Rye High School’s boys rugby team came up against local power-house Pelham recently. The result: a tie. But a hard-won tie it was, for both teams, and — depending on whom you asked among the Garnets — an impressive showing by Rye as well. Pelham is a “club team”; it’s administered by a private organization, not Pelham Memorial High School, which allows the team to recruit the very best players avail-able, whether outside the school district or not. So the Garnets’ coaches were impressed with their players’ May 3 draw with Pelham, especially considering what it took to achieve it.
Ahead 10-7 at halftime, Rye was simply planning to keep up the good work, with brothers Archer and Jagger Fenton — the standout players of the day — leading the way.
The score improved to 13-7 Rye in the second half before several penalties were called on Rye players. Pelham eventually fought its way back to the three-point half-time gap, with the score 13-10. But at the very end of the game, Pelham received a free kick and slotted it over. Final score: 13-13.
Jagger Fenton, a freshman, secured eight of the Garnets’ 13 points, including two penalty kicks. His brother Archer, a junior, scored a try and handled the on-field offense with graceful leadership.
Still, the results left the Rye players frustrated. A couple of weeks earlier, they had lost to Shawnigan Lake High School, a well-regarded team on tour in the U.S. from Vancouver, British Columbia, and the Garnets were looking for a confidence-booster. With the Pelham tie, their record was three wins, two losses and one draw.“
The win almost felt like it was cheated away from us, as it was not the result we had hoped for,” senior captain Sjef Smits said of the tie. “We will do our best to reflect on the game and improve in games moving onward.”
The boys team’s last game of the regular season will be at home against Fordham Prep at 5 p.m. May 22. The players then head to a state tournament at Vassar College on June 8.