The Rye Wreckers won the 6th Grade Hooperstown Premier League Championship with their 31-21 victory over the Scarsdale Wolverines earlier this month. Trailing by one with eleven minutes to go in the second half, the Wreckers scored twelve unanswered points to pull away comfortably and seal their second Hooperstown title. In the prior day’s semifinal, the Wreckers staged an improbable comeback against Team Triple Threat. Battling back from a late 13-point deficit, the Wreckers scored with under ten seconds to go to win 35-34 in thrilling fashion.
In their other league tournament, the Wreckers were twenty minutes away from defending their Zero Gravity A Division title, but were unable to hold on to their halftime lead over Castle. This loss in the championship game followed a 38-32 semifinal victory over Tri-State Red, which also saw the Wreckers rally back in the second half.
This was Coach Brian Riley’s second year with the Wreckers and Coach Josh Bieber’s fourth. The Wreckers’ combined record in the Hooperstown and Zero Gravity leagues was 21-3, an all-time best for the Rye boys who have been playing together since the third grade.
Pictured from left: Cole Bartlett, Kian McCarthy, Billy Daly, Brock Bieber, Ethan Basso, Jack Shurgin, Coach Brian Riley, Owen Meyers, Charlie Williams, Tanner Howson, Coach Josh Bieber, and John Atkins