The high school football mavens placed the Rye Garnets in Section B for the 2023 season, separating them from their all-time rival Harrison in Section A, a move that created an ultra-early September 2 date for The Game’s 96th installment. Both teams had only two weeks to prepare, with Rye eager to exact revenge for a rare loss last year at home.
In a ceremony prior to the start of the game, the Chris Mello Scholarship Award
was presented to Rye’s A.J. Miller and Harrison’s Gianluca Santarelli. The annual award recognizes players who embody the 1994 Rye High School grad’s spirit and character.
In the matchup, the Huskies were looking for their first back-to-back wins in 20 years. They got their wish, as Rye staked them to a 14-0 first-half lead, then fell painfully short, with Harrison winning 21-14.
As Garnets Coach Dino Garr told us: “There were two games. In the first half, they were able to capitalize on mistakes; and in the second half, we were able to get going.”
The Huskies built their early lead on a first quarter 30-yard TD pass from Marco Citro to Chris McLaughlin, who later meandered 85 yards after an interception to make the score, 14-0.
The Garnets were able to overcome first-half jitters to score at 8:02 in the third quarter on a 27-yard pass from Miller to Shep Griffiths. In the opening minutes of the fourth, Miller jammed it in from a yard out to tie the score 14-14, creating a whole new game. But Harrison’s defense made a crucial stop on fourth down, after which Citro, on a third down and 17, hit Michael Olsey with a 30-yard TD pass with 1:51 left in the game.
The teams traded pass interference calls near the end of the game; the first negated what looked like a miracle Rye TD. Concerning the penalty against Rye, Garr said, “I’m never comfortable when a penalty is called against us. Sometimes officials get caught up in the feeling of the game.” The replay clearly showed the Rye receiver was pushing off.
Asked what the difference is between previous Harrison teams and the teams that have beaten his squad twice, Garr commented, “The Huskies have a group of young men who maintain their composure. Our guys made some mistakes. Harrison had three big plays: a TD pass, an interception, and long return when we should have tackled the runner, and a long pass near the end.”
The game stats are a headscratcher, considering the outcome: The Garnets had the edge in total yards, 294-126. AJ Miller went 15 for 22 for 194 yards, threw for one touchdown and ran for another. What the Garnets didn’t have were those few extra inches.
On September 8, back in the friendly confines of Nugent Stadium, the Garnets showed what Garr termed “character and resilience” in taking out their disappointment on Lakeland 42-6 in a league game.
They hosted Nanuet at home post-deadline on September 14.
– Photos by Alison Rodilosso
