Ludlowe Nips Warde, 10-8, on Controversial Call & Game-Winning Field Goal in Closing Seconds Thanksgiving Morning at Tetreau-Davis Field

They came from all over and from every generation. Former coaches, players, and alumni of Andrew Warde High School returned "home" Thanksgiving Day and shared hugs, handshakes, smiles, laughter, and stories. But most of them left wondering whether the officials had stolen a football game from their team.

A capacity crowd of over 2,000 jammed Tetreau-Davis Field Thursday morning to watch the 14th renewal of the Thanksgiving Day football rivalry between Warde and Ludlowe high schools. It was only the fourth meeting of the modern-day series which began in 2005.

However, a questionable pass interference penalty against the Mustangs in the last minute eventually led to Ludlowe's game-winning field goal in the closing seconds as the Falcons posted a dramatic 10-8 victory, ending Warde's three-game winning streak.

"After five straight losses in its season, and two consecutive Thanksgiving Day losses to Fairfield Warde, the Fairfield Ludlowe football team was desperate for a win by any means necessary," wrote Pat Pickens of the Fairfield Citizen-News. "Even one that was laced with controversy."

Ludlowe's Sean Anderson drilled a 22-yard field goal with 20 seconds left to give the guests the two-point victory, only their second win in their last nine Thanksgiving Day games against Warde. Three Mustangs' penalties moved the ball to the Warde five yard line to set up the game-winning kick.

The Falcons' late drive was aided by the controversial pass interference call against Warde with under a minute to play. When the yellow flag appeared after the overthrown desperation pass by Ludlowe quarterback Rob Ferrara landed out of bounds, a Warde player was subsequently flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct. Then, Mustangs coach Tony Catapano was given an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty that placed the ball at the Warde five. The Warde faithful, shocked at the calls, was furious.

"It's too well-played of a game to be decided like that," Catapano said. "It doesn't have to happen if the officials have any common sense of what their job is today." After three running plays, Anderson stepped up and drilled his second game-winning kick of the season.

Despite the disappointing ending to the game, it was a chance for the alumni to get together again. Joe Geisken (AWHS '77), the former Crimson Eagles' quarterback whose 25 yard-counter run in the closing minutes helped Warde to an exciting 20-13 victory over Ludlowe in the 1976 Thanksgiving game, proudly wore his high school jacket.

Frank Galletti, the star of Warde's 16-13 Turkey Day triumph over Ludlowe in 1984, gave his high school jacket to his middle school daughter as they mingled with new friends and old just outside the Warde press box. But, Galletti, who played in the last-ever football game for the Crimson Eagles, found himself on the edge of his seat in the closing minutes.

Former Crimson Eagles' players and coaches Dave Abraham, Mike Abraham, and Tom Davis, and coaching legend Ed Bengermino gathered to reminisce by the press box, too. And even a few veterans from past decades still referred to Ludlowe as the Flying Tigers and Warde as the Crimson Eagles.

Ludlowe got on the board first when junior signal-caller Ferrara dodged a rush on third-and-14, and scrambled 64 yards to the end zone to put the Falcons ahead 7-0. Ludlowe had a good opportunity to go ahead by two touchdowns, but senior Matt Tierno fumbled at the Warde one yard line, and the Mustangs recovered.

Warde countered and took the ball 99 yards to paydirt in 16 plays, capped by a 14-yard touchdown run by junior fullback Tommy McNamara with just 6:20 remaining. Catapano decided to go for the two-point conversion, and McNamara, who rushed for 131 yards and was named Warde's MVP of the game, carried the ball in to make the game 8-7.

But Ferrara and team-MVP running back Phil Tsopanides, who led the team with 91 yards rushing, led the Falcons down the field and into field goal range in the closing minutes, making Anderson the hero, and returning the Gallagher-Baryas Trophy to Ludlowe for only the second time in the teams' last nine meetings, stretching back to 1980.

"They (Ludlowe) haven't really won that (trophy) ever," Falcons' coach Matt McCloskey said. "It's huge for us to get our hands on that trophy."

Even if the officials helped carry it over to them.

Paul

Please sign the AWHS Guest Book.

Visit the Andrew Warde High School Gift Shop.

Watch the AWHS 1976 vintage "film".

Warde Crimson Eagles/Mustangs Hope to Continue Domination of Ludlowe Flying Tigers/Falcons in Longtime Thanksgiving Day Football Series

The Warde football team is bidding for its eighth victory in the last nine Thanksgiving Day contests against arch-rival Ludlowe when the teams face each other this Thursday morning at Tetreau-Davis Field. Kickoff is slated for 10:30 in the fourth renewal of the modern-day series.

