*** Welcome to the Andrew Warde High School tribute website ... There are 46 issues of the Crimson Crier school newspaper from 1967 through 1976 available for download on this website ... Please visit the companion blog in the "Library" in the left-hand margin to access and download the Crimson Crier newspapers ... Please credit this website for any content, photos, or videos you share with others ... Paul Piorek is editor and publisher of the Andrew Warde High School tribute website and a proud member of the AWHS Class of 1976 ... Contact Paul at paulpiorek@gmail.com ...

Saturday, November 16, 2024

Warde Hopes to Rebound in Annual Thanksgiving Day Football Rivalry Against Ludlowe

The 19th meeting of the modern-day Thanksgiving Day football rivalry between Warde and Ludlowe high schools takes place Thursday, November 28, 2024, at Taft field on the campus of Fairfield Ludlowe High School.

I'm looking forward to being the public address announcer for the game. In fact, I have been the "voice" of Ludlowe football since 2012, even though I am an alumnus of Warde (Class of 1976).

Warde dropped its third straight Thanksgiving Day game against Ludlowe, 42-12, at Tetreau-Davis Field last year. Ludlowe's win cut the Mustangs' holiday advantage in the modern-day series to 10-8. 

The cumulative record, including the original series between the Andrew Warde Crimson Eagles and the Roger Ludlowe Flying Tigers, is 17-11 in favor of Warde.

Here is a look at the history of the Thanksgiving Day rivalry between Warde and Ludlowe:

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 2022
(Series: Warde 10 wins, Ludlowe 8 wins)
2005: Ludlowe Falcons 20, Warde Mustangs 14
2006: Warde Mustangs 21, Ludlowe Falcons 12
2007: Warde Mustangs 28, Ludlowe Falcons 0
2008: Ludlowe Falcons 10, Warde Mustangs 8
2009: Ludlowe Falcons 24, Warde Mustangs 14
2010: Warde Mustangs 21, Ludlowe Falcons 16
2011: Warde Mustangs 52, Ludlowe Falcons 13
2012: Ludlowe Falcons 31, Warde Mustangs 13
2013: Warde Mustangs 44, Ludlowe Falcons 21
2014: Warde Mustangs 27, Ludlowe Falcons 12
2015: Warde Mustangs 35, Ludlowe Falcons 14
2016: Warde Mustangs 41, Ludlowe Falcons 20
2017: Warde Mustangs 55, Ludlowe Falcons 22
2018: Ludlowe Falcons 34, Warde Mustangs 33
2019: Warde Mustangs 46, Ludlowe Falcons 20
2021: Ludlowe Falcons 50, Warde Mustangs 21
2022: Ludlowe Falcons 28, Warde Mustangs 15
2023: Ludlowe Falcons 42, Warde Mustangs 12

Cumulative record: Warde 17 wins, Ludlowe 11 wins

Paul

Thursday, November 14, 2024

Warde's First Thanksgiving Day Football Rivalry Game 'Kicked Off' 56 Years Ago

Fairfield Ludlowe High School will host Fairfield Warde High School Thanksgiving morning in the 19th annual Turkey Day football game between the two schools since the rivalry was resurrected in 2005.

However, 56 years ago this month, Warde began a short-lived and all-but-forgotten Thanksgiving Day rivalry against a small private school in Bridgeport. Prior to the opening of Andrew Warde High School in 1956, cross-town rival Roger Ludlowe High School had an established Turkey Day football game against Bassick in Bridgeport.

That left the Crimson Eagles searching for a Thanksgiving Day opponent. So, how and why did the series with Kolbe eventually start? "We both needed a Turkey Day game, so a friendly, competitive situation developed," explained former Warde coaching legend Fern Tetreau. "Both teams played hard."

The Kolbe Friars, who didn't even have a field of their own, were Warde's opponents on Thanksgiving Day from 1968 through 1974. The only question prior to each of Warde's first five games with Kolbe wasn't who would win but, rather, by how much would Warde win.

Warde dominated the series from 1968 through 1972, winning two of the five games in shutout fashion and never allowing more than eight points in any game. Overall, Warde won all seven games in the series and outscored Kolbe, 214-44.

"The best part about our clash with Kolbe was that we never had a terrible turkey dinner," Tom Davis, a member of the Eagles' squads from 1970 through 1972, told me via email. "It was always enjoyable. We went into the game knowing that we were going to win. They may have thought that they were a better team but we knew that we would win."

