter.

The Mustangs had a six-play 23-yard dive end with a punt. The Wildcats took over on their own 40-yard line. Catchings then dashed 60-yards for a touchdown and Chronister’s extra point kick closed out the scoring at 31-7 with 4:20 left in the third quarter.

The Mustangs had a 37-yard drive end with a turnover on downs. The Wildcats had a short drive end with a punt. The Mustangs started a drive on their own 4-yard line and Dillon Thomas ripped off runs of 23 and 19-yards but the drive ended with a turnover on downs.

Jake Tracy kicked off 2 times for 105-yards, with the longest going for 55-yards. Jerome Robinson returned 5 kickoffs for 69-yards, with the longest going for 18-yards. Brandon Utz punted 5 times for 168-yards, with the longest going for 40-yards for the Mustangs.

Aram Moffit, with 14 tackles and a pass hurry, led the Mustangs defense, followed by Payton Taylor with 9 tackles, Brady Shultz with 7 tackles, Eddie Lane and Dillon Thomas with 6 tackles each, Gunner Holtz and Chris Weibe, each with 5 tackles and a sack, Jerome Robinson with 4 tackles, Devon Ackerman with 3 tackles and a sack, Alex Jones, Ryan Krebs and Hunter Palmer with 3 tackles each, Ryan Lane and Gabe Morela with 2 tackles each, Joe Bond with 1 tackle, Mike Duffy and Matt Shanks each with a pass defense and Matt Helwig with a pass hurry.

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 Joe Bond, 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 156-yards rushing and 101-yards passing for a total of 257-yards of offense. Quarterback Mike Duffy completed 4 of 11 passes for 39-yards and quarterback Tyler Sterner completed 4 of 5 passes for 62-yards and 1 touchdown, for the Mustangs. Jerome Robinson caught 5 passes for 71-yards (including a 35-yard touchdown from Sterner), Dillon Thomas caught 2 passes for 23-yards, and Gabe Morela caught 1 pass for 7-yards, for the Mustangs.

Dillon Thomas led the Mustangs rushing attack with 22 carries for 172-yards, followed by Dakotah Moses with 3 carries for 9-yards, Brady Shultz with 2 carries for 9-yards, Zach Osborne with 2 carries for 1-yard, Bret Hertzog with 1 carry for minus 2-yards, and Mike Duffy with 6 carries for minus 33-yards. Jake Tracy kicked 1 extra point for the Mustangs.

The Wildcats gained 185-yards rushing and 32 yards passing for a total of 217 yards gained. Quarterback Andrew Henry completed 5 of 11 passes for 32-yards, 3 for 18-yards to Malik Lewis, 1 for 8-yards to Nathan Strong, and 1 for 6-yards to Brady Altland, for the Wildcats.

Robert Catchings led the Wildcats rushing attack with 13 carries for 86-yards (including a 60-yard touchdown), followed by Henry with 14 carries for 56-yards (including touchdowns of 3 and 1-yards), Sean Roberts with 2 carries for 9-yards, Adam Deardorff with 3 caries for 8-yards, Josh Chronister with 1 carry for 8-yards, Alpha Kahn with 2 carries for 7-yards, Lewis with 1 carry for 6-yards, Addison Quinones with 1 carry for 3-yards, and Nathan Strong with 1 carry for 2-yards. Catchings returned a kickoff 90-yards for a touchdown, and Josh Chronister kicked a 35-yard field goal and 4 extra points for the Wildcats.

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 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 131 members strong Wildcats Marching Band put on a stirring post game show performing Music from Cirque Du Soleil’s La Nouba.

The 23 member strong Mustangs Cheer Leading squad and the Wildcats squad (expanded to nearly 50 members for Homecoming Week) were very impressive as they roused the faithful.

The Mustangs of South Western are 3-3-0 overall and 0-1-0 in York Adams Interscholastic Athletic Association (YAIAA) Division I league play.

The Mustangs have a career record of 340-209-8. The results of the 557 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 Panthers of Central York (3-3 overall, 0-1 league). Central York is coming off of a 41-34 loss to the Rockets of Spring Grove. The Mustangs are looking to get back on the winning track. GO MUSTANGS GO.

THE GRIDIRON 6-2012

By Dick Engelhardt

The CUTTERS of Fair Lawn High made their fans proud last Friday night standing up to the number 3 ranked in New Jersey and number 25 ranked in the country (As of this writing) IRONMEN of Don Bosco in Big North Conference (BNC) crossover action. Captains George Alexandris, Kevin Osback, Franklyn Ramirez and Jeff Welsh won the toss and our heroes received. QB Osback ran for a 1st down threw to Pete Danko for another before the drive stalled. Then the depth and skill of Bosco showed as the IRONMEN led 31-0 at halftime. I counted 82 players on the Bosco roster including, from Fair Lawn, the son of a Fair Lawn star player. The continuously running clock that comes into play when there is a 35 point differential in the 2nd half, didn’t kick in until late in the 3rd quarter. Carlos Carlone and Franklyn Ramirez ran the ball nicely and Danko electrified the crowd with a great kickoff return. George Alexandris and Laine White broke up passes and Danko’s break up turned the ball over to Fair Lawn on downs. He also teamed up with Nick Tsinkelis on a great stop. Dan Laboy and Jake Schwartz made some nice plays too. The official clock operator was heard to say, “Fair Lawn is playing better than we expected!”

