Lawrence, Notre Dame reignite rivalry with Mayor’s Cup
LAWRENCE » Somewhere up in the heavens, Lou Angebranndt and Glenn “Mooch” Myernick are looking down and smiling. Down here on earth, guys like Mike Perone, Ziggy Zegarski and John Wagner are doing the same.
They have all been principal players in one of the top high school rivalries in Mercer County history — Lawrence vs. Notre Dame boys’ soccer. And now, that rivalry is about to go up another notch while celebrating its tradition.
Like so many backyard brawls, this one has lost a little bit of zing in recent years, only because less fans attend high school soccer games than in the past (Steinert-Hamilton is another example). Where fans once surrounded the field two and three deep, it’s not quite the same anymore.
But Lawrence Township is staging an event that intends to re-invigorate the ND-Lawrence showdown while also celebrating the rich history between the rivals.
On Saturday, Sept. 9, the Irish and Cardinals will play a 4 p.m. Colonial Valley Conference game at Rider University; to be followed by an NCAA contest between the Broncs and La Salle. It is billed as The Mayor’s Cup, and Lawrence Mayor David Maffei will be on hand to present a trophy to the winner. Past township mayors are also expected to be on hand.
“I know how important soccer is to this community and I cannot think of a better way to tie it all together than with this game,” said Maffei, a Lawrence resident for over 55 years. “To me, it is not about who wins or loses, but that the game is being played and that it honors those who played before them. It is such a great community event and I’m looking forward to presenting the first Mayor’s Cup, along with many of the past mayors of this town.”
The prize is fittingly named the Angebranndt-Perone trophy, named after the winningest coaches in each school’s history.
The late Angebranndt presided over some of the greatest teams in Mercer history and coached some of its greatest players, including the late Myernick. Mooch is often considered as the best to ever play in the county.
Perone recently stepped down after 40 years as Notre Dame’s head coach, with Zegarski at his side the whole way. The two teamed for 500 wins and six state championships and coached Drew Fallon, another guy always in the talk as Mercer’s top player. Perone took over in 1977 for Wagner, who gained most of his fame coaching at Hightstown but won two state titles with the Irish in the mid-1970s when the LHS-ND battles were blood baths.
The current coaches are both extremely familiar with the rivalry. Notre Dame’s Rich Leedom played for Angebranndt at Lawrence and has been with the Irish for over 30 years as its JV coach. Lawrence’s Keith Fithen played for Perone at Notre Dame and is in his second stint with the Cardinals.
The two actually live in the same Lawrence neighborhood.
“That’s pretty unique, I’ve never heard of something like that happening before,” Leedom said. “But the whole thing sounds like a great idea. It should be a fun time. The rivalry has been there forever. What’s it been, like 100 years?”
“It’s a small world,” Fithen said. “Me playing at Notre Dame, now coaching at Lawrence ... I’m going to miss Perone, definitely; and now we get a new experience with Rich Leedom. It’s crazy how things connect. It’s like the six degrees of Perone or Angebranndt. And this game is going to be great. It’s of great significance to the community.”
The idea is the brainchild of Rider soccer coach Charlie Inverso, who played for Wagner’s state championship teams and has long been a proponent of maintaining Mercer’s soccer legacy. With Rider located in Lawrenceville, it was a no-brainer when Inverso proposed it to Lawrence Township Municipal Manager and Rider alum Kevin Nerwinski. The game had traditionally been played on Zimmer Field.
Because there is a trophy involved, Notre Dame Athletic Director Rich Roche is checking with the NJSIAA about incorporating penalty kicks — which do not occur during the regular season. Roche is proposing that if the game is tied after two overtimes, it would be recorded as an official tie so as not to affect power points.
Follow Rich Fisher on twitter @fish4scores