The Mustangs have won the last two Thanksgiving Day games, including a 28-0 romp one year ago at Ludlowe. Two years ago, Warde celebrated the 50th anniversary of the school's opening and its field dedication ceremony with a come-from-behind 21-12 win in nearly two inches of rain and strong winds. It was Warde's first home football game since 1984.

Ludlowe won the initial Thanksgiving matchup between the two schools in over two decades by posting a 20-14 win at Taft Field in 2005. The Falcons jumped out to a 20-0 lead at halftime, but hung on after the Mustangs mounted a strong second-half comeback bid. Warde leads the modern-day series, two games to one.

The Andrew Warde Crimson Eagles won the last five games of the original Thanksgiving Day series, which took place between 1975 and 1984. Roger Ludlowe High School posted a three-game winning streak from 1977 through 1979, marking the only times the Flying Tigers won against the Eagles on Thanksgiving Day. Warde won seven of the ten games in the original series.

Warde won all seven of its Thanksgiving Day games against Kolbe from 1968 through 1974. The Eagles posted impressive back-to-back shutouts against the Friars in 1971 (34-0) and 1972 (40-0). In fact, Warde outscored its Bridgeport neighbors, 166-20, over the course of the first five games of the series.

Here is a look at Warde High School's Thanksgiving Day football history. Special thanks to the Fairfield Citizen-News for allowing me to research the games from their historical archives:

Andrew Warde Crimson Eagles vs. Kolbe Friars

1968 to 1974

(Series: Warde 7 Wins, Kolbe 0 Wins)

1968: Warde Eagles 32, Kolbe Friars 8

1969: Warde Eagles 40, Kolbe Friars 6

1970: Warde Eagles 20, Kolbe Friars 6

1971: Warde Eagles 34, Kolbe Friars 0

1972: Warde Eagles 40, Kolbe Friars 0

1973: Warde Eagles 28, Kolbe Friars 18

1974: Warde Eagles 20, Kolbe Friars 6

Andrew Warde Crimson Eagles vs. Roger Ludlowe Flying Tigers

1975 to 1984

(Series: Warde 7 Wins, Ludlowe 3 Wins)

1975: Warde Eagles 28, Ludlowe Tigers 6

1976: Warde Eagles 20, Ludlowe Tigers 13

1977: Ludlowe Tigers 20, Warde Eagles 13

1978: Ludlowe Tigers 35, Warde Eagles 6

1979: Ludlowe Tigers 41, Warde Eagles 25

1980: Warde Eagles 17, Ludlowe Tigers 14

1981: Warde Eagles 14, Ludlowe Tigers 8

1982: Warde Eagles 23, Ludlowe Tigers 0

1983: Warde Eagles 26, Ludlowe Tigers 6

1984: Warde Eagles 16, Ludlowe Tigers 13

Fairfield Warde Mustangs vs. Fairfield Ludlowe Falcons

2005 to 2008

(Series: Warde 2 Wins, Ludlowe 1 Win)

2005: Ludlowe Falcons 20, Warde Mustangs 14

2006: Warde Mustangs 21, Ludlowe Falcons 12

2007: Warde Mustangs 28, Ludlowe Falcons 0

Warde's overall record in Thanksgiving Day football games is 16-4, good for an .800 winning percentage. In addition, Warde has outscored Ludlowe, 63-32, in the three games since the rivalry was resurrected in 2005.

Paul

Please sign the AWHS Guest Book.

Visit the Andrew Warde High School Gift Shop.

Watch the AWHS 1976 vintage "film".

Capacity Crowd Watches Injured Warde Quarterback Lead Crimson Eagles to 26-6 Thanksgiving Day Romp at Ludlowe in 1983

This is the seventh installment of my special series recalling Andrew Warde High School's football rivalry with Roger Ludlowe. If you have any photos, film, or programs, please contact me at pppiorek@news12.com. Thank you.

Despite separating the shoulder on his throwing arm a week before the Thanksgiving Day football clash with arch-rival Roger Ludlowe High School in 1983, Andrew Warde High School quarterback Jack McFarland had a game he'll never forget.

McFarland led the Crimson Eagles to a 26-6 victory over the Flying Tigers during his senior year. Warde, which won four of its last five games that season, improved to 4-6 overall. It was also the Eagles' fourth straight Thanksgiving Day triumph over the Tigers.

"I remember having a separated throwing shoulder from the New Canaan game the Saturday before," recalled McFarland, who completed 11-of-23 passes for 114 yards and a pair of scoring aerials. "The Thanksgiving game always had a 'bowl' atmosphere. It meant everything to me, my teammates, the coaching staff, and the school," he admitted.

