Updated: Garnets Cap Perfect Regular Season With 24-0 Win Over Harrison in ‘The Game’

This article was updated on Oct. 27 at 11:58 a.m.

There’s a reason why the rivalry between the Rye Garnets and Harrison Huskies is simply known as “The Game.” For many who grace the field at Nugent Stadium, a win in the rivalry is the highlight of their football careers. For others, it can be the one that got away.

This one didn’t get away from the Garnets as they avenged back-to-back losses to their archrival with a dominant 24-0 win over the Huskies – Rye’s most decisive shutout in the historic feud since 1957. 

The win also put an exclamation point on a perfect regular season (8-0) and secured the No. 1 seed in the playoffs for the Garnets. 

On a picturesque fall afternoon with an estimated 5,000 in attendance at Nugent Stadium, the Garnets put on a defensive clinic. 

After winning the coin toss and deferring, Rye forced a three-and-out on Harrison’s opening drive by shutting down back-to-back runs and then forcing an incomplete pass on third down. 

The rest of the first half featured more of the same from the Rye defense, with Harrison gaining just eight yards of total offense.

The Husky defense was also stout on Rye’s first possession of the game — holding the Garnets scoreless on their opening drive for the first time since Week 1. 

It didn’t take long for the Garnets to get going, however, with an aggressive 10-play drive capped off by a Chris Iuliano rushing score to give Rye a 7-0 lead late in the first quarter.

Despite a quiet second quarter from the Garnets’ offense, including an interception by quarterback Carson Miller, Harrison failed to capitalize, unable to record a single first down in the quarter. An interception by senior Archer Fenton then set up a Garnet drive leading to a 26-yard field goal from junior Henry Shoemaker to put them up 10-0 at the break. 

With Harrison inching out a victory in last year’s close contest at McGillicuddy Stadium, the Garnets were cognizant of that despite holding a lead at the half for the sixth straight game. 

“We just needed to cut down on the mistakes we were making out there,” said Iuliano about his team’s halftime adjustments. “It’s as simple as that.”  

Igniting by rousing speeches from coach Dino Garr and senior captain Jake Kessner prior to the second half kickoff, the Garnets marched down the field for their longest drive of the season — a 17-play marathon that resulted in another score by Iuliano, whose impact was felt after a two-game absence, to give Rye a commanding 17-0 lead. 

With Harrison still struggling on offense and time ticking away, the Garnets continued to punish the Huskies on the ground on their next possession. This time the drive was punctuated by a 30-yard Ty Ramachandran touchdown in the fourth to close the game out. 

The celebration shortly ensued as the Garnets notched their first home win against Harrison since the pandemic shortened season of 2020, and shutout the Huskies for the first time since 2005. 

The win also broke a string of losses for the Miller family, with father Steve Miller losing both times as Garnets captain in the early 1990s, and brother AJ Miller losing in 2022 and 2023.

“I finally broke that curse, thank God,” Carson Miller said following the win. 

An emotional Garr spoke to his team offering the highest of praise for his players.

“We obviously did exactly what we wanted to, we played a great total game, 10-0 in the first half, 14-0 in the second half, but here’s the thing … this is just a really special group,” Garr said.  

The entire team then took to the nearby Blind Brook for an annual rite of passage, diving into the frigid waters to celebrate surrounded by hundreds of fans. 

The Garnets will have little time to enjoy this one. Rye will host Brewster on Friday night in the first round of the Section 1 Class A playoffs.

They will need to notch five straight wins to return to the Carrier Dome in Syracuse for a chance to secure a state championship for the second year in a row.