THIS WEEK IN FLHS GRIDIRON HISTORY – 2013 Week 7

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 CUTTERS shutout the OWLS of Park Ridge 6-0 in independent action. The CUTTERS were surprised 14-7 in 1944 by the OWLS who evened the series at 1-1 (.500).  
  

1953 – Frank Bennett’s Bergen-Passaic Interscholastic League (B-PIL) and co-State champion CUTTERS drew a BYE.

1963 – Ed Sheehy’s CUTTERS were beaten 13-6 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). 

1973 – Al Reinoso’s CUTTERS were mauled 34-0 by the BEARS of Bergenfield 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. The 51 season rivalry remains the longest in either school’s history.  

1983 – Pete Natale’s CUTTERS were beaten 40-20 by the IRONMEN of Bon Bosco in NNJIL action. In 1976 in independent action and 1982 and 83 in the NNJIL, the IRONMEN went 3-0 over our 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 NBIL, which Fair Lawn had left in 1959. In Big North Conference (BNC) crossover action in 2012, the IRONMEN made it 4-0 (1.000) with a 44-0 shutout.  

1993 – Mike Alberque’s CUTTERS were shutout 19-0 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 – Greg Tanzer’s CUTTERS were beaten 41-7 by 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. Their 1984-93 Thanksgiving Day rivalry wound up tied at 5-5 (.500)!