The Rye Boys Rugby team continued their hot start to the 2026 season on Friday, May 1, defeating Chaminade 22-5. The Garnets scored the final four tries of the game after falling into an early deficit to clinch the home victory, their fifth of the campaign.
“We started a little flat, going down 5-0 after an early Flyer try,” Assistant Coach Phil Verona told MyRye.com. “However, with composure, leadership, steady phase play, and quality set pieces, we controlled the match and secured the win.”
Two of the notable standout performers from the victory included Hunter Gillies in the middle of the field as the 8-man and Jack Anderson out wide as the flanker. “He was physical both in attack and on defense, [causing] several steals at the breakdown for Rye’s defense and scoring a try of his own,” Verona said of Gillis.
Anderson did not score in the game, but helped keep Chaminade’s speedy wings at bay with his defensive positioning and physical tackling. The other try scorers for the Garnets were senior captain Gavin Fitzpatrick with one and Max Cabrera with two.
Rye (5-2) has two games left in their regular season, both at home, on May 6 (vs Fordham Prep) and May 16 (vs Rockaway). However, the Garnets – currently the #24 team in New York State and second in the RugbyNY Met Division – have their hopes set higher than two more wins.
“The main priority is playing for a NY State Championship,” Verona concluded. The next step is their contest against the Rams next Wednesday at 6:00pm.
