High Hopes For Rye Winter Teams

Boys Basketball is Counting on Depth of Talent

The Rye High School boys varsity basketball team is looking to be competitive this season, with three major goals from new head coach Tommy Proudian.

“The goal for our team this season is to be prepared for everything our opponents throw at us, to play unselfishly, and play harder than every team we face,” Proudian said. “If we do those three things, I don’t care what our record is, it will be a successful season.”

There are nine returning players from last year — when the Garnets made a run for the section championship and fell just short to Byram Hills — with a few new skills that Proudian thinks will work well together. He said his team has strong talent.

“I do not feel there are any standout athletes that will carry our team this season, I feel each member of our team will play a pivotal role in our success,” he said. “We have several standout athletes in our program, and it is my responsibility as head coach to define and find a role for each player that will best help our team be as successful as they can be.”

He said he’s looking forward to the challenge.

The boys open their season away at Nanuet Senior High School on Dec. 13.

Boys Hockey is Stocked with Skill

The Rye High School boys ice hockey team is one of the most talented groups head coach Peter Thomas has seen — which he hopes will translate into competing at a high level this year.

“I believe the team looks very strong this year,” he said. “It looks like one of the deepest talent pools we have had in a very long time. We have a good mix of experienced returning players and talented younger players joining the team.”

Thomas said the team will be led by seniors Dean Kim, Jamie Showers, Matt Giannetti, and Drew Dolan. But he also expects freshman newcomers Max and Will Niejadlik, Finn Draddy, and Colin Nigro to contribute to the team’s success. Thomas also said the squad has three “very strong and capable goaltenders” behind the defensive line: Owen Fitzgibbons, Davis Goodman, and Fernando Mosquera.

“Our goal this year is to build a cohesive group that is able to support each other on and off the ice, which will allow us to compete at the highest level night in and night out,” the coach said.

The first game is on Dec. 6 against Suffern High School at the Sport-O-Rama rinks in Viola. The team will then play two home games at Playland Ice Casino: The first on Dec. 11 at 7:45 p.m. against the Rivertown Legends, and the second against upstate powerhouse Massena High School on Dec. 14 at 12:15 p.m.

Indoor Track & Field Wants to Win the League

Practice is already underway for the Rye High School indoor track and field team.

Coach Kevin Murphy said the team’s goal is to win their league and improve on last year’s marks.

He said the squad is looking strong this year, but is still young with “lots of room for growth.” Murphy expects Erin Ball, Sophia Bubeck, Lily Oberbannscheidt, Ben Truman, and Harrison Kaplan to carry the team.

The team’s first showing will be at the North Shore Invitational on Dec. 6 at the Armory Track & Field Center in New York City.

Rye Wrestling Looking for Top 10 Sectional Placement

The Rye High School varsity wrestling squad is hoping to place in the top 10 at the Section tournament later this winter.

It’s a lofty goal, according to Coach Brian Scher: It means between three and four boys will have to have all-section performances.

“[The] team is looking strong,” Scher told The Record. “Very young, but also talented.”

He expects returning section finalist wrestler CJ Luth to contribute to the team’s success this year.

The boys will take the mat at the Tier Invitational for their first tournament in White Plains on Dec. 7.

Boys Squash Looks to Build on Success

The Rye High School boys squash team is looking to build on its success from last season, after finishing in fourth place at the Division IV U.S. High School Squash National tournament.

“The team’s goal this season is to work on our continued success from last season,” head coach Quan Huynh told The Record. “There will be some new faces to the varsity team, and they will step right into the starting lineup.”

The varsity team will be led by standouts Andrew Chun, a senior and co-captain, and sophomore Charlie Rodilosso.

“Both student athletes are year-round competitive squash players,” Huynh said.

Tryouts began on Nov. 18. The first competition date had not been set yet.

Boys Swim & Dive Looking to Rebuild This Season

The Rye, Rye Neck, and Blind Brook boys swimming and diving program is looking at a rebuilding season this year.

That’s due to moving into the more competitive League 2 this year and losing five seniors from last year, said varsity head Coach Katherine Konopka.

“This will be a rebuilding year for the team,” she said. “The goals for the team this season are to have as many swimmers as possible go best times and qualify for sectionals.”

The team is coming off a co-championship in League 3 last year.

Konopka said she expects returning swimmers Michael Ladyzhensky, Kieran Moran, Wilson Redd, Filip Glitterstam, and George Papaioannou, as well as returning diver Finn Hansen to carry the group this year.

The first swim meet against Harrison High School is at 4:40 p.m. on Dec. 6 at Hommocks Pool in Larchmont.

The Rye High School girls basketball squad has two main goals of the season: To win and have fun.

Head Coach Margo Hackett said she has high hopes for her group, with an impactful upperclassmen squad of nine players to contribute to the team’s goals this season.

“We have a strong senior class in Molly Kennedy, Ava Cross, Natalie Guazzo, and Kathleen Denvir,” she said. “We will rely on our seniors to help us on the court this year. Our senior class, paired with our juniors, Paige Tepedino, Annie Toulouse, and Phoebe Greto will be a powerful combination.”

While their 2023-2024 season ended in a first-round loss to Tappan Zee High School, the girls are still coming in with chips on their shoulders and the desire to win big.

However, this won’t be easy with tough Section 1 competition, especially against teams like Walter Panas, Harrison, and Tappan Zee.

Nonetheless, the Garnets possess something that most teams lack: a family-like environment.

Player Phoebe Greto explained how their chemistry on and off the court will be the key to their success this season.

“Whether it’s laughing at a team dinner or a team Cherry Tree run, off the court, we’re all very close,” she said. “This bond helps us so much during games as we know we can always count on one another. With having relationships like this, it builds our success tremendously.”

The team’s favorite slogan will return this year as well: “There’s no better day than gameday.”

The Garnet’s first game of the season is on Dec. 6 at 6:45 p.m. against John Jay Cross River.

East Green Wave, Westchester County’s women’s varsity hockey team, is gearing up for its second season as a program.   

After defeat last season in the Section 1 semifinals, Head Coach Racquel Lividini-Gilbert has set important goals for this season, which includes postseason play.  

“Our goal is to come together as a team and outcompete every team we play,” she said.   

Lividini-Gilbert said she commends the team’s well-balanced dynamic, saying it has a “good mix of juniors [and] seniors, as well as younger players.” She said the team’s hope “is that effort mixed with our talent will allow us to compete at states.”    

Last season, the team had no seniors on its roster, so juniors Molly Collins from New Rochelle and Ayla Felenstein from Rye Neck stepped up as co-captains. This season both girls continue to show impressive leadership, as they continue their important roles as seniors.   

Coach Lividini-Gilbert described both girls as “strong players,” but said what’s “even more impressive is their leadership and welcoming spirit to the younger players.”   

Tryouts began the week of Nov. 17, and the team had its first scrimmage against Rockland on Dec. 1.   

Other Rye sports to catch this fall include competitive cheerleading and skiing.