The Crimson Eagles won the first meeting between the schools, 32-8, in 1968. One year later, Warde blasted Kolbe, 40-6. Quarterback Chico Rodriguez threw five touchdown passes to lead the Eagles. Steve DuBoys caught scoring strikes of 70, eight, and 87 yards to help Warde to a 20-0 lead after one quarter.

Rodriguez led the winners on a 76-yard drive to open the second quarter, culminating with a 21-yard touchdown pass to Al Cassidy. Mike Skalski caught an 87-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter, and the Eagles closed the scoring in the fourth quarter when Jack Rozgonyi scampered five yards to paydirt.

The Eagles made it three in a row in 1970 when they posted a 20-6 victory in Fairfield. Warde traveled to Hedges Stadium in Bridgeport and earned its first of two straight shutout victories in 1971 (34-0). Quarterback Glen Hlavaty riddled the Friar secondary by passing for four touchdowns, leaving many wondering whether the Friars would ever win a game in the series, much less be competitive. However, even a new Kolbe coach couldn't change the Thanksgiving Day outcome in 1972.


According to the November 19, 1972 issue of the Bridgeport Sunday Post, "Kolbe High School football coach Paul Janosko is faced with a difficult assignment. In his first year as the Friars' mentor, he will try to lead his charges to their initial Thanksgiving Day triumph. With two fine performances in recent weeks, including a 40-18 triumph over Bullard Havens for their only victory, the Friars figure to give Warde a run for its money."

However, that was not to be as the Crimson Eagles buried Kolbe, 40-0. Warde finished the season at 3-6-1. Dividing the quarterback chores were Hlavaty and Davis. Running back Jim DelVecchio and placekicker Harry Caston were the scoring threats for Warde. Neil Karker and Frank Markoya were the sure-handed receivers for the Eagles.

"The '72 game was a really good game for us as we pounded them pretty good, and we all played a pretty good game," wrote Tom Davis, the younger brother of head coach Bill Davis. He noted that the games against Kolbe carried added significance for him and his brother.

"The Thanksgiving Day games were the only games my Dad saw me play as he owned his own business and worked on Saturdays, so those days were special for me." Overall, Warde outscored Kolbe, 166-20, after the first five games.

One year later, in 1973, the Kolbe gridders were a confident group heading into the Thanksgiving Day showdown with their Fairfield neighbors. According to the Bridgeport Sunday Post of November 18, 1973, "In five previous attempts, the Kolbe High School football team has failed in its quest to defeat Warde on Thanksgiving Day. That could all change as the Friars venture to the Crimson Eagles' gridiron in Fairfield for their sixth annual confrontation.

"Coach Paul Janosko's Friar combine has enjoyed a very successful season, posting a 4-5 MBIAC record. In two of the setbacks, the Friars led Harding, 14-0, at intermission before bowing, and lost in the final minute to St. Joseph, 14-12. Having already won more games than any other Kolbe eleven, Janosko has his troops primed for their first .500 season."

Once again, though, Warde prevailed. Senior halfback Ken Aiello exploded for 115 yards and two touchdowns in the second half to lead the Eagles to a 28-18 come-from-behind victory over the Friars in the 1973 Thanksgiving Day tussle. Aiello's fourth-quarter scoring runs of 11 and 54 yards erased an 18-14 Friar lead as the losers frittered away an opportunity to notch their first win in this Turkey Day series.

Aiello, who finished with 155 yards on the ground, was awarded the Most Valuable Player for Warde, while Kolbe halfback Ken Iassogna, who churned up 120 yards in 18 carries and scored a touchdown, was the Frairs' recipient.

"The Kolbe effort should rank as one of its strongest in this series as the Friars were in full command until the Crimson Eagles mounted a ferocious running attack in the second half to overpower the opposition," the newspaper article stated. Jim DelVecchio ran for a 74-yard touchdown in the third quarter for the victorious Eagles.

The final Thanksgiving Day matchup between the two rivals happened in 1974. The Eagles finished the seven-game sweep of Kolbe by posting a 20-6 victory in front of an estimated 4,000 fans in Fairfield. Warde linebacker Phil Cerrone came up with the big play as he killed a Kolbe scoring bid with a pass interception and an 82-yard return to set up an important insurance touchdown for Warde.

