The Rye High boys’ squash team has only been around for five years, but this season it was aiming for the top. That’s because four players were part of the original team and have competed at Nationals four times.

 

 

By Melanie Cane

 

The Rye High boys’ squash team has only been around for five years, but this season it was aiming for the top. That’s because four players were part of the original team and have competed at Nationals four times.

 

This season, the squash team placed first in the Fairwest Division with a record of 7-3.

 

But the National team championships were canceled last weekend in Hartford, Connecticut, due to the snowstorm. U.S. Squash officials announced Tuesday that it’s logistically impossible to reschedule the U.S. High School Team Championships this winter. In a statement, the head of U.S. Squash wrote: “An event of this magnitude, attracting more than 150 schools from around the country, and nearly 2,000 people directly involved, including players, coaches and support staff, combined with a very full regional and national squash calendar, there are inevitable conflicts with other squash competitions given that all parties had built their schedules around the weekend of February 8-10.”

 

RHS Coach Mat Bruno was confident the Garnets could have won it all this year. The two teams that beat Rye at last year’s Nationals graduated their star players.

 

“We were disappointed that Nationals was canceled,” Bruno said. “The kids looked forward to it all season. However, as a coach and as a squash program director we must take the safety of the players and the parents seriously.”

 

Seven of the team’s 12 players were ready to compete at Nationals in this order: Henry Pearson, Thomas Henry, Colby Ellis, Spencer Smith, Elliot Meister, Grant DeBease, and Ward Urban.

 

Co-Captains Ellis and Smith cited an outstanding “team chemistry,” calling the current squad “the strongest its ever been.’’

 

James Reid, who began the season at the Garnets’ second-ranked player was sidelined by an injury but is an assistant coach.

 

“Hopefully we can get our momentum back,” Bruno said, looking ahead to the Fairwest Division High School Championships on March 2 and 3.