"The thing that stands out to me was the game was at Ludlowe, (and) the crowd was huge, (about) five to seven thousand," added McFarland, who lives in Monroe with his wife and four children.

What does he remember most about the game itself? "I threw two touchdown passes, one to Jeff Baker (the split end), and another to Glen Cantwell (the running back). Ludlowe had a pretty good linebacker named Charlie Nagy." Nagy, of course, would go on to pitch major league baseball for the Cleveland Indians. Cantwell, who had two interceptions, rushed for 52 yards.

The quarterback said his coach deserved a lot of credit for getting the team ready to play. "Our coach, Jack Coughlin, was a master motivator," he acknowledged. "He made sure we knew the season and our pride was on the line when we played Ludlowe."

Coughlin was Warde's third football coach, having succeeded the legendary Fern Tetreau (1956-1969), who came over from Ludlowe and started the program at Warde, and the late Bill Davis (1970-1979), who coached the first five Thanksgiving Day tussles with Ludlowe.

"Jack (McFarland) carried the team while we were losing," Coughlin was quoted as saying after the game. "He always played hard. He's a tough kid."

At the time, McFarland and his teammates didn't realize the 29-year history of Andrew Warde football was drawing to a close. "We knew the series was winding down, (but we) had no idea it was coming to an end at that time," McFarland stated about the penultimate game of the original series. The Crimson Eagles played their last-ever football game the following Thanksgiving Day against Ludlowe.

Three years later, in 1987, Andrew Warde High School graduated its final class, and both Warde and Ludlowe consolidated into Fairfield High School at the Warde site. The Fairfield Mustangs were born in 1988. When the Board of Education decided to reopen a second high school at the Ludlowe site several years ago, the modern-day version of the rivalry was resurrected three years ago.

The Fairfield Warde Mustangs hope to extend a two-game modern-day Thanksgiving winning streak against their cross-town rivals this Thursday morning at Tetreau-Davis Field. The teams enter the game with identical 3-7 records. Ludlowe won the first game of the current series at Taft Field to capture the Gallagher/Baryas trophy in 2005, but the Mustangs won the last two games by scores 21-12 of and 28-0.

"I have not been back to the Thanksgiving game, but I have been up to the school to visit former coach Ed Bengermino," said McFarland, now a baseball coach at Staples High School in Westport. "I have been an assistant coach in football for 13 years and the head baseball coach for five (years) at Staples."

As for this year? "I am predicting a Warde win, 23-6," he admitted. "I am a homer." Once an Eagle, always an Eagle ... er ... Mustang.

Paul

Please sign the AWHS Guest Book.

Visit the Andrew Warde High School Gift Shop.

Watch the AWHS 1976 vintage "film".

1969 Gridiron Showdown Between Warde & Ludlowe Featured Many Intriguing Storylines

This is the sixth installment of my special series recalling Andrew Warde High School's football rivalry with Roger Ludlowe. If you have any photos, film, or programs, please contact me at pppiorek@news12.com. Thank you.

The 1969 gridiron showdown between Andrew Warde and Roger Ludlowe high schools was, without question, one of the most highly-anticipated in the long and storied rivalry between the two teams. There were many intriguing storylines to capture the interest of even the most casual fan.

The pivotal Fairfield County Interscholastic Athletic Conference clash was tabbed as "The Game" in Fairfield. The stakes were high since both the Crimson Eagles and Flying Tigers entered the game with identical 3-0 overall records, tied with New Canaan atop the league's Eastern Divison. A longtime coaching friendship, a father-and-son confrontation, and a sentimental homecoming added even more excitement prior to Ludlowe's game at Warde on Saturday, October 11, 1969.

The two starting quarterbacks in that contest 39 years ago --- Warde's Roberto "Chico" Rodriguez and Ludlowe's Mike Tetreau --- will be the featured guest speakers at the pre-game dinner for both of this year's squads at Warde Tuesday night. Both former signal callers will be reminiscing about that much-anticipated game, no doubt.

Warde's longtime coach, Fern Tetreau, was hoping to end Ludlowe's prolonged supremacy in the series, which included three straight one-sided triumphs. In addition, Tetreau, the former head coach at Ludlowe, was facing his good friend, Tigers' Coach Emil Taft, in one of the most congenial and sportsmanlike rivalries anywhere. Adding even more intrigue to the contest, Tetreau faced another unusual challenge as his son, Mike, was the quarterback for the rival Tigers.

"We always managed to have fun with the idea that Dad and I were on opposing teams," Mike Tetreau, now a coach with Fairfield Pop Warner football, told me via email. "We talked a lot of football every day all year long, except the week before the game. Then we still talked, but somehow we stayed away from football as a topic," he added.

