Rye Garnets close out regular season 7-0, now looking for a state title
RYE, N.Y. — Momentum and adversity have helped the Garnets sail smoothly throughout the regular season, with their eyes set on capturing the championship trophy. The program’s high standards and continuous commitment to excellence have been shown night in and night out throughout the duration of the season.
For the Garnets to win their class A title in 2019 and come back in 2021 after losing a good number of seniors due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, to then still go undefeated and win their Section I championship in a shortened spring season, shows how bought in and determined this program is as a whole from top to bottom.
In their season finale on Friday, Oct. 22, the Garnets gutted out their toughest victory of the season in a showdown between two undefeated teams that had an intense playoff feel to the matchup.
The story this season for the Garnets has been their offense, outscoring opponents 236 to 74. But against the Pelham Pelicans, they were held to their lowest point total of the season going into halftime down 13-7. But coming out and allowing a total of 10 yards and forcing two turnovers in the second half shows how much of a team effort this game was, as Rye weathered the storm and overcame that deficit to come back and win 24-13.
Many wins on the season have come in blow out fashion, but against the Pelicans, the defense had to buckle down and put together crucial stops in order to hand the Pelicans their first loss of the year and securing the league title on senior night. The Garnets showed they are a complete team that can win in a bevy of different ways, not just behind their offensive attack.
The significance of that win does not just show in the win column.
“This is going to help us, people really stepped up this game and it’s gonna help us throughout the playoffs and for the rest of the season,” Rye senior receiver Ryan Surhoff stated in an article by Eugene Rapay of Lohud.com. “This was the best team we played all season. I feel like it came at a good time, right before playoffs. We got a little banged up, but it was just next man up. This is going to help us in the long run.”
Facing that level of adversity will favor the Garnets and help enhance the team’s chemistry and continuity that much more. Wins like this are needed, which could not have come at a more perfect time for this ball club, as they embark on their quest for another state title that begins at home on Friday, Oct. 29 against John Jay.
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