In June 2024, the Rye boys lacrosse team lost 9-8 in overtime of the Class C state semifinals against eventual state champion Bayport-Blue Point High School of Long Island. Rye coach Steve Lennon remembers that game well.
“We talk about it, but we don’t dwell on it,” said the Garnets’ eighth-year coach. “That game was as close as a high school lacrosse game can get. With so many of our guys back from that team, I don’t have to say much. These kids know how they want this season to end.”
It was the fifth straight season Rye reached the state semifinals before being eliminated by a team from Long Island. Lennon believes this 2025 group has what it takes to get over the Long Island hump and reach the program’s first state championship game.
With a returning core of seven upperclassmen committed to some of the top Division 1 college lacrosse programs in the country, it’s no secret that the Garnets are loaded with talent. Seniors Chris Iuliano (Notre Dame), Tucker Hess (Villanova), Ty Ramachandran (Georgetown), Tyler McDermott (Princeton), and Matt Gianetti (Princeton); and juniors Nigel Strazzini (Penn) and Carson Miller (Harvard) all will make significant contributions to Rye’s 2025 campaign.
Inside Lacrosse currently has the five-time defending Section 1 Class C Garnets ranked as the No. 5 public school team in the U.S., and the No. 1 public school team in New York. Early-season accolades are fine, but after a 10-month offseason, Lennon is ready to see his team take the field against top-tier competition again.
“Lacrosse is a game of constant motion,” Lennon said. “There’s a ton happening on the field simultaneously. But ultimately, it’s a game of details, little things. We practice those little things every day. Then we try to execute them against some of the top teams in the Mid-Atlantic region. We’ll play anyone anywhere.”
Rye’s non-conference schedule certainly reflects that intention. On March 29, the Garnets had a scrimmage against New Canaan (Conn.), Inside Lacrosse’s No. 1-ranked public school in the nation. That was just the beginning of Rye’s grueling non-league slate. Here are a few other dates for high-level lacrosse fans to mark on their calendar in the season ahead:
- April 8 at Garden City (Inside Lacrosse’s No. 10-ranked public school team)
- April 16 vs. Cold Spring Harbor
- April 17 vs. Santa Fe Christian (Calif.)
- April 26 vs. Ridgefield, Conn. (ranked No. 13)
- May 3 vs. Mountain Lakes (N.J.)
- May 10 at La Salle College HS (N.J.)
Those may be the Rye’s highest-profile opponents, but the top priority at the moment is picking up the first win of the season when the team returns to action at 5 p.m. tonight at Lakeland.
“Yes, our coaching staff is lucky to have such a great group of kids who’ve played lacrosse together since they were in third grade,” Lennon said. “But more important than the names of those colleges, is the type of leaders we have on this team. When this group of seniors graduates, the example they’ve set for hard work, commitment, and coming together as a team will be passed on to the next generation of Garnets.”