Cerrone, who gained the Most Valuable Player award for his crucial theft, intercepted Jamsey Codrington's pass in the right flat as Kolbe was driving toward the Warde goal line. Cerrone stepped in front of intended receiver Ira Thomas at the 10, picked off the pass, and rambled 82 yards to the Friars' eight. Two plays later, Harold Savage scored a touchdown from nine yards out, staking the Crimson Eagles to a 12-0 lead with 3:30 left in the game.


Warde put the finishing touches on its second victory of the season and final Thanksgiving Day win against Kolbe on its next series as an unsuccessful Kolbe onside kick gave the Eagles the ball at midfield, setting up Greg Aiello's 37-yard scoring gallop with 1:03 showing.

The following year, Andrew Warde High School's Crimson Eagles began a Thanksgiving Day football tradition against Roger Ludlowe High School. In fact, Warde defeated Ludlowe twice during the 1975 campaign, marking the only time in the long and storied history of the Fairfield football rivalry that one school swept two games in the same year against the other. As for Kolbe, it no longer fields a high school football team.

Paul

Saturday, October 26, 2024

Crimson Eagles Blanked New Canaan for Sixth Straight Victory 65 Years Ago Today

Andrew Warde High School's unbeaten Crimson Eagles traveled to New Canaan and blanked the host Rams, 16-0, 62 years ago today --- Monday, October 26, 1959 --- for their sixth straight gridiron victory during the undefeated state championship season of 1959.

Although the Eagles moved through the middle of the New Canaan defensive line almost at will, they were unable to score until the third quarter. Halfback Larry Gill staged a one-man drive, moving the pigskin from the Warde 40-yard-line to paydirt on six consecutive carries, including a 38-yard jaunt around his left end.

His last three bursts, including the touchdown run, were for six yards each on identical thrusts off left tackle. Gill added two conversion points on a similar play.

Please click the link below the newspaper image to access and enlarge the newspaper story of the game.

. Tue, Oct 27, 1959 – Page 28 · The Bridgeport Post (Bridgeport, Fairfield, Connecticut) · Newspapers.com
Warde's second touchdown came the next time the Eagles had possession of the ball as they engineered another sustained running drive and netted five straight first downs while covering 70 yards. Fullback Jack Flanagan capped the surge with three up-the-middle three-yard plunges for the score. Gill once again rushed for the two extra points to seal the triumph.

Warde's line, a key factor in the success of the Eagles since the season started, was superb again against New Canaan. Center Dave Schempp, subbing for the injured Ed Zelle, was particularly impressive on defense, while standout performances were also turned in by tackles Jim Roberto and Fred Gates.

The Eagles rolled to 217 yards on the ground, 156 of which came in the second half, as they fashioned their fifth shutout in six games.

Paul

Sunday, October 20, 2024

Second-Half Comeback Lifted Warde Gridders Over Ludlowe 51 Years Ago Today

A bad snap from center and a recovered fumble allowed Andrew Warde High School's football team to score a pair of second half touchdowns and rally for a 16-14 upset victory over cross-town rival Roger Ludlowe High School at the winners' field before a bi-partisan crowd of 4,000 people, Saturday, October 20, 1973.

Reliable halfback Ken Aiello grounded out 180 yards on 30 carries to spark the Crimson Eagles to their first FCIAC victory against five overall losses and left them with a 1-3 mark in the Eastern Division. Ludlowe fell to 1-3 in the East and 2-4 overall.

Aiello, who also tallied on both extra point conversions, received a plaque from the Fairfield Lions Club as Warde's most valuable player in the game, while Bob Haggerty was voted Ludlowe's top performer in post game ceremonies.


The Flying Tigers tallied at 2:52 of the first quarter when quarterback Joe Rietano sneaked across the goal line on a fourth-and-goal sitution. The 10-play scoring drive started when Tom Danielson fumbled on his own 31 yard line. Kevin Klik kicked the extra point to give the guests a 7-0 lead.


Coach Emil Taft's squad added another seven points on the first play of the second quarter when Rietano hit Paul Sullivan with a 21-yard completion and Klik added the extra point to take a seemingly secure 14-0 cushion into intermission. Please click the link below to access and enlarge the newspaper story of the game.

Sun, Oct 21, 1973 – Page 93 · The Bridgeport Post (Bridgeport, Fairfield, Connecticut) · Newspapers.com
But the fired-up Eagles of Bill Davis weren't going to be denied and turned opportunistic by using the Ludlowe miscues to pull out the win. The first break came when Ludlowe punter Mark Greenwalt was not able to handle the snap from center and was brought down on hos own 34 yard line.

