Good morning. 🏈 It’s Friday, Nov. 21. The dust has settled on fall sports’ postseason for the most part. But Rye still has its sights set on more hardware.

Girls soccer completed an undefeated season with a state championship Sunday, and boys soccer finished as state runner-up the same day. Football claimed a section title and now turns its attention to a state championship of its own.

Let’s go “Between the Lines” to review two Garnet soccer finales and the football team’s continued pursuit of perfection.

“Between the Lines” is curated by sports editor Chris Marshall.

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Gridiron Preview: Battle of Unbeatens

Anyone who remains undefeated this late in November has reason to believe they’re a team of destiny. For two and a half months, Rye and Minisink Valley have thwarted all challengers. Eight teams remain in the Class A playoffs, and these two are the only unbeatens.

But tonight, one team’s season will come to an end.

Last Friday, the Garnets (11-0) beat Somers 40-17 to win Section 1, and Minisink Valley (10-0) beat Cornwall Central 24-21 to win Section 9. The section champions square off at 6 tonight in Arlington for a spot in the state semifinals.

Somers, the three-time defending Class A state champions, may have been the toughest test Rye will face all postseason, and the Garnets passed with flying colors, scoring the game’s final 27 points. But any opponent that’s won 10 straight games should not be taken lightly.

The Warriors averaged 36 points this season, outscoring their 10 opponents 361-144. Playing one additional game, Rye outscored its opponents 465-198. The high-flying Garnets’ offense reached a new peak last week, as QB Carson Miller threw for a career-best 347 yards, and fellow senior Henry Shoemaker hauled in a school- and section-record 221 receiving yards.

Tonight’s winner will advance to face either Section 2 champion Niskayuna or Section 9 runner-up Cornwall Central on Nov. 28 in Middletown.

One section gets an at-large bid each year, and this season is Section 9’s turn. In 2021, Section 1 got two bids, as both Rye and Somers played in the Class A tournament. The Garnets beat Minisink Valley 31-21 in the regional final that year before losing to Somers in the state semifinals.

The Section 1 champion has made the Class A state title game in seven of the past nine seasons (five of those seven appearances were by Somers).

The Garnets, who won Class B state titles in 2005, 2007, 2009, and 2023, are now three wins away from the program’s first Class A championship. The Tuskers aren’t there to stop them. We’ll soon find out if anyone else can.

Weather Report: The Weather Channel forecast for kickoff tonight in Arlington is 47 degrees with mostly cloudy skies. ☁️

Check out the weekend weather forecast for Rye here.

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Performers of the Week: Rye Girls Soccer 🏆

⚽ Congrats to the Rye girls soccer team — winners of the Sportech Performer of the Week.

How do you choose just one individual winner from a team that never lost?

With a 4-0 win against Aquinas Institute on Sunday, the undefeated Rye girls became New York’s Class A state champions for the second time in three years.

If you’re good with names, commit the starting 11 to memory, because a team like this may never be seen in Rye again: seniors Tessa Labovitz, Sam Yeh, Parker Calhoun, and Clare Nemsick; juniors Charlotte Keenan, Julia Carballo, and Shira Rand; sophomores Hannah Jachman and Ryann O’Donnell; and freshmen Harkin Brown and Ella Fleckten.

How’s this for domination?

• Games Played: 24

• Games Won: 21 

• Games Lost: 0

• Games Tied: 3

• Current Win Streak: 17

• Shutouts: 16

• Shutouts in 8 postseason games: 8

• Total goals allowed all season: 6

“It’s hard to describe this feeling right now. We came so close last year,” said Rye coach Rich Savage, whose team lost in the 2024 state semifinals after winning the 2023 state title. “To make it all the way back there this time and get the job done is just so special. I couldn’t be happier for these kids.”

— By Steven Kearney

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⚽ Rye’s quest to sweep the boys and girls state soccer titles came up one game short Sunday afternoon.

Just 16 hours after a hard-fought, late-night, lightning-delayed, and rain-soaked semifinal victory last Saturday, the Garnet boys laced up their still-soggy boots to face East Aurora in the championship game.

With a starting 11 that had become the talk of Class A in recent weeks, Rye could not conjure any more magic on this blustery afternoon. East Aurora, the Section 6 champions, won the Class B state title in 2023, and on Sunday, added their first Class A state championship to the trophy case.

“East Aurora played an excellent game today,” said Rye coach Jared Small. “They were sharp when it mattered most, and I congratulate them. This was an absolutely fantastic season for Rye. We grew, and we got better every day of the season.”

— By Steven Kearney

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