Warde Defeats Ludlowe, 21-16, to Take 10-6 Overall Lead in Thanksgiving Day Series

Warde defeated Ludlowe, 21-16, to even the modern-day version of the Thanksgiving Day series, 3-3, and take a 10-6 lead in the overall history of the series, which began in 1975. The following article was written by Pat Pickens of the Fairfield Citizen-News.

FAIRFIELD -- After two straight defeats to its arch-rival, Fairfield Ludlowe, the Fairfield Warde football team made sure that the third time would be the charm.

Senior Craig Lowery scored a touchdown, and set up both of the other Mustangs' scores en route to team MVP honors as Warde ended its season at .500 with 21-16 win over the Falcons Thanksgiving morning in front of 2,000 at Tetreau/Davis Field.

"We knew what we had to do," Warde coach Duncan Della Volpe said. "

Warde's Alex Delaney, pictured above, and David Wolff each ran for touchdowns as the Mustangs claimed the Gallagher-Banyas Trophy for the first time since 2007.

Ludlowe's Ryan Moore caught a touchdown and was named Ludlowe's team MVP as the Falcons closed out their year 1-9.

"We're still a very young program," Ludlowe coach Matt McCloskey said. "We've just got to get into the weight room, and run our stuff and we'll be fine."

Senior running back Nate Ryan also ran for 125 yards, including a 65-yard touchdown run on the first play of the Falcons' second drive to put Ludlowe ahead, 7-0.

"We thought we were going to compete and just outdo them," Della Volpe said. "When he scored and they went ahead, it turned into, `We can't let this happen to us again.' "

Off of the Falcons' touchdown, however, Lowery set the Mustangs up with good field position, returning the ball to the Warde 44-yard line. After a 15-yard gain on first down, Warde quarterback Chris Foley hit Lowery for a 40-yard pass play that set the Mustangs up at the Ludlowe 1-yard line.

"We didn't want to lose to Ludlowe," Lowery, pictured above, said. "I didn't want to lose to them my senior year as a captain."

Two plays later, Wolff bulled in from a yard out to tie the score at 7.

The Mustangs quickly took the lead when, after a three and out, Foley found Lowery for a 35-yard touchdown strike which put Warde ahead for good. The Falcons' defensive backs bit on a fake screen pass, and Lowery snuck behind the defense and Foley delivered a perfect pass to put Warde up 14-7.

"He threw an excellent ball," Lowery said. "All I had to do is hold on tight and score."
"He runs (the play) really well," Della Volpe said of Lowery.

Lowery also set up Warde's final score in the third quarter with a 40-yard punt return which put the Mustangs at the Falcons' 3-yard line. Delaney powered in on the next play to put Warde up 21-10.

"We beat them up on special teams," Della Volpe said. "We've got some pretty good kids in our return game."

"Our kick game was not very good today," McCloskey said.

Ludlowe cut the Mustangs' lead when quarterback Tom Hammons, pictured above, hit Moore for a 26 yard touchdown pass with 5:15 left, which made the game 21-16. Ludlowe then recovered an onside kick, but could not convert a first down.

"We had opportunities," McCloskey said. "We just didn't get it done."

Warde took over, and salted the final three minutes away, to clinch its second straight 5-5 season. The Mustangs had been 7-14 in the previous two seasons.

"We didn't want to be the same old Fairfield Warde," Lowery said. "We didn't want a losing season."

Photos courtesy Connecticut Post.

Aiello Carried Warde to Thanksgiving Day Win Over Kolbe on This Date in 1973

Senior halfback Ken Aiello exploded for 115 yards and two touchdowns in the second half to carry Andrew Warde High School to a 28 to 18 come-from-behind victory over Kolbe, Thanksgiving morning, November 22, 1973.

Aiello's fourth-quarter scoring runs erased an 18-14 Friars' lead as the guests failed to notch their first win in the annual Turkey Day series between the two schools. Warde extended its winning streak to six games, dating back to 1968.

Aiello, who finished with 155 yards on the ground, earned the Warde Most Valuable Player award for his efforts, while Kolbe halfback Ken Iassogna, who churned out 129 yards in 18 carries and scored a touchdown, was the Friars' recipient.

Kolbe's effort was one of its strongest in the series. The Friars were in command until the Crimson Eagles mounted a ferocious running attack in the second half. Quarterback Jim DelVecchio gained all of his 74 yards in the second half on a long touchdown jaunt in the third quarter.

Kolbe made a bid to put the game away early in the second half, however, as the Friars used up five minutes to drive 57 yards in 10 plays for a score on the opening series of the half. Quarterback Frank Borres, who rushed for 72 yards and passed for another 122, went over from three yards out to give Kolbe a seemingly sturdy 18-6 lead.

