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.