According to an article in the Bridgeport Post dated October 9, 1969, "Town loyalties will be divided between both camps Saturday, with the exception of Mrs. Tetreau, who must remain neutral for obvious reasons. The choice of this writer is the Flying Tigers, but one thing is certain, there will be a winner in the Tetreau household."

The stage was set prior to the big battle. After building Ludlowe into a football powerhouse in the 1950s, Fern Tetreau's previous few seasons at Warde prior to 1969 were on the lean side with only a handful of victories each season. However, the Eagles boasted their best team in quite some time heading into the showdown with their cross-town rivals.

Taft continued the winning tradition at Ludlowe. His 1968 squad posted an impressive 8-2 record. The 1969 squad, second-ranked in the state by early October, had already demolished three opponents by a combined score of 158 to 19. Warde, on the other hand, was impressive as well, outscoring its opponents by a combined 95 to 56 before meeting the Tigers.

The Tigers' attack was led by top-flight signal-caller Tetreau, powerful runners, first-class receivers, and tough linemen. Fullback Kevin Prendergast and halfbacks Chris Brown and Ben Jacobellis led the strong Ludlowe ground game. The veteran senior backfield carried the Tigers to a crushing 42-6 victory over the Eagles in 1968.

Mike Tetreau was impressed with the talent on the 1969 Ludlowe squad. "We were a team of mostly seniors. We had mostly two-year and some three-year starters," pointed out the former Ludlowe signal caller about the experienced-laden Ludlowe squad of nearly 40 years ago. "We were averaging close to 50 points per game," he recalled.

"Prendergast and Brown were our co-captains," Mike Tetreau continued. "Kevin was just a great football player, a 230-pound fullback and linebacker that could run, back in the day when being 200 pounds made you a lineman. He had a huge junior year, so he was the one everyone was keying on.

"One game as a junior, he ran off tackle, and it took all eleven defensive players to bring him down," Tetreau continued. "Needless to say, we re-ran that film a lot and ran that play a lot during games."

As for Brown, he was a 190-pound halfback and linebacker with very good speed, remembered Tetreau. "He also had good hands and made his share of receptions. He really came into his own on offense as a senior. He and Kevin were the linebackers over the middle that no one got by in our 6-2 defense."

Tetreau admitted that Jacobellis was the team's best athlete. He was a star in basketball and in track as a pole vaulter. "Ben played left halfback. He was our 'go to' back and scored over 100 points that season, which is just about two touchdowns per game. He had excellent speed and good size at 175 pounds. He was a very good receiver, too."

Seres was Ludlowe's split end and typically the fastest player on the field, Tetreau pointed out. "One game he caught four touchdown passes. He could get open deep. His patterns were superb, so if someone played off, we threw to him on short posts and 'outs' all game long. Dave and I spent a lot of off season time together working on our timing. We saw it all pay off senior year," he stated.

"We also had Harold Stone as a junior at tight end. He was All-FCIAC the next year. So with this kind of talent at the skill positions, defenses were not sure who to stop or focus on. Everyone scored a lot. That is why we averaged 43 points per game over the season. Each week it was someone else stepping up," he added.

The younger Tetreau relayed a story from the previous week which served to inspire the Tigers even more. "We played Darien the week prior to the Warde game. We started off slow, not really having a good first half by our standards," he mentioned.

"Warde had played the day before, so a number of their players came to watch our game. There was some good natured 'trash talking' from behind our bench. Fortunately for us, that trash talking made sure that our team was 'up' for the Warde game. (There was no) no getting caught offguard or looking past Warde."

The Eagles also boasted a solid quarterback in Rodgriguez, a junior, who had already tossed eight scoring passes, and three top runners in Alan Cassidy, Tim Carthens, and Bob Orciuch. The Eagles' Dave Abraham was a top receiver in the FCIAC, while Doug Forstrom and Joe Skalski bolstered the Eagles' line, with Bob Mattice and Rene Chennell doing likewise for the Tigers.

So, what was the atmosphere like at Warde the day of the game? "It was fun," the Tigers' former quarterback admitted. "There was plenty of talk in the schools. Everyone was 'pumped' for the game, players and students alike. I just came across a headline that said 8,000 attended the game. That is a big event in Fairfield. Everyone was there!"

The game, though, didn't quite live up to the hype preceding it. The Tigers quickly disspelled any upset notions the Eagles may have entertained. Ludlowe scored early and often in a crushing 40-8 victory at the Warde field.

Jacobellis, who notched a pair of touchdowns, Prendergast, Brown, and the younger Tetreau tore the Eagles' defensive corps apart with their slanting, twisting, bruising, and scrambling ground maneuvers to drop Warde from the unbeaten hierarchy.

