Rye High School senior Drew Abate wears many hats…and helmets.

By Mitch Silver

Rye High School senior Drew Abate wears many hats…and helmets. In the fall he was an All-League and All-Section receiver and kicker for the champion Rye football team. In the spring he’ll swap helmets and become, for the third year, a starting defenseman for the Garnets’ lacrosse team. Right now he’s captain of the school’s basketball squad, and one of its leading scorers. All while maintaining his 97+ grade point average as a member in good standing of the High Honor Roll.

If the monthly Athlete of the Month winners have a special hat or cap, he can now wear that one, too: Drew Abate is the newest member of that select fraternity, and in June he’ll join the other monthly Lions Club honorees at The Osborn for the year-end awards dinner.

“It’s really a team award,” Drew told us. “Sure, my name’s on the plaque, but you can’t catch passes or score points without teammates who block and set screens and pass you the ball. If it’s anything personal, it’s a hard work award, and I have my parents to thank for seeing that I put in the effort.”

Drew’s not just tall (6’3”) and smart; he’s modest as well. Here’s what his basketball coach, John Aguilar, has to say: “I named Drew captain of our team last year due to his leadership on and off the court. He is always the first one to practice and the last one to leave. He does an incredible job facilitating a productive dialogue among the team. Drew is a leader in every sense of the word and epitomizes what a captain of a basketball team and a leader in our community should be.”

No wonder the University of Michigan has admitted him for fall 2015; Georgetown and Duke would be crazy not to follow suit.

With great SAT scores, in addition to top grades, what does Drew plan to tackle next? “I’ve applied to the business schools at college. My dad’s in the field and it looks interesting. My Economics teacher, Mr. Baker, has helped me set up the Rye Investment Club, and we each manage a mythical $100,000 portfolio after school.”

So, has January’s downturn in the market knocked Drew’s portfolio for a loop? “Not really. I shorted a few companies, so I’m up for the month.” Figures.

Drew Abate isn’t shorting anyone when it comes to sports-oriented community service. A volunteer lacrosse coach with a Rye U-12 lacrosse team, as well as a camp counselor at Brunswick School’s baseball camp, he started his own Camp Drew for 12-year-old boys, teaching and coaching the skills he has learned. This year he was similarly engaged as a counselor at Port Chester’s Carver Center, a place that provides resources and programs for underprivileged kids.

Beyond “the resumé”, what would Drew do with a free afternoon in New York City?

“I’d probably head up to the Metropolitan Museum of Art and just wander around. I’ve done it couple of times and I really enjoy it,” he said.

Talk about well-rounded…Leonardo da Vinci’s “Vitruvian Man” has nothing on Drew Abate.