The #1 Rye Football team escaped with a 36-22 win on Friday, November 7, taking down Eastchester at home in the Sectional semifinals. Rye briefly trailed in the second half for the first time all season, but rallied for 15 unanswered points to ground the Eagles for the second time this season and eliminate them from sectional title contention.
“it’s always tough to play somebody twice,” Head Coach Dino Garr told MyRye.com after the game, speaking of Eastchester. “They are a great football team.”
Rye’s success in their final contest at Nugent Stadium in 2025 came via the ground attack. Charlie Garnett scored a hat trick, with running scores of 3, 7, and 26 yards. Carson Miller ran for the other two Garnets’ touchdowns and their lone two-point conversion. The star QB also had an interception in the fourth quarter when the Eagles tried a fake punt, which set up Garnett’s third score to extend the Rye lead to where it ended at 36-22.
At one point in the third quarter, a touchdown and two-point conversion for the Eagles put them in front 22-21. However, Rye responded with two consecutive scoring drives, countering an Eagles’ defense which gave Rye problems at several moments throughout the evening. The win was significantly different from the regular seaon, in which the Garnets regularly coasted after jumping out to large leads after only a few possessions.
“Well, we put on a drive… credit to the players,” Garr said of his team’s comeback ability and resolve. “Our players responded tremendously, which they have all season. They showed great courage.”
#1 Rye (10-0, 2-0 postseason) has their biggest challenge ahead, a rematch with Somers in the Section 1 Class A championship game. The high-stakes, high-profile matchup is set for next week at Mahopac High School, with a sectional title on the line. Rye defeated Somers 17-7 in Week 1 on September 12, but if the recent Eastchester game is any indication, beating one team twice – Somers, no less – in one season is a very difficult task. The Tuskers will be looking to end Rye’s season for the second year in a row.
