"I was obviously honored to be even considered," Bengermino told me today. "It is the greatest honor as far as coaching is concerned." The former coach, athletic director, and teacher will be inducted along with longtime New Canaan High School football coach Lou Marinelli and Trinity Catholic High School basketball coach Mike Walsh.
Bengermino, who was an integral part of the fabric of Andrew Warde, Fairfield, and Fairfield Warde high schools from 1970 through 2005, said his most memorable game was the Crimson Eagles' 1981 state baseball championship. "That night was probably the biggest memory I have," he admitted. "That particular night was the best."
Andrew Warde edged Rockville, 9-8, in 13 innings for its first state baseball championship that year. The game, which was played at Quigley Stadium in West Haven, took four hours and 50 minutes to play. What made the game memorable was the dramatic finish for Warde, which entered the ninth inning trailing, 8-5.
However, Greg Cantwell's two-run triple closed the gap to one run, and Cantwell stole home with two outs and two strikes to tie the game and send it into extra innings. Take a look at this vintage sports report from channel 8 in New Haven.
The Eagles ultimately won the game in the 13th inning at 12:20 the following morning at Quigley Stadium in West Haven. Cantwell stole third base and scored when the errant throw sailed into left field. The ballpark was home to the Double-A West Haven Yankees at the time, adding luster to the scholastic championship.
One year later, the Eagles advanced to the state championship game again, only to fall to North Haven at Penders Field in Stratford. Warde came within one victory of claiming back-to-back state baseball championships.
Bengermino said the 1972-73 Warde basketball team was special for a number of reasons. "That particular year we opened up the new gym," he said. "We had some tremendous games in that gym that year against Staples, Ludlowe, and McMahon."
The team included Dave Schulz, Glenn Mackno, and Mike Abraham (pictured left-to-right below along with Bengermino, second from right). The team also featured stars Ron DelBianco and Phil Ness.
Bengermino still sees several of the players on that team regularly. "All those guys are a part of Fairfield," he said. Abraham (below left) is the coordinator of Adapted Physical Education in the special education program for the Fairfield public schools, Schulz (with the basketball) is the athletic director at Fairfield Ludlowe High School, and Mackno (below right) is the principal of Roger Ludlowe Middle School.
Bengermino was also a successful volletball coach at Warde and perenially led his Crimson Eagles to the league title and state championship game. His favorite squad featured senior Kathy Anderson, who led the team to an undefeated season and berth in the state championship match which the Eagles lost to Maloney. He is a member of the Connecticut Women's Volleyball Hall of Fame.Currently, Bengermino is the site director at Warde in the Spring, and he subs at both Warde and Ludlowe in all academic areas. "It keeps me busy," he joked. "I need something to keep me going. The subbing and site director (position) are perfect for me."
Congratulations, Coach Bengermino.
Paul
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