For over a generation, public high school students in Fairfield were identified as either Crimson Eagles or Flying Tigers. However, when the Board of Education decided to consolidate Andrew Warde and Roger Ludlowe high schools into Fairfield High School at the Warde site in the mid 80s, the rivalry was dead --- for the time being.
Two decades later, Warde and Ludlowe are at it again. This time, it's the Mustangs and the Falcons battling each other for bragging rights. The following article appeared in the Fairfield Warde High School Focus magazine in September of 2005 prior to the first-ever athletic meeting between the two schools since the mid 1980s. It sounds like the rivalry will become just as heated as when we attended high school over 30 years ago.
Back in the day, a favorite chant of Warde students and graduates was "Eagles Eat Tiger Meat." Today, the slogan is more along the lines of "Splat Goes the Falcon." Here is the text of the article:
The town of Fairfield has recently joined the list of towns in southwestern Connecticut with two or more public high schools. After 18 years with one high school, Fairfield has taken a blast to the past by re-opening a second high school. Fairfield Warde High School and Fairfield Ludlowe High School, names quite reminiscent of the previous two high schools (Andrew Warde High School and Roger Ludlowe High School) that were here before the combined Fairfield High School opened in 1987, officially became two separate schools in the fall of 2004.
Last year, the two teams were not able to compete against each other. This year they can. Let the rivalry begin. On Friday, September 30th at five o’clock in the afternoon, the first athletic event between two high schools in Fairfield in a little under two decades kicked off between the two male varsity soccer teams. This would be the first of seven match-ups between the Fairfield schools for the fall season, not including potential post-season match-ups in conference and state tournaments.
A sea of blue and white filled one side of the bleachers, while red, black, and white inundated the other side. While the former cheered for the Falcons, the latter voiced their support for the Mustangs. Despite a few negative chants, the rivalry appeared quite friendly. At two different times, boys from each high school ran across the bleachers in front of the opposing school’s crowd, waving their shirts and cheering on their own school, but all was harmless fun.
Old classmates from each school hugged and laughed together, but ultimately Warde fans were disappointed as our boys’ soccer team was shut out by the home team by a score of 4-0. At the end of the game, Warde fans chanted “Wait ‘till Wednesday!” in hopes of avenging this loss at another Warde and Ludlowe sporting event.
Five days later, the Warde and Ludlowe girls’ varsity soccer teams faced off. This time the game was played at Warde under the lights. Warde lost again, but by a smaller deficit than that of the boys’ game. The score was 2-1. Warde’s lone goal was off the foot of freshman Sabrina Siciliano.
The next week, both the girls’ and boys’ cross country teams defeated Ludlowe’s cross country teams. Warde’s field hockey team defeated Ludlowe by a score of 1-0, while the swimming and diving team lost to Ludlowe. Although the newspapers and administration are certainly not keeping score of this Warde and Ludlowe series, the students are definitely tallying the wins and losses. Right now, the series is tied at 3-3.
Between the two soccer games, during the weekend, a few juveniles from Ludlowe High School came to Warde and vandalized some of Warde’s athletic property with blue spray paint. The athletic shed that proudly displays “Home of the Mustangs” was crossed out and replaced by “Home of the Falcons.” The pavement was filled with “Warde Sucks” and the fields reiterated the score of the boys’ soccer game that Warde had lost.
Although nothing worse than vandalism has occurred, the rivalry appears to be intense and growing by the minute. Healthy rivalry? Only time will tell.
****************
I'm very much looking forward to the Thanksgiving Day football game between Warde and Ludlowe at the Mustangs field this year. I'll be the emcee for special 50th aniversary celebration festivities, the renaming and dedication of the football field in honor of legendary gridiron coaches Fern Tetreau and Bill Davis, and an introduction of the first-ever Andrew Warde High School football team from 1956. I hope you can make it to the game and the reunion breakfast the following day.
Paul
