THIS WEEK IN FLHS GRIDIRON HISTORY – 2013 Week 2

A WALK DOWN MEMORY LANE

By Dick Engelhardt

Fair Lawn High School opened September 13th, 1943. This history covers the years ending in “3.”

1943 – Marty Fischbein’s brand new team began action with 3 JV games to get started. In the 2nd game Fair Lawn ever played, the team beat the MAROONS of Ridgewood 12-6. During 1944-83 the MAROONS were Fair Lawn’s Turkey Day foe going 26-11-3 (.703) over our CUTTERS in the Annual Classic. The 38-0 Ridgewood win in Big North Conference (BNC) crossover action in 2012 brought the MAROONS’ overall record against our CUTTERS to 27-11-3 (.711).

1953 – Frank Bennett’s Bergen-Passaic Interscholastic League (B-PIL) champion and co-State champion CUTTERS mauled the BEARS of Hawthorne 45-0 in B-PIL action. 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).

1963 – Ed Sheehy’s CUTTERS shutout the BULLDOGS of Rutherford 20-0 in Northern New Jersey Interscholastic League (NNJIL) action. During 1959 – 63 in NNJIL action, our CUTTERS went 3-2 (.600) over the BULLDOGS. Rutherford left for the Bergen County Scholastic League (BCSL) American Division in ’64.

1973 – Pete Natale’s CUTTERS lost a thrilling 56-24 shootout against the FIGHTING MUSTANGS of Clifton High in NNJIL action at Clifton School Stadium. - During 1972-74 independently, 1975-81 in the NNJIL and 2010-12 in the Big North Conference (BNC) Liberty Division, Clifton has gone 10-3-1 (.769) over Fair Lawn, including a State playoff victory in 1979. Fair Lawn’s last victory was a 13-12 upset by Amir Sadaah’s CUTTERS in 2011. 

1983 – Mike Alberque’s CUTTERS were beaten 31-9 by the BEARS of Bergenfield in NBIL Division 1 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. It was a great 51 season rivalry. 

1993 – Alberque’s CUTTERS were beaten 21-6 by 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).   

2003 -  Alberque’s CUTTERS were beaten 32-22 by those same GOLDEN KNIGHTS.