Westwood, Ridgefield Park soccer united in reminiscence of 9/11 hero

WASHINGTON — There isn’t a member of the current Ridgefield Park football team who was born before the events of Sept. 11, 2001, but being a part of that community is unique. They all know about the man who wore No. 44.

“Twenty years ago, Lenny Hatton made the ultimate sacrifice,” Ridgefield Park coach Chris Rapp said. “We talk to the kids about it. It’s one of the things that the town takes pride in: having volunteers that put all their effort into the community. It means a lot to come out and play on this day.”

Hatton, a volunteer firefighter in Ridgefield Park, served with the FBI for 16 years. He responded to the North Tower of the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001. The lone FBI agent on the scene, Hatton worked alongside New York’s first responders to evacuate people from the area. Hatton was the only FBI agent lost during the attacks in New York City. He was 45 years old.

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Upon Hatton’s death, the No. 44, Hatton’s line number for the local fire department, was retired by the Scarlets. Hatton is the only retired number in the history of the program. Jerseys worn at practice will also never show the No. 44. 

On the 20th anniversary of the Sept. 11th attacks on the United States, the Scarlets took to the field at Westwood Regional High School on Saturday night. In normal circumstances, it was the renewal of a rivalry between two teams with cardinals for mascots. An annual event for decades, including every season from 1986 until 2017, Westwood and Ridgefield Park reappeared on each other’s schedules this season. 

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For Rapp, the Westwood rivalry is one of the richest for the program, but the magnitude of playing on such a sacred day was special in his second season in charge. Rapp recalls twenty years earlier, looking through the windows from his eighth grade art class, smoke peeking over the sound barriers on Interstate 95.

“I remember the town coming together and having a vigil,” Rapp said. “It was a tough time for the town. It was a tough time for one of my good friends, Courtney Hatton, Lenny’s daughter.”

Hatton was an accomplished athlete, receiving Athlete of the Week honors from The Record and all-division honors for Ridgefield Park in 1974 in the BCSL American, a precursor to the Super Football Conference. Hatton shared a sideline with Dennis Hard, now the coach at Westwood.

Hard graduated Ridgefield Park in 1975 alongside Hatton and the two spent time at Jersey City State College.

“I even dated his sister for half a second,” joked Hard.

Hard said he didn’t need to remind his players of the importance of this week, both on and off the field. The connection to his old school, on a night where his old friend was in the hearts of people on both sidelines, made Saturday’s game more significant.

“He was a special person,” Hard said about Hatton. “When I heard what had happened, that he ran back into the building, I was not surprised. That was him all the way.”

On the field, the teams put together one of the best games of the season so far. Westwood took a 21-0 lead into halftime after junior Colby Laughton ran for a score and caught a pass for another. Robby Carcich also found Jon Ruff for a touchdown grab in the final minute of the half. Carcich had a six-yard touchdown run of his own to give the Cardinals a 28-6 lead with 11:09 to go.

Then came the comeback for the Scarlets.

A Kashawn Wallace touchdown grab, followed by a defensive stop, gave Ridgefield Park momentum. An offensive drive capped by a one-yard touchdown run for Tyler Colon made it a 28-20 game with just over four minutes to go. The Scarlets had the ball back with 1:41 to go and a chance to tie it, but the drive stalled.

Both teams are now 1-1 and head into important parts of their schedule with Ridgefield Park traveling to West Milford and Westwood heading to River Dell.

“We almost let it get away,” Hard said. “I give RP all the credit in the world. A lot of guts to come back like that.”

That type of determination didn’t surprise a former Scarlet in Hard. He had seen that grit back when he played, including from a player with the No. 44.

Robert Aitken is a high school sports reporter for NorthJersey.com. For full access to live scores, breaking news and analysis from our Varsity Aces team, subscribe today. To get breaking news directly to your inbox, sign up for our newsletter and download our app. 

Email: aitken@northjersey.com

Twitter: @robertaitkenjr