The Rye Varsity Football team entered the 2026 season on the heels of an undefeated parade to the New York State championship game last fall. After winning the program’s first ever NYS title in Class A – and the fifth overall – the Garnets have a massive target on their backs this season.
Rye is 1-1 after two games, hanging tough with Clarkstown South but falling in Week 1 after winning their season opener over Cornwall 39-21. They host Eastchester tonight at Nugent Stadium in search of getting back on track, with Somers looming just two weeks away.
“We have a tough schedule and will be challenged every week to improve,” longtime head coach Dino Garr told MyRye.com in early September. “We always look forward to playing our rivalry games against Harrison.”
‘The Game’ is set for Nugent Stadium this year, which Rye will host on October 17. The Week 6 showdown, with a 1:30pm kickoff time, is the Garnets’ penultimate contest of the regular season. Their final game is against Clarkstown North, while prior to the Huskies, Rye faces Eastchester, Mount Vernon, the aforementioned Somers, and Nyack.
Garr’s goals for the season remain unchanged despite the wild successes 2025 brought onto the program. He and his group will “continue to strive for the 3 goals we set each year: beat Harrison, win the league, and advance to the NYS playoffs.”
Four senior captains lead the charge for the Garnets – Jagger Fenton, Benji Kaplan, Luke Denvir and Charlie Brady. All four have already made a significant impact, both on and off the field, through two games. They have large shoes to fill considering the talent and leadership of the graduated 2025 captains, but Garr knows they can and will rise to the occasion.
Rye will look to improve to 2-1 tonight as they host Eastchester at 7:00pm. Not heading to Nugent Stadium tonight? Watch the game here.
