THE GRIDIRON 16-2012

By Dick Engelhardt

Amir Saadah became the Fair Lawn Football Coach in 2011. His second season, 2012, was the 70th in the history of Fair Lawn High. Our CUTTERS entered it with a 1943-2011 record of 315-298-14 (.509). The season was a disappointing one but not a failure. The lessons learned in sportsmanship, teamwork and overcoming adversity will be with these CUTTERS as long as they live!

Expecting a good season, our CUTTERS started out with a strong effort but fell 33-12 to the playoff bound COMETS of Hackensack. After losing close games to the FIGHTING MUSTANGS of Clifton High and the KNIGHTS of JFK, our heroes beat the INDIANS of Passaic 14-7. They, along with almost everybody else, were outclassed by the IRONMEN of Don Bosco. No public school should have to play the parochial behemoths unless it wants to. The Big North Conference (BNC) Liberty Division champion playoff bound BULLDOGS of Passaic County Technical Institute had to come from behind to beat our CUTTERS. The playoff bound LANCERS of Lakeland and MAROONS of Ridgewood shut Fair Lawn out 38 and 43 to 0. Then the Paterson Eastside game went down to the wire. With our CUTTERS on the Eastside 3 yard line with 11 seconds on the clock, an interception saved the playoff bound GHOSTS’ 29-27 victory.

In State Consolation action, our “never-say-die” CUTTERS came from behind to beat the MUSTANGS of Montville 32- 27 with 13 seconds on the clock, closing out the season. Fair Lawn is 8-5 (.615) in Consolation Game action since these games began in 1998. Our CUTTERS finished the season 2-8 (.200) bringing their 1943-2012 record to 317-306-14 (.509). The losing season was only the 28th in FLHS GRIDIRON history!

The Ridgewood game, the last regularly scheduled home game, was poignant as seniors soon to end their participation in the football program were honored and introduced with their escorts. We said goodbye and wished the best to: George Alexandris, Jack Anderson, Tlyer Argot, Kris Burger, Corey Carlson, Brian Centeno, Pete Danko, Luke Emerson, Matthew Ferry, Dan Laboy, Scott Marcoux, Kevin Osback, John Pagios, Franklyn Ramirez, Brendan Sibilio, Nick Toronto, Nick Tsinkelis, Mike Venezia, Lane White and Jeff Welsh. Fans at the game were treated to the sight of a jacket inscribed “B-PIL Champions 1955.” The wearer turned out to be the right halfback, Jim “Crazy Legs” Harrison. The crowd gave him a nice hand when I introduced him. My twin brother, Bill, and I were “Water Boys” on legendary Coach Frank Bennett’s ’55 championship team.

The return of a number of players next season and the large freshmen group moving up could see our CUTTERS improve. I enjoyed being “The Voice of the Cutters on the Gridiron” for the 16th season and working for the second season with my spotter, Shawn Kerestes. For 30 years before that my twin brother, Bill, and I were the “spotters” for long time popular Fair Lawn announcer Joe Hausmann, who now announces for the HIGHLANDERS of Northern Highlands and the IRONMEN of Don Bosco. I can hardly wait for next year! Until then, GO CUTTERS GO!!!

THE GRIDIRON 15-2012

By Dick Engelhardt

Fans of the CUTTERS of Fair Lawn High had lots of rooting interests in the Football Playoff finals. Fair Lawn was in them in 1980. After being behind 7-0, 12-0, 12-7 and 18- 7, our CUTTERS roared back to beat the INDIANS of Passaic in the first round at GIANTS STADIUM. In the finals at the stadium, they were shut out 20-0 by the HORNETS of Passaic Valley, a team they had beaten 7-6 during the season and with whom they and the FIGHTING MUSTANGS of Clifton High shared the Northern New Jersey Interscholastic League (NNJIL) title. And now we have the 2012 finals involving many former Fair Lawn foes.

In North Jersey, Section 1, Group V, the BENGALS of Bloomfield were beaten 16-13 in double overtime by the MOUNTIES of Montclair at MET LIFE STADIUM. Our CUTTERS took the 1977 independent and 1978-81 NNJIL rivalry with Bloomfield 4-1 (.800). In ’77 Bloomfield was not yet a full NNJIL member because of a commitment to play Irvington on Thanksgiving. In Fair Lawn’s Group IV, the INDIANS of Pascack Valley were beaten 14-6 by the GAELS of Roxbury at Kean University in Union. PV Coach Craig Nielsen starred for the BEARS of Bergenfield in the 1970s and was an assistant at Fair Lawn under Pete Natale 1980-85. He was part of the Fair Lawn playoff run in ’80 and was responsible for the awesome offense on the 1985 Northern Bergen Interscholastic league (NBIL) Division 1 champion CUTTERS who played a thriller against those INDIANS of Passaic in the States losing 36-26. The GAELS beat Stan Myles’ CUTTERS 42-7 in the States in 2009.

In Group III, the GREEN RAIDERS of Ramapo edged the SPARTANS of Sparta 37-34 at Kean. Ramapo took the 1956-58 and 1984-2008 NBIL rivalry with Fair Lawn 17-11 (.607). There were some thrillers including beating Ramapo QB Chris Simms in 1995 when he was a freshman! In Group I, the CARDINALS of Pompton Lakes beat the PANTHERS of Cedar Grove 28-13 at MET LIFE Stadium. Legendary Coach Frank Bennett came to Fair Lawn in 1945 and his CUTTERS took the Bergen-Passaic Interscholastic league (B-PIL) title. They shared it with the BUCCANEERS of Bogota in ’46 and the GOLDEN BEARS of Lyndhurst in ’47 when Bennett was the NY Daily News “Coach of the Year” and won it in 1953 and ’55. The ’53 team, featuring “The World’s Fastest Human,” Dave Sime, shared the North Jersey, Section 1, Group III title with the COMETS of Hackensack. Bennett’s CUTTERS and Charlie Benson’s Pompton Lakes CARDS went 3-3 (500) against each other 1945-50.

