Rye boys lacrosse will play in its first New York state championship at 12:30 p.m. Sunday against Jamesville-DeWitt at Hobart & William Colleges in Geneva.
The Garnets (16-5) have won their last seven games by a combined margin of 106-30, claiming Section 1 and regional championships in the postseason. The Warriors (18-5) have been just as hot, winning their last six by a margin of 111-21.
No game is bigger than a state championship, but Rye, ranked second in Class C, already beat the state’s top-ranked team just to get here. In Thursday’s semifinal at Middletown, the Garnets were in control for the entirety of their 10-8 win against Wantagh, jumping out to a 4-1 lead, which grew to 10-5 in the game’s final 10 minutes.
The Warriors hadn’t lost a game since April 14, let alone been doubled up on the scoreboard. Henry Shoemaker had a hat trick for Rye, and fellow senior three-sport star Carson Miller scored two goals with two assists. Junior Charlie Brady and sophomore Will Niejadlik also had two-score games.
All four of Thursday’s state semifinal games at Middletown pitted a Section 1 champion vs. a Section 8 champion from Long Island. Rye was the only one of the four Westchester schools to emerge victorious.
Mamaroneck lost 13-11 in the Class A semifinals, Yorktown lost 12-11 in Class B, and Bronxville lost 14-5 in Class D. Year in and year out, facing the Long Island regional champion is a hurdle few teams in the state can overcome, but Rye pulled off the feat by multiple goals.
Last year, Section 1 champion Somers beat Jamesville in the Class C championship game, and now Rye hopes to do the same in Jeremy Guski’s first season as head coach. Winning the school’s first boys lacrosse state crown would be a fitting sendoff before the stellar Class of 2026 walks across the stage at Thursday’s graduation.
