Good morning, subscribers. 🏈 It’s Friday, Sept. 19. Tonight, Rye goes on the road to Fox Lane, with a shot at history on the line.

Legendary coach Dino Garr is one victory away from tying New York high school football’s all-time wins record, a mark that has stood for 25 years.

Can the 2-0 Garnets avoid a trap game against the Foxes? Let’s open this edition of “Between the Lines” with a look inside the record books.

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

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Preview: On the Cusp of History

Entering this season, the question wasn’t if coach Dino Garr would break the state’s all-time career wins record, but when.

After beating Somers 17-7 in a clash of the titans last Friday, there’s a high likelihood the Garnets coach of 50 years will match the all-time mark tonight at Fox Lane (6:30 p.m. kickoff in Bedford).

The Garnets are riding high after avenging a postseason loss to the Tuskers. When facing Foxes, a trap is always possible, but Garr has accumulated 363 wins (and counting) for a reason. Whether it’s September or November, Garr fields consistent winners that are seemingly immune to the highs and lows of the season.

This is the first time Rye (2-0) has played Fox Lane (1-1) since a 21-7 win in 2022. The Foxes, who haven’t finished above .500 since 2021, beat Horace Greeley 12-2 in their season-opener before losing 27-7 at Lakeland last Friday.

A win tonight pulls Garr even atop the record books with late Bethpage coach Howie Vogts, who spent 52 years leading the Golden Eagles and has held the wins record since 2000.

Garr is the only active coach with 300-plus wins. If Rye beats Fox Lane, he has a chance to surpass the 25-year-old record on his home turf next Friday against Clarkstown North.

Weather Report: The Weather Channel forecast for Friday night in Bedford is 74 degrees at kickoff with partly cloudy skies. 🌤️

Check out the weekend weather forecast for Rye here.

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Performer of the Week: Tessa Labovitz 🏅

⚽ Congrats to Tessa Labovitz — winner of the Sportech Performer of the Week.

Rye’s girls soccer team remains unbeaten (4-0-3) in large part because of its defense. The team has played three scoreless draws, with Labovitz serving as a brick wall behind the Garnets’ talented back line.

While shutouts have become commonplace for Rye’s starting keeper, Labovitz achieved a first on Saturday. In an 8-1 rout of Scarsdale B, the senior captain scored her first varsity goal.

With the win secured, Labovitz ventured out from her usual position to attack Scarsdale’s goal. Meanwhile, freshman Mae Haesslein held down the fort, defending Rye’s net and making three saves in the process.

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Game of the Week: Garnets Boot Rye Neck 🏆

⚽ In a rare matchup between schools a mere 2.8 miles apart, Rye rallied from an early deficit to beat 2024 Class B state semifinalist Rye Neck 2-1 Monday at Nugent Stadium.

Thomas McNiff scored off a corner kick by fellow senior Rafael Medina to put Rye Neck on the board 13 minutes before halftime. Four minutes after the break, Rye tied the game on a corner kick of its own, as sophomore Felix Wismer polished off a cross from junior Kasen Scarperi.

With just under 19 minutes to go in the contest, Rye senior Lex Cox scored the winning goal off a long, high-arching set piece that was unfortunately mishandled by Rye Neck keeper Zach Schaer, who made six saves in the game. 

“Rye Neck played well in that first half, they’re an excellent team,” Cox said. “But we just decided at halftime that the second half was going to belong to us. We committed to winning every 50-50 ball, being tough down in the corners, and making every set piece count.”

Rye sophomore keeper Will Alexander made five saves, including one of the defensive plays of the year to turn away a direct kick by McNiff, a Washington University (St. Louis) soccer commit. 

-by Steven Kearney

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