"We had a very experienced offensive group," explained the Tigers' Tetreau, who later returned as an assistant coach under Taft in 1979 when Ludlowe played Warde twice. "We expected to score. Our defense was very good, also. Warde had a couple of turnovers early. One of our trademarks was starting fast. I believe we scored 27 or so in the first half. Once we had a lead, Benny, Kevin, and Chris gave us a ground game that could really keep the clock moving in our favor.

"Our take on the game after was that it was closer than the score," he continued. "We took advantage of the turnovers. Warde didn't quite get untracked offensively. And because they didn't quit, we knew we had played a good football team when the game was over."

Ludlowe, which moved to 4-0 overall, remained tied atop the FCIAC East with New Canaan as both clubs sported 3-0 league marks. Warde fell to 2-1 in the conference and 3-1 overall.

"We were used to winning," added the younger Tetreau. "Our JV year we went 9-0, and our junior season we went 8-2. (After the Warde game) as seniors we were 3-0. We were used to scoring a lot of points: 60, 50, and 48. That's 53 points per game."

That was more than enough to beat Warde and to be ranked second in the state.

Paul

Please sign the AWHS Guest Book.

Visit the Andrew Warde High School Gift Shop.

Watch the AWHS 1976 vintage "film".

'The Coach' Recalls the Very First Game of the Original Gridiron Series Between the Crimson Eagles & Flying Tigers at Ludlowe in 1956

This is the fifth installment of my special series recalling Andrew Warde High School's football rivalry with Roger Ludlowe. If you have any photos, film, or programs, please contact me at pppiorek@news12.com. Thank you.

When the Fairfield Warde Mustangs football team hosts the Fairfield Ludlowe Falcons this coming Thanksgiving Day, at least one person will be in attendance who was at the very first meeting between the two teams 52 years ago. Fern Tetreau, Warde's original football coach, led the Eagles onto Ludlowe's field for the first time on November 15, 1956.

Although the first Thanksgiving Day game between Warde and Ludlowe didn't take place until 1975, the two teams clashed for the very first time just two-and-a-half months after Andrew Warde High School opened in September of 1956.

Tetreau and his Crimson Eagles' squad completed their inaugural season against the established Roger Ludlowe Flying Tigers by dropping a 27-6 decision. However, it was apparent even then that Coach Tetreau, the former Ludlowe skipper, was building a solid program which would ultimately win a state championship just three years later.

While at Ludlowe, Tetreau's 1954 team was ranked number three in the state. Tetreau always preferred the unexpected on the football field. He liked to run the Statue of Liberty play, where the quarterback fades back to pass and the running back grabs the ball. He ran draw plays and screen passes. And, he taught his players to think on the field.

"When I elected to go to Warde after three years at Ludlowe, I was asked about Emil Taft," recalled Tetreau via email about his successor at Ludlowe. "I recommended him very highly to Dr. Walter Hellman, who was assistant superintendent at that time. I was very pleased when they selected him to replace me at Ludlowe," he admitted. "My three sons (Mike, Bill, and Jack) played for Emil (at Ludlowe) and did very well."

While at Ludlowe, Bob Seirup was Tetreau's assistant coach in football, while Tetreau was an assistant to Seirup in basketball. "We won the New England basketball championship, and six of the first starters were football players," Tetreau remembered. "Bob Gillette, a former teacher at Warde, was a starter (at Ludlowe) in both football and basketball."

Tetreau helped open the new high school and began a new football program with just a few of his players from Ludlowe. "Only two players with a lot of playing time followed me to Warde," added Tetreau. "(They were) Dick Dakai and Bob Kasvinski. Ben Slesinki was the starting quarterback and Al Greco also played that position. Joe Renaud also played in that game. Most of the team was made up of new faces who eventually went through an undefeated season (a few years later)."

Coach Taft's Flying Tigers used a potent running attack to erase an early 6-0 deficit and cruise to victory over their new cross-town rivals in the 1956 series lidlifter. Ludlowe improved to 4-2-1 on the campaign prior to closing out the season with its traditional Thanksgiving Day game against Bassick of Bridgeport. The Eagles closed their inaugural campaign winless in eight games.

Ludlowe co-captain Pat Thomas scored three of his team's four touchdowns on breakaway runs measuring 69, 35, and 15 yards in addition to helping to set up the first score with a nifty 32-yard scamper. The stellar fullback carried the ball 12 times for 288 yards for a 19-yard average per carry. The winners gained 355 total yards on the ground.

Warde actually scored the game's first touchdown on its second play from scrimmage to give the visitors the early advantage. "The big play against Ludlowe called for Dakai, who was a lineman with a strong arm, to turn around and get the ball from the quarterback and throw a long pass to Rick Solari for about 50 yards," explained Tetreau. Solari caught the long aerial and scampered the remaining 10 yards to paydirt for a touchdown.