Next week we’ll wrap up THE GRIDIRON with a look back at the 2012 season. Until then, GO GUTTERS GO!!!

PLAYOFF FINALS IN FLHS GRIDIRON HISTORY - 2012

A WALK DOWN MEMORY LANE
By Dick Engelhardt

1951 – The New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) instituted playoffs in 1974. Before that, sectional and group championships were awarded using power points. Now they are decided on the GRIDIRON. Power points only come into play in making the playoffs and in seeding in them.

In 1980 Pete Natale’s CUTTERS shared the Northern New Jersey Interscholastic League (NNJIL) title with the FIGHTING MUSTANGS of Clifton High and the HORNETS of Passaic Valley. They beat the HORNETS 7-6 during the season but were beaten 20-7 by the FIGHTING MUSTANGS who in turn were beaten by the HORNETS. The tri-champions all had 8-1 (.889) NNJIL records. In the opening round of the States in North Jersey, Section 1, Group IV action, the CUTTERS played one of the most exciting games in their history. Trailing the INDIANS of Passaic and the Passaic Valley Conference (PVC) 7-0, 12-0, 12-7 and 18-7 at GIANTS STADIUM they roared back to win a 27-18 thriller. In the finals at GIANTS STADIUM the HORNETS of Passaic Valley avenged the regular season loss with a 20-0 championship shut out victory. Those 1980 CUTTERS were the first team in FLHS history to win 9 games, going 9-2 (.818). The others were Natale’s 1985 and 87 Northern Bergen Interscholastic League (NBIL) Division 1 champion and playoff bound CUTTERS who went 9-1 (.900).

THE GRIDIRON 14-2012

By Dick Engelhardt

Fans of the CUTTERS of Fair Lawn High had lots of rooting interests in the Football Playoffs. They remember when their CUTTERS were in the second round action. Playoffs were instituted in 1974 and, in the early years, the second round was also the finals. In 1980 Pete Natale’s CUTTERS, faced the HORNETS of Passaic Valley in the finals. Fair Lawn had beaten PV 7-6 during the season and Fair Lawn, Clifton and PV shared the Northern New Jersey Interscholastic League (NNJIL) title. In the finals at GIANTS STADIUM, Passaic Valley, coached by former NY Giants and Boston (Now New England) Patriots player Joe Biscaha, shut our CUTTERS out 20-0.

In the second round in 1989 Mike Alberque’s CUTTERS faced the Hudson County Interscholastic Athletic Association (HCIAA) RED WINGS of Hoboken in the “fumble that wasn’t a fumble” game. With Fair Lawn leading 14-0 Hoboken picked up a 1st down but fumbled. Our CUTTERS might well have scored again to ice the game but a second official overruled the fumble and Hoboken scored on the drive and went on to win a 19-14 thriller. The RED WINGS got their comeuppance losing to the NNJIL Indians of Passaic in the finals. In the second round in 2009, Stan Myles’ CUTTERS fell 42-7 to the GAELS of Roxbury, champions of the Northwest Jersey Conference (NJC) American Division, who went on to take the title.

And now in the second round of the playoffs, there were games of special interest to our CUTTERS and their rabid fans. I saw the MAROONS of Ridgewood get shutout 24-0 by the undefeated MOUNTIES of Montclair in North Jersey, Section 1, Group V action. During 1944-83 on Turkey Day and 2012 in the regular season, the MAROONS have gone 27-11-3 (.711) over our CUTTERS. I saw the INDIANS of Pascack Valley beat the PATRIOTS of Wayne Hills 20-11 in Group IV action sending coach Chris Olsen into retirement with a loss. Valley’s coach, Craig Nielsen, was an assistant at Fair Lawn 1980-85 under Pete Natale. The INDIANS took their 1955-56, 1984-85 and 1988-2008 Northern Bergen Interscholastic League (NBIL) rivalry with Fair Lawn 14-10-1 (.583).

In Group III one old (Ramapo) and one new (Lakeland) Fair Lawn rival went at it with Ramapo winning a 35-31 thriller. The LANCERS beat our CUTTERS 43-0 this year and the GREEN RAIDERS took their 1956-58 and 1984-2008 NBIL rivalry with Fair Lawn 17-11 (.607). In Group II, the BEARS of Hawthorne were beaten 35-14 by the KNIGHTS of New Milford. Fair Lawn coach Amir Saadah was on the Hawthorne staff before coming to Fair Lawn. Independently in 1944 and in the Bergen-Passaic Interscholastic League (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 B-PIL was renamed the NBIL.

In Group I, the FALCONS of Saddle Brook lost a 39-33 thriller to the CARDINALS of Pompton Lakes. Charlie Benson’s CARDS and Frank Bennett’s CUTTERS split their 1945-50 rivalry 3-3 (.500). Fair Lawn broke off from Saddle River Township in 1924. In 1955, tired of being confused with Saddle River and Upper Saddle River, the Township changed its name to Saddle Brook.

Next week we’ll look at the Playoff finals from a Fair Lawn viewpoint. Until then, GO GUTTERS GO!!!