Later, Aiello's 23-yard carry brought the ball down to the nine yard line, and two plays later Steve Cameron crossed the goal line with 3:23 remaining in the third quarter. Aiello fought his way into the end zone for two additional points.

The deciding touchdown came after tackle Julius Dudics pounced on a Ludlowe fumble at the Tigers' 31. A facemask penalty and a 12-yard run by Aiello put the pigskin on the eight yard line. On third-and-goal, quarterback Jim DelVecchio hit paydirt from one yard away to tie the score at 14-14 with 6:29 left in the game. Aiello again battled his way into the end zone for the deciding two points


Paul

Thursday, October 17, 2024

Crimson Eagles Posted Fifth Straight Victory on Way to Undefeated Gridiron Campaign 65 Years Ago Today


The unbeaten and untied Crimson Eagles of Andrew Warde High School were scored upon for the first time this season on their home field, but they overcame tough opposition from Staples to defeat the Wreckers, 14-6, to post their fifth straight football, Saturday, October 17, 1959. 

Coach Fern Tetreau's talented Eagles appeared to be on their way to another decisive triumph when left halfback Jack Gill broke away for a 49-yard touchdown run off his own right tackle on Warde's second play from scrimmage to start the game. Right halfback Al Bennett rushed for the two-point conversion to give the hosts an 8-0 cushion.


However, the game developed into a dogfight from that point on, and coach Frank Dornfeld's combative Staples charges gave the Warde faithful anxious moments until the closing moments of play.


Although Staples outrushed the Crimson Eagles by a 156 to 114 yard margin, the Wreckers found Warde's strong defensive unit tough to crack until midway through the fourth quarter. Quarterback Bob Denham faked a jump pass over the line to end Nick Delgass and instead handed off to halfback Ted Dreyfuss who ran for 43 yards for the first points scored against Warde all season. Dreyfuss was stopped on the all-important two-point conversion attempt, but Staples was in the game and trailed 8-6.

The aroused Eagles stormed back on their ensuing possession, though, and engineered their best offensive drive of the day to wrap up the victory. Although they lost eight yards on two successive running plays after the kickoff, Warde quickly moved downfield when a pass from quarterback Joe Vige to end Jack Schneider was ruled complete for 24 yards and a first down to the Staples 39 yard line due to pass interference. 
Please click the link below to access and enlarge the newspaper story of the game.
Sun, Oct 18, 1959 – Page 54 · The Bridgeport Post (Bridgeport, Fairfield, Connecticut) · Newspapers.com
Stellar fullback Jack Flanagan, pictured above running against Staples in that very game and who saw limited action due to an injured leg, powered the drive from that point. He carried the ball eight times over the next 13 plays to account for 30 of the 39 yards during the drive. He bulled over the goal line from three yards out through tackle for Warde's winning touchdown. Schneider's attempted point-after kick, however, went wide of the goalposts.

Paul

Saturday, October 12, 2024

Warde and Ludlowe Placed Restrictions on Student Smoking 67 Years Ago This Week

Under a new policy adopted at Andrew Warde and Roger Ludlowe high schools, only juniors and seniors were permitted to smoke and only at the end of lunch period, according to a front-page story which appeared in The Bridgeport Post 67 years ago this week. The general ban on smoking at other times anywhere on school property remained in effect.

Freshmen and sophomore students who were originally permitted to smoke with 11th and 12th graders had to wait until they became upperclassmen to smoke. The story appears in the lower-right hand side of the Saturday, October 12, 1957 publication below.

Daniel B. Fitts, hedamaster at Andrew Warde High School, and Roger L. Warner, Roger Ludlowe High School's headmaster, said the new restrictions were the result of a desire by parents to discourage smoking. In addition, it was illegal for anyone under the age of 16 to purchase cigarettes.

The two administrators pointed out that the smoking ban was eased at Roger Ludlowe High School several years earlier because of the serious policing problem it created.

"Teachers had to be assigned to various school areas to watch against smoking," they pointed out. The previous policy permitted all students to smoke in a certain area at a designated time.

Violators of the ban faced stiff punishment, the headmasters reported. There was an automatic two-week suspenion period after the second offense. A year earlier, eight Warde students and two Ludlowe students were suspended.

Paul