To summarize Rye’s 49-14 win Friday against Nyack, all one needs to do is look at the opening minutes. It took just 90 seconds for the Garnets to score, even without starting with the ball. Five minutes in, Rye had only run eight plays of offense but scored two touchdowns, sacked the Red Hawks’ quarterback and recovered two fumbles.
Needless to say, it was all Rye as the team improved to 7-0 and scored 40-plus for the fourth-straight game, something the Garnets haven’t done in at least the past 20 seasons.
“We did what we had to do to win,” coach Dino Garr told his team after their 17th straight win at Nugent Stadium. “The team now has to stay focused and directed to be the most successful in the second half (of the season).”
Just one regular-season game remains, and this is when the stakes escalate. Next up is The Game at Harrison on Saturday, Oct. 25. Then, it’s time for the postseason, where the Garnets hope to make their annual run deep into November.
Rye showed no signs of looking past an overmatched Nyack on Friday. Three scores in the first quarter came from all directions, but from one consistent source: Charlie Garnett. The senior running back has 14 rushing scores this season, ranking second in Section 1 behind only Sleepy Hollow’s Brayden Richardson.
A touchdown pass from Carson Miller to fellow senior Sebastian Lewis gave Rye a 28-7 halftime lead. The score was Lewis’ seventh of the season and fifth in the past three games.
The second half? More of the same, despite a majority of starters being removed after Miller found senior Henry Shoemaker for his ninth receiving touchdown of the season. Entering Friday, Shoemaker’s 859 receiving yards were the most of any player in the entire state of New York.
The game’s final two scores came on quarterback runs, with Miller giving Rye a 42-7 third-quarter lead, and junior backup Charlie Brady racing 60 yards across the field late in the fourth to make it 49-14.
The 35-point win over the Redhawks pushes the Garnets’ point differential to a whopping +184, the best of any team in the section. They are one of just four teams left undefeated in Section 1, along with John Jay-Cross River, Bronxville, and Tuckahoe.
Rye now travels west to Harrison (5-2) for the 98th meeting of these historic foes. Last year, the Garnets recorded their largest shutout victory over Harrison since 1957. Rye will attempt to win back-to-back games against its rivals for the first time since 2021.
