Davey Ryan was much more than just Rye Neck’s ace.
He was also a jack of all trades.
The 2026 graduate had the ball in his hand (or on his foot) almost year-round, compiling 13 varsity letters while starring as a starting pitcher and third baseman in baseball, leading the basketball team in scoring, and rising up the ranks to provide senior leadership in soccer.
His Panther career, which began with call-ups to the varsity baseball and basketball teams as an eighth grader, included a Class B state semifinal appearance in soccer, a trip to Westchester County Center for the section semifinals in basketball, and was capped with a Con Ed Scholar-Athlete Award during his final season on the baseball team.
“For someone of his caliber athleticism and character to be involved in three of our programs was really a bonus,” said Rye Neck athletic director Joe Ceglia. “I wish more would take advantage of that opportunity, not just at Rye Neck, but at high schools in general. You only have a few years to wear your town or school name on your chest. High school sports were really important to Davey, and he took full advantage.”
Ryan, whose favorite of the three sports is baseball, said one of his top memories was closing out a section championship victory, pitching the eighth inning as an eighth grader.
“Looking back, that was such a cool thing to do, especially so young. It feels like just yesterday,” he said. “Then, in soccer, as a sophomore, we had the school’s farthest playoff run in 30 years, and the whole community was behind us. Every year in basketball, we won a home playoff game. Being able to perform in front of the fans is the most rewarding part of those runs.”
In addition to excelling on the mound and at the plate in baseball, Ryan helped anchor the soccer team’s defense and was an all-state basketball selection, coming up just shy of the 1,000-point milestone after missing a handful of games with an injury as a senior.
“No moment was too big for him, and he was always calm under pressure,” Ceglia said. “He’s someone teammates looked up to, a pseudo coach on the field. You never saw Davey get emotional in a negative way. He’d get excited for teammates, but couldn’t be rattled. He’s a great personality and mature beyond his years. It’s that old-school ‘we before me’ throwback mentality.”
As busy as Ryan was bouncing between various sports, he put in just as much work in the classroom, where he was a class president and took five AP classes as a senior. In June, Con Edison Westchester Scholastic Sports awarded him a Bob Wolff Memorial Scholarship.
“Every day after school, there’s either practice or a game, so by the time you shower and get home it’s 6 or 7,” he said. “It’s not an easy workload, but I learned to manage my time well. Senior year has a few more free periods. It’s not always easy to get all the work done at school when your friends are there, but I stayed on top of it so I wasn’t up late and procrastinating until the night before.”
Ryan, who moved from Boston to Rye when he was 2 years old, will return to his birthplace this fall, joining his older brother, Matt, at Boston College, where he plans to study economics.
Growing up as a Boston Celtics fan in a community of mostly Knicks fans, Ryan said it was bittersweet to see his all friends celebrating an NBA championship this June. While he wished it had been the Celtics, he was glad Boston’s elimination didn’t come at the hands of New York.
“I was born in Boston, and still have a bunch of family there,” he said. “I’ve had such an amazing time visiting my brother there. We’re big Boston sports fans, and it’s such a great school.”
Ryan said he may join a club baseball team at Boston College, but understands attending a major Division I school means his competitive playing days are likely behind him.
“Some phenomenal high school athletes make the decision not to pursue college sports, and that’s 100 percent OK and doesn’t diminish what he was as a high school athlete,” Ceglia said. “He wanted his own experience at Boston College. I’m sure he’ll do intramurals and clubs and make most of his time at Chestnut Hill, lust like he did at Rye Neck.”
While Ryan leaves a big hole on three different Panther varsity rosters, Ceglia said he set a foundation for current and future Rye Neck student-athletes to build on.
“We’re certainly going to miss him in all the athletic programs,” Ceglia said. “He’s a really good kid with a bright future. He was kind of a unicorn outlier for us, but we have a lot of real quality athletes, and we certainly look forward to the next athlete, male or female, with a mindset like Davey’s wearing a Rye Neck uniform.”
