Head Football Coach Dino Garr on New “Garnet Pride” Documentary
Football season is long over, but fans can still look forward to a new perspective on the 2023 Rye High School Varsity Football team that won the NYSPHSAA Class B State championship.
Garnet Pride, a story of legacy and football, is a new documentary film revolving around head coach Dino Garr and his team throughout their 2023 fall season. Directed and edited by Ian Colalucci, the film follows the Rye team from the start of training camp to the final game and celebration. Colalucci was a content producer for Rye High School from 2022 to early 2024. He is now a content researcher for ESPN. The film was recently screened for Garr, the team and a small group of supporters.
“[Colalucci] did a great job with all the players and the coaches” Garr told MyRye.com in an interview. “He did an outstanding job of getting it together.”
Colalucci, a 2019 Greenwich High School graduate who finished a bachelor’s at NYU in 2023, has worked with Garnet athletes for the past two seasons, concentrating especially on the football and basketball teams. Although he is more known for producing short-length hype and sizzle videos, he expertly crafted a 99-minute documentary to encapsulate a magical fall for Rye football.
Garr mentioned how he and the team knew Colalucci’s film crew would be following their team around all season, but made sure it did not become a distraction. A 2-2 start certainly raised some concern among Garnet fans, coaches, and players, but Rye responded by consistently finding ways to win, until they proved they were the best in their division of New York State.
“We started out two and two, and it was kind of a wake up call for us,” said Garr. “We just kind of rededicated ourselves and committed to getting better each each week, and and our players did that, and they took an outstanding job of getting better.” Garr also made a special note to compliment Colalucci for accurately depicting the extremely high work ethic of the team.
Kevin Devaney Jr., a former Journal News sports reporter who now has his own PR firm and works with the Local Live broadcasting company to stream school sporting events, had a chance to watch the premiere screening with the team and coaching staff, and said, “The final product was like something you’d see on Netflix. Well done.” It was an incredible success story in Rye this year, and fans can relive it through Garnet Pride.
Rye players and coaches already had the chance to experience the documentary through a private screening (which Devaney also attended). Colalucci did not respond to inquiries regarding the future availability of the film. For a taste of what the team saw, check out the official trailer:
