Alumni Travel Crosstown to Watch Warde Drop Thanksgiving Day Contest at Ludlowe, 24-14

The following article was written by Pat Pickens, sports editor of The Fairfield Citizen-News. The Mustangs dropped their second straight Thanksgiving Day clash against the Falcons and trail the modern-day version of the series, 3-2. Overall, the Warde Eagles/Mustangs lead the series with the Ludlowe Tigers/Falcons, 9 to 6.

As he watched teammate Rob Ferrara take a knee on the game's last play, Fairfield Ludlowe running back Nate Ryan knew what he and his team had accomplished.

The Falcons clinched their first winning season since the school re-opened in 2005 behind Ryan's 164 rushing yards and a pair of defensive scores as Ludlowe beat crosstown rival Fairfield Warde 24-14 in front of 3,500 at Taft Field.

"It means everything," Ryan said. "All of the hard work from August to now has paid off."

Ryan was named Ludlowe's MVP of the game. Warde junior running back Alex Delaney, seen defending Ludlowe's Nate Ryan below, had 110 all-purpose yards and was named the Mustangs' MVP.

The game turned in the second quarter when the opportunistic Falcons scored 17 points in a span of 1:35 with little help from its offense. Warde was in the midst of a 10- minute drive and had moved the ball to the Ludlowe 19-yard line when Mustangs quarterback Eric Burns had his pass tipped and then intercepted by Nick Rossomando, seen defending a pass below. The senior defensive back ran 90 yards to put the Falcons up 7-0.

"We were going in to score," Warde head coach Duncan DellaVolpe said. "I probably called the wrong play."

On Warde's next offensive play from scrimmage, Mustangs fullback Tommy McNamara fumbled and senior Steve Gasper took the ball 40 yards to the end zone to put the Falcons ahead 14-0. Ludlowe's two touchdowns came just 13 seconds apart. Warde muffed the ensuing kickoff and Ludlowe took over at the Warde 10.

The Falcons moved the ball to the Warde 4-yard line when kicker Zach Garoffolo blasted a 21-yard field goal to put Ludlowe ahead 17-0.

"It was definitely the turning point of the game," Ludlowe head coach Matt McCloskey said of the three straight scores. "Our defense has been stellar all year."

"The game changed in three minutes," DellaVolpe said.

Warde cut into the lead with a pair of second-half touchdowns, one by Delaney who went 30 yards on a screen pass from Burns to trim Ludlowe's lead to 17-7. Mike Jacob scored a fourth-quarter touchdown after the Mustangs recovered a fumble at the Ludlowe 13-yard line to pull Warde within 17-14.

"When you give up 17 points in three minutes, a lot of teams would pack up the tent," DellaVolpe said. "Our guys didn't."

But Ludlowe responded behind Ryan and the Falcons' offensive line. The junior running back took a sweep and bolted 72 yards for a touchdown to seal the Falcons' second consecutive win over its rival.

"I told the line, 'hold your blocks for a half more second and I'll pop one," Ryan said. "They blocked perfectly ... and it was all I needed."

McCloskey was proud of the depths his team had come from. The Falcons were 1-9 two years ago and since McCloskey has taken over at the start of the 2008 season, Ludlowe has a respectable 10-11 record. Ludlowe's four losses this season were to Central, New Canaan, Ridgefield and Staples. Those four teams have a combined record of 38-4.

"The program is starting to turn," McCloskey said. "In two years, to have a winning season, it means that they believe in the system and they're willing to work."

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Andrew Warde High School's Long-Forgotten and One-Sided Thanksgiving Day Football Rivalry With Kolbe Friars Took Place Over a Generation Ago

Fairfield Ludlowe High School will host the annual "Battle of Fairfield" this Thanksgiving morning when the Fairfield Warde Mustangs travel to Taft Field to play the Falcons at 10:30. Warde is attempting to take a 3-2 series lead against the Falcons in the latest edition of the rivalry which was renewed in 2005.

However, 41 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 the first five games with Kolbe wasn't who would win, but by how much. 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

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Recalling Warde's Inaugural Thanksgiving Day Football Clash With Ludlowe in 1975

When the Warde Mustangs and Ludlowe Falcons take to the gridiron to face each other this Thursday morning, it will mark the 15th renewal of the Thanksgiving Day game between the two Fairfield rivals.

This will be the fifth consecutive year the teams have met since the Fairfield Board of Education decided to reopen a second high school at the Ludlowe site on Unquowa Road. The original series ended in 1984, and both schools consolidated into Fairfield High School at the Warde site four years later.

The Falcons won the first matchup of the modern-day series at Taft Field in 2005. However, the Mustangs captured the next two meetings, including a 28-0 cakewalk two years ago at Ludlowe and a 21-12 decision three years ago during the Warde field dedication ceremony and 50th anniversary of the school's opening on Melville Avenue. Ludlowe won a 10-8 nailbiter last year at Warde to even the current series at two games apiece.

Overall, Warde leads the Thanksgiving series, 9-5. The Andrew Warde Crimson Eagles won seven of the first ten games of the original series with Roger Ludlowe, including the very first Thanksgiving Day tussle against the Flying Tigers. That game, played in 1975, extended Warde's Thanksgiving winning streak to eight games after the Eagles won seven straight Turkey Day contests against Kolbe.

Warde's 1975 Thanksgiving game was the second of the season against Ludlowe. The Crimson Eagles already owned a 27-13 decision over the Tigers earlier that season. In the final game of the 1975 campaign, Steve Baxter, Warde's junior halfback, ran for three scores as the Eagles ripped the Tigers, 28-6, to complete the two-game sweep and begin a new tradition for both Warde and Ludlowe.

Eagles' senior placekicker Stephan Lang recalled the game. "Ludlowe actually had a good team in our time and would routinely beat Warde in the annual regular-season cross-town rivalry," he pointed out via email. "Well, in my last game ever at Warde, we actually beat them. I also set a school record for most field goal attempts in a game. I did kick a few extra points that day."

Warde skipper Bill Davis remains the only coach to ever win two games in a season against the cross-town rivals in the history of the series. Both of the 1975 victories came against Ludlowe's coaching legend, Emil Taft, after whom the Falcons' field is named.

"Bill was a very competitive person. He loved to win but was gracious in winning and never degraded an opponent after beating them," wrote Tom Davis via email about his late brother, who coached the Crimson Eagles from 1970 to 1979.

"Bill had a great respect for Emil Taft," he continued. "You have to remember he played against Emil's team when Bill played for Fern Tetreau and then coached against him. Bill considered Emil a great coach and a worthy opponent. You always feel that you have accomplished a great task when you beat Ludlowe and Emil Taft."

The Crimson Eagles opened the scoring midway through the first quarter. Baxter's 39-yard punt return to the Tigers' 46 yard line produced the first scoring threat for either team. Steve Cameron hauled in a pass giving Warde a first down at the Ludlowe 28. Four plays later, Warde had a first-and-goal at the one foot line, and Duane Meier busted in for the touchdown.

What happened next may have surprised most of the people in attendance that day, but not the Crimson Eagles. Lang faked the extra point kick and holder Jeff Anderson rolled to his right and hit a wide open Cameron for the two-point conversion and an 8-0 lead for the Eagles.

"It was in our game plan to fake it after our first touchdown," Lang pointed out. "Normally, I'd be in the huddle with the team before the play. This time I decided on my own to get theatrical and make like a real kicker and stay out of the huddle, setting my tee and pretending to do zen meditation or something, to help add to the charade.

"The ploy worked brilliantly, and we scored two points on a pass. I remember making an effort to block for the quarterback, but ending up doing a backflip in the air as the Ludlowe defender barrelled through me. Don't try this at home, kids!"

Ludlowe bounced right back, however, with a 19-play scoring drive that consumed 6:28 on the clock. Filling in for the injured Brian Curry, wide receiver Danny French took over as the quarterback for Ludlowe. Skillfully mixing a combination of runs and passes, three to sophomore Glen Mazzeo, French brought the Tigers to the Warde seven yard line. Curry then returned to the lineup and hit French with five yard touchdown pass on a fourth-and-goal, producing the only points of the game for Ludlowe.

The Crimson Eagles missed out on an excellent scoring opportunity late in the first half when Baxter returned an errant Curry pass 53 yards to the Ludlowe five yard line with only 57 seconds remaining. But the Tigers' defense stiffened, however, and stopped the Eagles on five tries from inside the five yard line (Ludlowe was offside on one play), eventually recovering a Warde fumble on the one yard line.

Both teams struggled trying to move the football during much of the third quarter until Warde defensive tackle Kevin Shay came up with the big play, blocking a Ludlowe punt. Baxter, who seemed to be in the right place at the right time all day long for Warde, picked up the loose pigskin and rambled 26 yards to paydirt for a 15-6 Warde lead.