"That's as much as I remember. I did spread Rick Solari wide to have a one-on-one situation." It was the first time that the six-foot-three Dakai, Warde's punter, threw a forward pass during the regular season.

The Tigers, however, responded with a 70-yard drive of their own, climaxed by co-captain George Toth's one yard end run into the end zone. The methodical march downfield included one pass from quarterback Dick Bonney to end Bob Power, good for 10 yards, a 32-yard jaunt by Thomas, and an 11-yard carry by Bonney. Thomas also swept around end to convert the extra point and give Ludlowe a 7-6 lead.

The hosts took control of the game at that point, although Warde, using a newly-adopted spread offense for Dakai's passing, completed five-of-15 aerial attempts for 96 yards. Ben Slesensky and Al Greco also did some pitching for the Eagles.

Thomas made his first two touchdown runs in the second period as Ludlowe boosted its lead to 21-6 just before halftime. Norman Stickney's interception of a pass thrown by Dakai preceded the 69-yard scoring romp by Thomas to expand the Tigers' cushion. The winners used their bruising ground game to gain good yardage, eat up the valuable time off the clock, and take command of the contest.

"Ludlowe (players) had friends at Warde and Warde (players) had friends at Ludlowe," emphasized Tetreau about that initial meeting on the gridiron. The players on both teams attended the same school the year before, so they knew each other very well. "Ludlowe was favored, and they won."

Tetreau, after whom the Warde football field was named and dedicated two years ago, was inducted into the Fairfield County Interscholastic Athletic Conference Hall of Fame on June 10 of this year. He was recognized for his excellence in coaching and the leadership he provided in organizing the FCIAC. The annual awards program took place at Testo's Banquet Hall in Bridgeport.

Just three years after that first winless season, Tetreau's Crimson Eagles posted an undefeated 9-0 record and captured a state championship. Fifteen players went on to play college football from his 1959 championship squad. The following year, in 1960, his charges went 8-1 for a two-year cumulative record of 17-1.

"I still send emails to some of my players and to one of my managers from Ludlowe who became the president of Central Connecticut State University," wrote Tetreau. "(This) Tuesday night is a big night as both teams gather for a joint dinner at Warde. Mike, Chico, and I will be there."

Paul

Join the Andrew Warde Class of 1976 Facebook page.

Please sign the AWHS Guest Book.

Visit the Andrew Warde High School Gift Shop.

Watch the AWHS 1976 vintage "film".

Dramatic Finish to Warde's 1976 Thanksgiving Day Victory Over Ludlowe Caps Most Memorable Game

This is the fourth installment of my special series recalling Andrew Warde High School's football rivalry with Roger Ludlowe. If you have any photos, film, or programs, please contact me at pppiorek@news12.com. Thank you.

The 1976 Thanksgiving Day football game between Andrew Warde and Roger Ludlowe high schools was arguably the most dramatic and most memorable in the long and storied history of the Fairfield rivalry. If you were one of the 7,000+ fans who packed the Ludlowe field to witness the game, you no doubt were sitting on the edge of your seat. If you were one of the players, it's a game you'll never forget.

The Warde Crimson Eagles were bidding for their ninth straight Thanksgiving Day game victory after sweeping a seven-game series with Kolbe from 1968 through 1974 and capturing the inaugural Turkey Day contest with the Flying Tigers in 1975. Although both teams combined for only five victories heading into the game, the season records, as usual, were meaningless when the Eagles and Tigers met for the third time in two seasons.

The Crimson Eagles were clinging to a precarious seven-point lead, 20-13, when Ludlowe drove to the Warde two yard line with only 11 seconds left in the game. However, an illegal motion penalty against the hosts negated quarterback Brian Curry's clutch pass to Dan French, and the football was spotted back at the 27-yard line.

An incomplete pass and Dan Capodicci's sack of Curry ended the game. The victory extended Warde's perfect Thanksgiving Day record to 9-0 and gave the Eagles their third straight win in two years over their bitter rivals. Both Warde, which was celebrating its 20th anniversary, and Ludlowe finished the campaign with identical 3-7 records.

Bill Davis, the late Crimson Eagles' coach, stood at midfield following the game, trying to convince fans, players, and the media that he wasn't concerned when the Tigers apparently had moved close to the Warde goal line. "I saw the flag on the play," he was quoted as saying. "I prayed that it was with us." His prayers were answered, improving his unblemished Thanksgiving Day record as coach to 7-0 since taking over for Fern Tetreau in 1970.

