Happy Friday. 🏈🏀 It’s Dec. 12, one week removed from Rye’s fifth state football title, and first against Class A competition.

The undefeated, record-setting season will be remembered for decades to come. But for many of the players, it’s already time to move on to the next game.

Last night, the Garnets celebrated the championship at their annual football team banquet. Tonight, some of the key contributors open play in another tournament, this time on the hardwood.

Let’s move “Between the Lines” indoors as Rye plunges into the winter sports season.

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

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Basketball Preview: No Rest for the Winners

Preseason scrimmages tipped off last Friday for the boys basketball team, but their head coach and many of the players were a bit tied up that night. As you may have heard, the football team was busy winning the school’s first Class A state football championship in Syracuse.

Boys basketball head coach Tom Proudian is an assistant on the football team, which was led by seniors Carson Miller and Henry Shoemaker. The duo broke several school and section records while playing alongside senior Sebastian Lewis and junior Luke Denvir, two other standouts who quickly put the 14-0 football season behind them and joined basketball practices this week.

One week after claiming a state championship, the quartet will aim to add another title to their collection at the season-opening Keith D. Yizar Memorial Tournament this Friday and Saturday at Mamaroneck. The Garnets’ first opponent is Byram Hills, scheduled to tip off at 5 tonight. They’ll play Ardsley or Mamaroneck tomorrow.

Seven members return from last year’s squad that went 17-7 and reached the Section 1 Class AA championship game.

“We’re very excited for this upcoming season,” Proudian said. “We have a very athletic roster and plan on using their athleticism to our advantage. We had a great run to the section championship game last year, and hope to make it at least one step further this winter.”

Weather Report: Check out Rye’s weekend forecast here.

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Performers of the Week: Rye Football 🏆

🏈 Congrats to the Rye football team — winners of the Sportech Performer of the Week.

We asked the same question about Rye’s undefeated, state-champion girls soccer team mere weeks ago: How do you choose one winner from a team that never lost?

Running the table in any sport takes a total team effort, from the record-setting QB/WR combo to senior defensive stalwarts — like Hunter Gillies, Carsten Steinmann, Nigel Strazzini, and Jack Anderson — to 1,000-yard rusher Charlie Garnett and the backs who helped carry the load when he left the state semifinal with an injury.

The 2025 Rye football team was perfect in every sense of the word. The Garnets performed immaculately from start to finish, capping off arguably the greatest season in program history with a 28-14 victory over Brighton to win the school’s fifth state football title.

Rye’s second state championship team in the past three years steamrolled opponents week after week, setting school records for points (570) and wins (14), with every victory coming by double-digits.

“This team, like the state championship team from two years ago, was able to get the best out of themselves,” said coach Dino Garr, New York’s all-time winningest football coach. “They’ve done an outstanding job this season, and they’ve made a commitment to giving it their best shot every week.”

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Game of the Week: Rye Hockey Wins Opener in OT 🚨

🏒After a long offseason wait, Rye made up for lost time by playing extra hockey in its 2025-26 opener.

The Garnets beat Clarence High School 4-3 in overtime at Playland, with a game-winning goal by senior Trevor Dolan.

Senior Jamie Morris put Rye ahead 3-2 with just over a minute left in regulation, but Clarence pulled its goalie and scored with five seconds remaining to force overtime. In the extra period, sophomore Will Niejadlik fired a shot, and Dolan knocked in the rebound for the win.