Fresh off a combined 4-2 win over Mamaroneck December 10, the Rye Country Day boys’ and girls’ fencing squads hosted teams from Greenwich 48 hours later and duplicated the 4-2 final score.

By Mitch Silver

Fresh off a combined 4-2 win over Mamaroneck December 10, the Rye Country Day boys’ and girls’ fencing squads hosted teams from Greenwich 48 hours later and duplicated the 4-2 final score.

Actually, Head Coach Joe Rue’s boys and girls compete as two separate teams. The male half of the Wildcats took on Brunswick Academy and triumphed in two of the three weapons. The foil team prevailed, 6-3, with Eric Duarte winning twice. On the next strip over, the boys’ epée squad did even better, downing Brunswick 8-1.

The girls’ sabre team made quick work of Greenwich Academy, winning seven of their nine bouts. Veteran Hanna Kopits won all three of her efforts in leading the Wildcats to a 6-3 verdict in the foil. At the end, Coach Rue was all understatement. “It was an exciting and fun-filled day.”

Fun-filled for the Wildcats, certainly. Despite losing the Interscholastic Fencing League’s top female saber fencer, Maddy Gallagher, to graduation, Rue and his brain trust of Assistants — Kyle Mitschele, Leif Halverson, and Patrick Early — expect the girls to keep up the excellent swordplay that made them 67-35 a year ago.

The boys, 2014 league champs in epée and top-three finishers in foil, look to be as strong or stronger heading into 2015.

The two squads played host to Clarkstown North, December 18, post-press time. Things resume in the new year January 6 with a trip to the Masters School.