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.