Less than two minutes later, DelVecchio was off and running toward paydirt. Tom Connelly's subsequent conversion rush narrowed the Kolbe lead to 18-14. It appeared that Warde's momentum was stopped at the outset of the fourth quarter when the Kolbe defense held the hosts on downs at the Friar 11. However, a crucial fumble on Kolbe's next series gave Warde new life.

Julius Dudics recovered Iassogna's fumble at the Kolbe 26, and Warde assumed its first lead moments later when Aiello bolted over the goal line from 11 yards away. His subsequent two-point rush made it 22-18, and his 54-yard scoring run four minutes later sealed the victory.

The two clubs traded touchdowns in the early minutes of the first half as Borres hit Ed Daniels with a 22-yard scoring strike for a 6-0 Kolbe lead. Connelly returned the ensuing kickoff 85 yards to tie the score at 6-6. Iasoggna's 26-yard touchdown run in the second quarter sent the Friars to the locker room with a 12-6 advantage.

Statistically, Kolbe enjoyed a 342-221 edge in total offensive yardage. The Crimson Eagles outgained the guests on the ground, 271 to 220 yards. Borres, who clicked on five of seven passes, gave Kolbe a 122-55 margin in yards passing.

Paul

Former Warde Gridiron Teammates Prepare to Battle Each Other for FCIAC Football Crown

Editor's Note: Former Andrew Warde High School football player Rob Trifone coached Darien High School to a 17-7 victory over Trumbull High School, coached by Trifone's former Warde teammate and Crimson Eagles' tri-captain Bob Maffei, for the FCIAC football championship tonight at Trumbull High School.

Rob Trifone and Bob Maffei were teammates on the Andrew Warde High School football team nearly 40 years ago. Today, however, they will be on opposite sides of the field as head coaches in the FCIAC championship football game.

Trifone's undefeated (9-0) Darien Blue Wave will battle Maffei's 8-1 Trumbull Golden Eagles at 7 o'clock this evening at McDougall Field in Trumbull for the league championship. Trifone, pictured above wearing number 20 for Warde Eagles, is hoping to win the school's fourth league title against Maffei, pictured above wearing number 22.

Maffei was a tri-captain on the 1972 squad along with Glen Hlvaty (#13), and Tom Davis (#30). The squad was coached by Tom's brother, Bill, after whom the Warde field was named and dedicated in 2006. Maffei is hoping to capture Trumbull's sixth FCIAC crown.

Trifone, pictured above making a tackle for the Crimson Eagles, has taken a measured tone since the season started. "The funny thing about this team is they either rise to the level of the competition or settle," he said. "They have struggled against teams under .500 and been kind of complacent. We tried to snap that. It's the type of group that likes a challenge."

Tom Davis searched through his photo archives and found several photos of Trifone and Maffei when they played for the Eagles. The first photo below shows Davis, Hlvaty, and Maffei, the 1972 Warde tri-captains. The next photo shows them standing alongside Warde coach Bill Davis.

"He would be very proud of them as he has been over the last 40 years," wrote Tom Davis about his late brother, Bill. "He would have been at the game and fighting to get on the field to congratulate both of them."

Tom Davis, who currently coaches girls' lacrosse at Warde, couldn't be happier for his former teammates. "I too am proud of them and know they both have put their lives into football," he added. "To get into a FCIAC championship is a coach's dream. I am rooting for a great game for both."

Good luck to both Rob Trifone and Bob Maffei this evening. It will be a memorable night for one of these two former Andrew Warde High School football players.

Paul

Warde Hosts Ludlowe in Annual Thanksgiving Day Rivalry at Tetreau/Davis Field

The sixth meeting of the renewal of the Thanksgiving Day football rivalry between Warde and Ludlowe high schools takes place next Thursday morning at 10:30 at the Mustangs' home field on Melville Avenue. Ludlowe has won the last two games of the series to take a 3-2 lead in the modern-day version of the rivalry.

Here are the cumulative results of the Thanksgiving Day football games between Warde and Ludlowe. The original series between the Crimson Eagles and Flying Tigers took place from 1975 to 1984. The modern-day series between the Mustangs and Falcons began in 2005.

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: Ludowe 3 Wins, Warde 2 Wins)
2005: Ludlowe Falcons 20, Warde Mustangs 14
2006: Warde Mustangs 21, Ludlowe Tigers 12
2007: Warde Mustangs 28, Ludlowe Falcons 0
2008: Ludlowe Falcons 10, Warde Mustangs 8

2009: Ludlowe Falcons 24, Warde Mustangs 14

Paul

Former Andrew Warde High School Gridders Set Sights on FCIAC Title as Coaches

The following feature article was written by Bob Greeney for the Fairfield County Interscholastic Athletic Conference and MSG Varsity Network, a service of Optimum.