Ludlowe, which trailed 13-0 after three quarters, finally came alive in the final stanza, thanks to the receiving of French, Jack Tetreau, and Dave Williams. Williams opened the fourth quarter by grabbing an 18-yard aerial from Curry, only the fourth completion in 13 attempts by the Tigers' signal caller. Nine players later, Curry threw a strike to Williams, who split two defenders on a post pattern, for a 15-yard touchdown to cap a 78-yard drive. Curry's point after kick cut the Eagles' lead to 13-7.

The hosts played solid defense on Warde's next possession, and the Tigers got the ball back at the Eagles' 46-yard line with just 7:37 left in the game. Tetreau, the son of former Warde coaching legend Fern Tetreau, made a sensational one-handed grab of a deflected pass for an eight yard gain, and French made a diving stab of a Russ Gordon option pass for a 25-yard pickup and a first-and-goal at the Eagles' seven yard line.

After Ludlowe was pushed back to the ten-yard line, French made another diving catch on third down, this time on a post pattern in the end zone, for the tying touchdown with 5:39 remaining in the game. However, a poor snap from center foiled the conversion attempt, and left the score deadlocked at 13 apiece heading into the final minutes.

Two key plays on Warde's ensuing drive helped stop Ludlowe's momentum and led to the winning score. First, quarterback Joe Giesken came up with huge gain of 25 yards on a counter run up the left sideline. A personal foul on the play advanced the pigskin to the Ludlowe 37 yard line. Then, four plays later on a fourth-and-three from the 30 yard line, Jim Babian bulled off right tackle for a five yard gain and an Eagles' first down at the Ludlowe 25.

Two plays later, sophomore halfback Joe Ciccia threw a perfect option pass to Duane Meier for the winning touchdown with just 1:25 left in the game. The play was used six times by the Eagles. Ludlowe answered with its last-ditch effort before the Warde defense rose to the occasion and thwarted the Tigers' potential game-tying score.

The guests jumped out to an early lead. On Ludlowe's first play from scrimmage, Ed Kish, who intercepted three passes in the game and was voted Warde's Most Valuable Player, picked off an errant Curry aerial and returned it 22 yards to paydirt as Warde drew first blood. The winners added to their lead when Ciccia threw a perfect 77-yard halfback option to Meier.

Now, 22 years later, the modern version of the rivalry continues next Thursday morning at Warde. The host Mustangs will attempt to win their third straight game against the Falcons when the teams meet at 10:30. Ludlowe captured the first matchup when the rivalry was resurrected in 2005, but Warde won the last two games. Overall, the Crimson Eagles/Mustangs lead the series, nine games to four.

Paul

Join the Andrew Warde Class of 1976 Facebook page.

Please sign the AWHS Guest Book.

Visit the Andrew Warde High School Gift Shop.

Watch the AWHS 1976 vintage "film".

Harry 'The Toe' Caston Still Treasures Thanksgiving Memories, Talented Crimson Eagles' Teammates, & a Dedicated Coach Nearly 40 Years Later

This is the third installment of my special series recalling Andrew Warde High School's football rivalries. If you have any photos, film, or programs, please contact me at pppiorek@news12.com. Thank you.

Thirty-six years have passed since he played his last football game at Andrew Warde High School, but Harry Caston still cherishes his memories of the Thanksgiving Day rivalry with Kolbe, the athletes with whom he played, and the coach who never gave up on him.

The man affectionately known as "The Toe" was the Crimson Eagles' placekicker during his junior and senior years. "I probably gave myself the nickname, having tired of being called 'Hey, you,'" joked Caston, who waxed nostalgic with Thanksgiving just one week away.

"For me, it was wonderful playing on Thanksgiving day," wrote Caston, now a lawyer living in Salt Lake City. "We had great weather in both my junior and senior years. I can only speak about the games that were played in 1971, my junior year, and 1972, my senior year. Both of those teams had extremely talented athletes, and we were coached by an enthusiastic and dedicated coach (Bill Davis)."

It was Davis who inspired and encouraged Caston and taught him about teamwork and commitment. Caston shared his story about his desire to be a placekicker for the Eagles. "When I announced my intention to Coach Davis that I was going to become the team's placekicker, he could have and maybe should have reminded me of the important role and service that the members of the audio visual club provide to the school, and perhaps that organization might be more suitable to me," wrote Caston.

"He didn't say that. Instead he encouraged me, and gave me the five footballs that I asked for to practice with during the summer. Four months after that conversation I found myself lining up on an extremely muggy Saturday morning to kick an extra point in the first game of my junior year. It's my recollection that with my teamates and schoolmates looking on, my foot failed to make contact with the football. My second attempt didn't garner more success than the first.