The 44-0 shutout loss was the 1st since Fair Lawn’s 41-0 loss to the COMETS of Hackensack last year. Since their beginning in 1943, our CUTTERS have shut their opponents out 82 times and have been shut out themselves 84 times! Bosco coach Greg Toal, who was an assistant at Fair Lawn 1978-80 under Pete Natale, showed sportsmanship taking a knee instead of going for a 2 point conversion after a TD and putting subs in early. Popular former Fair Lawn announcer, Joe Hausmann, now the Bosco announcer, attended his Nephew’s wedding and I was privileged to be the announcer for the game. My twin brother, Bill, and I were “spotters” for Joe at Fair Lawn 1967-96. I became the “Voice of the CUTTERS on the Gridiron” in ’97

The win brought the Don Bosco record against Fair Lawn during 1976 and 1982-83 and 2012 to 4-0 (1.000). Don Bosco has not lost to a New Jersey public school since 1997. The New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) missed the boat in “fixing” the parochial powerhouse problem. A Division of the BNC could have Bergen Catholic, Delbarton, DePaul, Don Bosco, Paramus Catholic, Saint Joseph, Saint Peter’s and Seton Hall. Seven league games would leave two games top be picked up outside the league or even the State. No public school should have to play the parochial behemoths unless it wants to.

Fair Lawn’s BNC Liberty Division went 0-2 against outside opposition. In addition to Fair Lawn’s loss, the FIGHTING MUSTANGS of Clifton High were mauled 27-2 by the BENGALS of Bloomfield. In the only BNC Liberty Division game the BULLDOGS of Passaic County Technical Institute edged the GHOSTS of Paterson Eastside 16-13. The BNC Liberty Division is 4-10 (.286) against outsiders so far in 2012.

On Friday night at 7:00 our CUTTERS travel to Wayne to take on those two time defending BNC Liberty Division champion BULLDOGS of Passaic Tech. Fair Lawn comes into the game 1-4 (.200) having been outscored 133-62 for an average 27-12 loss. Passaic Tech comes into the game 4-1 (.800) having outscored the opposition 167-128 for an average 33-26 win. The BULLDOGS can be scored on. Fresh from a decent effort against Don Bosco, our heroes will give it their all. They nearly upset Clifton earlier and I look for them to pull an upset here. To me it looks like Fair Lawn 21 – Passaic Tech 19. GO GUTTERS GO!!!

THIS WEEK IN FLHS GRIDIRON HISTORY – 2012 Week 6

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 went out of the league to shut out the COLTS of Paterson Central and the now defunct Passaic Valley Conference (PVC) 26-0. 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 2010-12, Fair Lawn has gone to 8-5 (.615) over Central/Kennedy.

1962 – Coach Ed Sheehy’s CUTTERS were edged 13-7 by the RED RAIDERS of Cliffside Park in Northern New Jersey Interscholastic League (NNJIL) action. Our CUTTERS took the 1959-66 rivalry against the RED RAIDERS 6-2 (.750) before Cliffside Park left the NNJIL for the Bergen County Scholastic League (BCSL).

1972 – Al Reinoso’s CUTTERS were beaten 15-6 by the SPARTANS of Paramus in NNJIL action. 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 2010-11 in Big North Conference (BNC) crossover action where the SPARTANS are 2-0 (1.000) and lead the series 14-10 (.583).

1982 – Pete Natale’s CUTTERS were shutout 41-0 by the CRUSADERS of Bergen Catholic in NNJIL action. In 1981 and 82 the CRUSADERS went 2-0 over Pete Natale’s 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. In 2010 in Big North Conference (BNC) crossover action the 49-7 win brought the record to 3-0 (1.000) with BC ahead 129-7 in scoring. In 2011 Fair Lawn allowed Bergen Catholic to schedule a game in Washington, D.C. rather than play them.

1992 – Mike Alberque’s CUTTERS were edged 14-13 30-7 by the HIGHLANDERS of Northern Highlands in NBIL action. Fair Lawn took the 1986-93 and 1998–2008 NBIL rivalry against the HIGHLANDERS 10-9 (.526).

2002 – Alberque’s CUTTERS edged those same HIGHLANDERS of Northern Highlands 14-10.