Editor's Note: Trumbull and Darien will play for the FCIAC football championship Thanksgiving morning. Both head coaches played together at Andrew Warde High School in the early 1970s.

It is quite an amazing thing and a neat coincidence how things have come full circle so many years and several decades later for a pair of longtime successful head football coaches in the FCIAC.

It was 41 years ago that Darien coach Rob Trifone and Trumbull coach Bob Maffei first buckled up their chinstraps as freshman teammates at Andrew Warde High School in Fairfield.

Both of their fathers were assistant coaches with the program — hence, the coaching pedigree — as upperclassmen they ended up playing alongside each other on defense, and now, all these years later, here they are still fraternal colleagues as two of the 19 head coaches in the FCIAC.

“I’ve always thought that was a neat thing,” Trifone, pictured to the left, said. “It’s kind of cool that both of us went to high school together, we were in classes together, and obviously with our teams we’ve been in the same coaching fraternity for a long time.

"Five years ago we had a high school reunion, all of the football players were there, and Bob and I were at the head of the conversation because we’re both still involved.”

As this year has evolved, Trifone and Maffei are two of the several FCIAC coaches having very successful seasons and in contention for postseason playoff berths – be it playing in the conference championship game at 7 p.m., November 19, at Trumbull High School or securing a spot in the State playoffs in their respective classes.

Trifone and Maffei had a kinship and the utmost respect for each other when they were side by side as linebackers for Andrew Warde in the early-1970s and that is a mutual respect that they maintain today.

Maffei, pictured to the left, was a tough, scrappy and heady 5-foot-8, 160-pound inside linebacker when he was a senior at Warde during the 1972 season. “I studied the film a lot,” said Maffei, who went to Yankton College. “I just got a jump on where the ball was going. If you’re quick they can’t get to you to block you.”

“First of all he was a very good high school athlete — period!” Trifone said of Maffei. “He was a great baseball player and a very good linebacker in football. He was never really the biggest kid. When you look at him today, he wasn’t much different in high school. I always looked at him and said: ‘Where does that power come from?’ I always had the utmost respect for Bob. He was a good, tough athlete.”

Trifone was a 5-foot-11, 175-pound outside right linebacker who played to the right of Maffei. Typical of the son of a coach, he was also heady along with being tough and strong.

“He was smart,” Maffei recalled of Trifone. “He was very, very intelligent. He never messed up his assignments. He was a strong kid, too. He was very strong with the weights and stuff.”

Trifone played a little football at Central Connecticut State before making the transition to rugby.

Maffei and Trifone were so zealous about their football on and off the field when they were in high school. When they were not on the field, they would discuss football at the dinner table and watch film at home with their respective fathers.

Maffei’s father, Bobby, and Trifone’s father, Al, were both assistants to Warde head coach Bill Davis when their sons were teammates.

“They were very similar in coaching style,” Trifone said. “They were old school, very gruff, but at the same time they’d put their arm around you when you needed a hug. My dad and his dad were great friends. I know that coming from a football family stimulated me to go into coaching and I think it was the same thing with Bob, too.”

“My father was in the booth and Robbie’s father was the offensive line coach. And his father was our freshman coach, too,” Maffei recalled. “We’re a football family. My father made me a good football player because he taught me how to read keys, like linemen being on their heels and linemen on white knuckles. We’d watch tape together and look for keys. That was my early development as a player.

“I always wanted to be a coach,” Maffei continued. “I always wanted to be a pro football player, of course. But when that dream fades the next thing is to be a coach. Now my son (Bobby) wants to be a coach. He’s a student-assistant coach at Nebraska. He’s working for Sean Watson. He’s getting taught College Football 101 at Nebraska. So it’s three generations here.”

Another coincidence is that Trifone and Maffei were both protégés of two of the classiest and most successful FCIAC coaches ever.

Trifone was the defensive coordinator for former Brien McMahon coach Jack Casagrande and he ascended to the head position when Casagrande retired. Maffei assisted Jerry McDougall at Trumbull when McDougall was en route to setting a state record for most career wins as a head coach. Maffei, now in his 35th year of coaching, succeeded McDougall at Trumbull.

Trifone won the FCIAC championship in 1994 with a McMahon team that was one of the greatest FCIAC teams ever and the next year his Senators defended that crown. Maffei’s Eagles won the FCIAC title five years ago.

Trifone took a teaching and an assistant coaching job at Darien so that he could be involved with his stepson on the team and he then became the head coach and has resurrected the program.