"While none too pleased with my performance, Coach Davis didn't give up on me. In fact, he took me aside, told me that he wanted me to kick in the junior varsity games, and that he would put me back in the varsity games when I was ready. I did get back into the varsity games by the end of the year."

Caston was impressed with the Eagles gridders of that era. "We did not have a record that was indicative of the talent and the coaching that we had. It's my recollection that we were not blown out or embarrassed in any of the games that we did not win in my junior and senior years, and with a little luck, a few breaks, or whatever, we would have and should have had a better record," admitted the proud father of two competitive skiers.

Warde easily won the Thanksgiving Day contests with Kolbe in 1971 and 1972, extending its perfect mark to 5-0 against the Friars in a series which first began in 1968. Warde would eventually sweep all seven games in the short-lived Thanksgiving "tradition" which ended in 1974. In fact, the Eagles outscored Kolbe, 214-44, overall.

"My hypothesis is that the reason why the team dominated Kolbe in my junior and senior years was due in part to the frustrations that we had that were taken out on them, and the team was able to play up to its potential," theorized Caston, who returned to Fairfield for Warde's field dedication ceremony, 50th anniversary celebration, and Thanksgiving Day victory over Ludlowe in 2006.

The Eagles posted their first of back-to-back Thanksgiving Day shutouts against the Friars in 1971 with a 34-0 win at Hedges Stadium in Bridgeport. Quarterback Glen Hlavaty, who tossed four touchdowns in the game, connected with wide receiver John Curry 13 times for 200 yards and a pair of scores.

Warde, which controlled the ball 75% of the time in the first half, finally got on the board with 1:04 left when Hlavaty fired a 22-yard touchdown pass to Curry. Caston, however, missed the extra point. The Eagles added to their lead early in the third quarter when Hlavaty hit flanker back Rick Seres in the corner of the end zone for a 12-0 lead. The Eagles faked the point-after conversion and Hlavaty, the holder, rolled right and passed to Curry for two points and a 14-0 cushion.

Hlavaty found Curry for a 37-yard third quarter scoring strike on a deep slant across the middle, and Jim DelVecchio, pictured below in a 1972 game against Wilton, picked off an errant Kolbe aerial and raced 35 yards, shedding a couple of would-be tacklers on the way to the end zone. A few minutes later, he took a flip from Hlavaty for a four-yard scamper to paydirt. The last touchdown followed the second interception of the quarter by Mark Magyar, a reserve defensive back.

What does Caston most remember about that game? "Following a kickoff I was trying to sneak off the field so as not to get injured, and I inadvertently tackled the guy who was returning my kickoff and thereby prevented a touchdown," Caston admitted. "One of the students who was not on the football team came running down the stands and congratulated me for my tackle.

"I felt pretty good about that," he continued. "I later learned that the source of this guy's joy was that he had a large amount of money on the game, and if the other team had scored he would have lost his wager."

The following year, 1972, the Crimson Eagles blanked Kolbe, 40-0, for their fifth straight series triumph. Caston will never forget the ending of that game. He wrote, "In the final moments of the last game in my senior year played on Thanksgiving Day with our defense on the field and the lead firmly in hand, the Coach called over to me and told me to go in the game as a defensive player as he was putting all of the seniors in.

"I figured that if I stalled long enough I wouldn't have to venture into a situation that could have potentially been dangerous, especially considering that I didn't have a clue about what to do or where to go," he continued. "He would have none of it. He directed me to stand behind my friend, Mark, who was playing defensive tackle, and to try my best to not get hurt."

His high school career ended with three memorable plays. Caston admitted that on the first play, he ran back-and-forth, unsure as to what to do. The next play, though, he was involved in a tackle. Finally, during his last-ever play, he recovered a fumble. "The Toe" was asked after the game why he didn't run after recovering the pigskin.

"I had the knowledge that in high school football, at least at that time, you couldn't advance a fumble. The real reason, of course was that if I picked up the ball, and started running, it was extremely likely that I would have gotten tackled from behind, and subjected myself to even greater embarrassment. In the locker room after the game, Coach commented that I started the game out as a kicker, but went out as a football player."

With Thanksgiving just a week away, Caston can't help but reminisce about what once was. "For me personally, the Thanksgiving Day game was part of a wonderful weekend," Caston admitted. "First the game, then dinner at a family friend's house, and the next day was the start of the ski season, and the first trip of the year to Vermont. Thanksgiving remains my favorite holiday.

"Even 36 years after the crowd dispersed on Thanksgiving Day in my senior year, and as we teammates --- teammates who had literally lived together in the weight room during summer practice --- went our separate ways, the joy that we felt as a team that day comes to me like an arrow, straight and true, shooting through the years. (Coach) Bill's recent tragic passing makes those memories all the more sweeter, meaningful, and poignant."

Paul

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