Coach Bill Davis' club built the advantage to 22-6 early in the fourth quarter, moving 60 yards in nine plays with Baxter breaking loose on a 16-yard touchdown run. The key play in the march was Anderson's 22-yard completion to Meier.

Baxter put the finishing touches on an outstanding game by intercepting his second pass of the afternoon and returning it 57 yards to the Ludlowe two yard line. He bulled over for the score on the next play.

Baxter was named Warde's Most Valuable Player, while Jamie Skultety of Warde was named the outstanding lineman. Scott Campbell was the Ludlowe MVP.

"Thanksgiving dinner was quite enjoyable," admitted Tom Davis, recalling the 1975 victory and family dinner afterward. "Bill never boasted about beating a team, especially Ludlowe. But I do have two footballs on my desk, one that is painted saying, 1973 Warde 16, Ludlowe 14 and the other 1975 Warde vs. Ludlowe 27-13 (regular season victory). I display them quite fondly and I am very proud, as they were my brother's after two great victories."

Paul

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Warde/Ludlowe Thanksgiving Football History

The fifth meeting of the renewal of the Thanksgiving Day football rivalry between Warde and Ludlowe high schools takes place this Thursday morning at 10:30 at the Falcons' home field on Unquowa Road. The teams have split the first four games since the rivalry was resurrected four years ago.

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: Warde 2 Wins, Ludlowe 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

Paul

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Twenty-Four Crimson Crier Newspapers from the 1960s Through 1976 Now Available for Download

Twenty-four Andrew Warde High School Crimson Crier newspapers are available for download at andrewwarde.com. The PDF versions of the Crimson Crier are listed below. The quality is outstanding, and the text and photographs may even be enlarged if you so desire.

Special thanks to Todd Gukelberger of Vintage Images in Fairfield for formatting each page of the four issues from 1967-68 and every issue from 1972 through 1976. Thanks are also extended to Andrew Warde High School 1976 graduate, classmate, and ex-Crimson Crier photographer Andy Horton for lending the 1970s Criers to us and former editor-in-chief Gino Massafra for the 1967-68 issues.

If you do not have Adobe Acrobat Reader to view the PDF files, download it for free here. Also, if you have any old copies of the Crimson Crier from 1956 through 1987, I'd like to make them available online. Please contact me via email.

Please note that there is a link to the Crimson Crier archive in the left-hand margin. You'll be able to access the newspapers from that link. Just scroll down and click on the issue you wish to read.
Issues 1967-68
December 1967 issue of the Crimson Crier
January 1968 Issue of the Crimson Crier
March 1968 issue of the Crimson Crier
April 1968 issue of the Crimson Crier

Issues 1972
October 20, 1972
November 17, 1972
December 22, 1972

Issues 1973
February 16, 1973
April 6, 1973
December 1973

Issues 1974
February 1974
May 2, 1974
June 1974
June 25, 1974
October 1974
November 1974
December 1974

Issues 1975
February 1975
June 1975
October 1975

Issues 1976
January 1976
February 1976
March 5, 1976
March 16, 1976

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Paul

Please sign the AWHS Guest Book.

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Andrew Warde High School's House Plan Called a "Pace-Setter" & the Result of Practical Thinking

Andrew Warde High School's original design and house plan were the result of progressive thinking over a half century ago. The unique house plan, which divided the secondary school into four smaller units, provided an intimate atmosphere in which close relationships between students and teachers were fostered.

The photo below shows Andrew Warde High School in 1960. The school's practical design was a pace-setter at the time. The four houses included Wolcott, Smedley, Barlow, and Mason. Fitts House, which was constructed over a decade later, still remains the only house with its original name today. The two-story building is adjacent to Melville Avenue.

According to the 1960 Flame yearbook, "Through personal association with pupils, the purposes of the high school --- instruction, supervision, guidance, and administration --- are more easily achieved (with the house plan) while, at the same time, the student becomes an individual."

Consider that Roger Ludlowe High School, the town's only public high school prior to the opening of Warde in 1956, was located in what is now Tomlinson Middle School. Ludlowe was aging, overpopulated, and students attended classes in separate shifts throughout the school day.

Warde, on the other hand, was the sparkling jewel in Fairfield, and a tangible, practical result of progressive thinking. Each house enjoyed the advantages of a bigger school because certain facilities and equipment were shared. So, as the yearbook states, "the house plan is enriching our journey as a stop on the road to tomorrow."

Paul

Please sign the AWHS Guest Book.

Visit the Andrew Warde High School Gift Shop.

Watch the AWHS 1976 vintage "film".