As irony had it, Trifone and Maffei have hardly coached against each other since Maffei became Trumbull’s head coach 13 years ago because they’re teams have rarely been scheduled against each other.

Trifone recalled the one time they were on opposing sidelines in the late-1990s and how Davis, their former high school coach, was so proud to spend one half with each of them on their respective sidelines.

This year, yet again, they were not on each other’s schedule.

But because they are both having such successful seasons, well, who knows?

Darien is 8-0 overall, 7-0 in the FCIAC and in second place behind defending FCIAC champion Staples (8-0) in the points standings that determine the two finalists.

Trumbull (7-1) is third but Maffei’s Eagles do have a significant bit of their destiny in their own hands because they play at Staples this Saturday at 1:30 p.m.

Darien hosts Norwalk (3-5) at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday.

The top two teams in the final point standings in the FCIAC will play each other for the conference championship and this is the final weekend of the season to determine that.

Trumbull has quite the challenge in trying to win at Staples and thereby set up a championship showdown of two former high school teammates going against each other.

“Wouldn’t it be nice if we met in the FCIAC championship? Wouldn’t that be something?” Maffei said, before quickly adding, “But we just try to take things one week at a time.”

Darien is ranked fifth and Trumbull 11th in the New Haven Register’s media state poll. Darien is fifth while Trumbull received the 16th most points in the Day of New London Coaches Poll. In the MaxPreps state poll, Darien is fourth and Trumbull seventh, just a ahead of Staples.

Staples is ranked third in the aforementioned media and coaches polls.

Darien is second behind Masuk in Class L Football Point Rankings that determine the state playoff participants.

Trumbull, which has won two straight since a 27-19 loss at home to Stamford (5-3) on Oct. 22, is fifth in Class LL Football Point Rankings.

Staples is fourth in Class LL, behind top-ranked Norwich Free Academy, Xavier and Hall, all of whom are also 8-0.

Fairfield Board of Ed Approved Name for New Fairfield High School 56 Years Ago This Week

The following story is reprinted from the November 5, 1954 edition of the Bridgeport Sunday Post. The article appeared on the front page. Please see the newspaper scans below.

Fairfield's new secondary school, to be constructed on the eastern side of town, has been named Andrew Warde High School in honor of one of the first commissioners appointed to govern the people of Connecticut.

The Board of Education approved the name for the new school following a recommendation made by Mrs. Herbert A. George, secretary of the board, who headed a committee studying various names for the new structure.

A contemporary of Roger Ludlowe, after whom the town's original public high school was named, Mr. Warde played an important role in the early history of Connecticut. Mrs. George said information gathered disclosed that he came to America in Winthrop's fleet and for a short time resided in Watertown.

He was appointed by the General Court of the Bay Colony as one of the commissioners to govern the people of Connecticut and was one of the five persons who held the first court in the colony. Mr. Warde, records indicate, was one of the six magistrates who with committees of the lower house first asserted the sovereignty of the colony by the formal declaration of the war against the Pequots in 1637. "The names of the six commissioners should live forever," reported Mrs. George.

Among his other descendants were Miss Annie Burr Jennings, Oliver Gould Jennings, Henry Ward Beecker, Harriet Beecher Stowe, the author of Uncle Tom's Cabin, Rear Admiral Andrew Hull Foot, General William Hull, Commodore Isaac Hull, General Joseph Wheeler, Stephen Burroughs, inventor of the decimal system of currency, John Burroughs, emminent naturalist and author, and Mary E. Wooley, president of Mount Holyoke College.

Mr. Warde was the father of nine children. His daughter, Mary, married John Burr II of Fairfield, father of Aaron Burr, who was the third vice president of the United States, and ancestors of the Rev. Aaron Burr, president of Princeton College.

The Board of Education also approved a list of seven names from which Mrs. George was authorized to select four for the naming of the four houses in the new high school plan. The names approved were John Winthrop, founder of New London; John Mason, founder of Windsor and author of A Brief History of the Pequot War: 1736; Joel Barlow, author of A Vision of Columbus, and editor of a weekly newspaper in Hartford.

Also, Oliver Wolcott, one of the signers of The Declaration of Independence who served as governor of the state in 1796; and Thomas Morehouse, Thomas Newton, and Edmund Strickland were among the first early settlers of the town.

The name Aaron Burr, president of Princeton, was dropped when it was pointed out that the name might be confused with that of the Revolutionary War traitor.

Members of the committee working with Mrs. George on the names were Dr. Carlyle G. Hoyt, superintendent of schools Bernard Marlin, Alanson C. Harper, Kenneth Peterson, and Philip Pitruzzelio of the school teaching staff.

Paul