Rye celebrates the fifth NY state football title in program history
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SYRACUSE – How can anyone be mad at these guys?
The untimely miscues are confounding, but Rye has a knack for untangling every mess. Flags were flying throughout, but the Garnets played through each and every foible, allowing Carson Miller and Henry Shoemaker to write a fairytale ending to a perfect season.
A little drama only adds to the moment.
Rye delivered a 28-14 win over Brighton on Friday in the NYSPHSAA Class A Championship game at the JMA Wireless Dome.
“There is nothing about this season to look back on negatively,” Miller said. “We got everything done. We beat Somers twice. We beat Harrison, our biggest rival. We finished undefeated and won most of these games by a solid margin. And we’ve broken some records. It was just the most amazing season of my life.”
It was the Garnets’ fifth state title, but its first in Class A.
“We’ve been trying to get there for a couple of years and we’ve been losing to a Somers team that kept winning states,” said Rye coach Dino Garr, who earlier in the season became the winningest football coach in the state. “Five championships. That speaks highly of the community and the tradition."
Realizing the amount of playmakers in the room, the Garnets dialed in on this moment from Day 1 and were ready to make one final statement.
There was no sign of anxiety when Rye came out and took an early lead.
“It’s a testament to this team,” Shoemaker said. “I think getting here is such a privilege, so everyone was grateful to still be around the boys. These are the greatest moments ever. We’re going to remember this trip for the rest of our lives. So people were nervous … but everyone came to perform.”
Miller to Shoemaker
It’s been a record-setting year for Miller, who squeezed into the end zone to cap an impressive opening drive, and Shoemaker has been a big part of it. It was no surprise they connected three more times for touchdowns.
There was a 15-yard connection eight plays after the Bruins took a 7-6 lead and later in the second quarter Miller found Shoemaker for an eight-yard score to make it a 20-7 lead at the half. The final connection bailed out the Garnets on third-and-16 and covered 68 yards.
It was a perfect throw and catch.
“They’ve been doing that since they were 5, 6, 7 years old,” Garr said. “That connection, you can tell they have a real understanding between them.”
So many different players contributed, but it was only fitting they put the exclamation point on a season like this one.
“I figured,” said Miller, who’s thrown 22 touchdowns to his BFF this season. “You know, it’s hard to come up with a game plan to stop him and we have so many other guys who are weapons. I think, when it comes down to winning plays, I’m going to try to get the ball into his hands. Tonight just kind of encapsulates everything we’ve done.”
By the numbers
Rye (14-0): Miller was named championship game MVP. He completed 16 of 21 passes for 251 yards and three touchdowns and carried 17 times for 64 yards and one touchdown. … Shoemaker caught seven passes for 131 yards and three touchdowns. … Sebastian Lewis had three receptions for 62 yards. Nigel Strazzini caught two passes for 21 yards and Charlie Brady had two receptions for 18 yards. … Carsten Steinman had six solo tackles and Thomas Goldszer made five solo tackles.
Brighton (11-3): Ethan Bialaszewski completed 9 of 18 passes for 136 yards and one touchdown. He carried 21 times for 77 yards. … Justin Medina had seven carries for 17 yards and one TD. … Amari Snowden had eight tackles and two sacks.
Mike Dougherty covers high school football for The Journal News/lohud.com.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Rye celebrates the fifth NY state football title in program history
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