Rye rebounded from a slow start and its first double-digit deficit of the season to rout Eastchester on Friday night. After trailing by 10 early on, the Garnets used a sudden, improbable series of events to storm ahead for a 48-23 road win, their fourth 40-point output this season.
The win was Rye’s 10th straight against Eastchester. It’s the first time since 2015 the Garnets started 6-0 in back-to-back seasons and the first time since 2016 they scored 40-plus points in three straight games.
A 75-yard touchdown pass gave Eastchester a 16-6 lead in the second quarter, then Rye rattled off four touchdowns in just 10 minutes, scoring in every way imaginable. Quarterback Carson Miller found fellow senior Sebastian Lewis for his second touchdown of the game, then hit senior Henry Shoemaker to give Rye its first lead.
The two touchdown scorers then added to Rye’s lead via defense and special teams. A pass from Eagles quarterback Dylan Burbridge was tipped by Lewis and landed in the hands of Shoemaker, who ran the ball back into the end zone to push Rye’s lead to 11.
Shoemaker kicked the extra point, then his ensuing squib kickoff bounced off the rear of an Eastchester special-teamer, which ended up in the hands of the Garnets again. Five plays later, Miller found senior running back Charlie Garnett for his first-ever receiving score, and the Garnets were suddenly up by 18.
“We know how to play with momentum,” Miller said of the quick turnaround. “Last week, we saw Jagger (Fenton’s) punt return before a touchdown that really brought us back, and this week it was Shoe’s pick-six. I’m not sure if that onside kick was intentional, but we got the ball back and that’s what we needed.”
The four scores in the second quarter were more than enough for the Garnets, who also got second-half receiving touchdowns from junior Charlie Brady (the first of his career) and Shoemaker.
Friday’s individual stat lines may be some of the finest in recent memory for Rye. Shoemaker amassed 145 receiving yards, Lewis had five receptions for 106 yards, and Miller turned in one of the best games of his career. The quarterback threw for 321 yards and a career-high six touchdowns, yet was quick to thank teammates for his impressive numbers.
“I think the stats made me look a lot better than how I actually played,” Miller said. “I missed some balls, but credit to my teammates, who brought these 10- or 20-yard passes to the house so often. That really helped me out.”
For coach Dino Garr, the key to Friday’s comeback victory paralleled the values he’s been preaching for decades.
“Character, sticking to the system, believing in what we do, and being there for each other,” he said after the game.
Rye hosts Nyack next Friday in the season’s final regular-season home game. The Red Hawks are 5-17 against the Garnets all-time and have allowed 40-plus points in three of their last four games.
