Good morning. 🥍⚾🥎⛳ It’s Friday, June 5. Much has been written about the dominance of Rye High School sports. After winning five total section championships and three state championships in the fall and winter seasons, it was already a historically successful year for the Garnet athletic department.

Then, in a grand finale for the 2026-27 academic year, Rye nearly doubled its section championship total over the past two weeks. Boys golf won its first Section 1 team title in 10 years, followed closely by three more Garnet championships in a four-day span.

Baseball won in dramatic fashion Sunday, girls lacrosse captured its second title in three years Tuesday, and boys lacrosse avenged a championship loss to Somers on Wednesday.

Sophomore Will Niejadlik, who helped the Garnets win their first state hockey title in the winter, said it best after a four-goal performance in Wednesday’s boys lacrosse victory.

“There’s a championship culture here at Rye. It’s what we do,” he said. “I’m really happy for the seniors on this team, and we’d love to do what we did in hockey a few months ago. So, we are definitely not done.”

This edition of “Between the Lines” looks at the latest round of Garnet section champions who have legit aspirations for more.

“Between the Lines” is curated by Chris Marshall.

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Rye Baseball and Lacrosse Complete Triple Crown

Despite the regularity with which Rye wins trophies, there’s nothing routine about claiming a high school section championship. It takes grit, healthy players – a few good bounces – and a committed belief that when a team plays as one, they are unstoppable.

Rye boys lacrosse’s 13-9 victory over Somers in Wednesday’s Section 1 Class C championship was all of that and then some.

“This feels absolutely awesome,” said first-year Rye coach Jeremy Guski. “All year long, this group has done the little things that put us in a position to be here right now. … These boys have no quit in them, ever. Winning this one is an incredible life memory for them.”

Rye (14-5) pounced on Somers early, setting an all-business tone in the first quarter and rolling to its fifth section title in six years. After eight minutes played, the Garnets led 4-1, courtesy of goals by juniors Charlie Brady and Henry Gilroy, and two from sophomore Will Niejadlik.

After two goals by senior Carson Miller and a couple of Somers counters, Rye led 7-4 at the half. Fans on both sides of the beautiful Yorktown High School field could sense which way this game was trending.

Few have experienced that feeling of inevitability more than Miller, who celebrated his third section championship in as many sports this year (football, basketball, lacrosse), along with fellow senior captain Henry Shoemaker and junior defenseman Luke Denvir.

“We wanted this one badly,” Miller said. “Last year, Somers ended our football and lacrosse seasons. This year, we beat them in both – and picked up section championships in three sports. I don’t know where that ranks historically, but it’s something we’re all deeply proud of.”

Minutes before his well-earned, ice-cold Gatorade shower, Guski put the win in perspective.

“We’re thrilled as a team to be where we are,” he said, “but you could tell by these boys’ reactions after the final horn that this trophy was definitely one of our goals this season – but not the only one.”

The newly crowned section champs will open the Class C state tournament with a quarterfinal game at 12:30 p.m. Saturday in Middletown against Section 9 winner Highland (16-1).

— By Steven Kearney

Girls lacrosse: After winning by a goal and losing by a goal in the two previous title games, the Garnets were in complete control in a 15-9 section championship win Tuesday over Pelham.

“We are so proud of our Garnets,” said Rye coach Michelle Mason. “They are a special group of student-athletes, and we are so excited to give our seniors more time on the field and another Section 1 Class C title.”

Rye doubled up the Pelicans early, taking a 6-3 lead after the first quarter. Pelham hung around to get the margin down to one at halftime, 8-7. Then the Garnets pulled away, scoring the next seven goals to go ahead 15-7.

Next up for Rye is a Class C state quarterfinal game at 2 p.m. Sunday at Monroe Woodbury High School. The Garnets (15-4) will face Section 9 champion Rondout Valley (10-5).

Weather Report: Check out the weekend weather forecast for Rye here.

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Performer of the Week: Jackson Pineault

⚾ Congrats to Jackson Pineault — winner of the Sportech Performer of the Week.

With their backs against the wall, the Garnets rallied to go back-to-back.

Down to its final out, the Rye baseball team came through in the clutch, just as it did so often throughout the season. This time, it was Pineault who delivered with a championship-winning double that gave the Garnets a 5-2 victory over Mahopac on Sunday and a second straight Section 1 crown.

After the first two batters struck out in the seventh, the Garnets were on the verge of elimination. Trailing 2-1, with just one out remaining, five straight seniors got on base. Michael Talbott reached first on an error, Nolan Hutson walked, Jamie Morris was intentionally walked, then Lucas London was hit by a pitch to tie the game at 2-2.

After two strikes and two foul balls, Pineault lined a double to centerfield, scoring London, Hutson, and Morris.

“Sometimes, the pressure can get to you, but just having that group of eight seniors who are dedicated and committed from November, there’s no better group than that,” said Rye coach Mike Bruno. “Especially when we lost Saturday night, I knew that group would be ready to come to play on Sunday.”

The Garnets (19-6) advance to the Class AA state quarterfinals, where they’ll face undefeated Section 9 champion Cornwall (23-0) at 1 p.m. Saturday in Saugerties.

This Week’s Rye Record: 4-2

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