Rye comes at Port Jervis from a different angle and wins NYSPHSAA regional football title
GOSHEN – There aren’t enough practice hours in a week to be well-rehearsed for a Rye team that places a premium on versatility.
Even the approach seems to change from game to game.
A week after pounding the ball, the Garnets opened up the offense a little more and quickly pulled away from Port Jervis, winning a NYSPHSAA Class B regional final by a 28-14 margin Saturday at Goshen High School.
“It’s awesome to be able to do that,” Rye quarterback A.J. Miller said. “We’re really hard to prepare for. Last week, we ran the ball 40 times and this week not so much. That’s always been a big part of coach (Dino) Garr’s success.”
The Garnets need one more win to make the state championship game.
It only took Rye six plays to get the board. Miller connected with Charlie Stevens and Jake Kessner to get the drive well under way, then handed the ball to Chris Iuliano on four straight plays.
The last carry netted a 4-yard touchdown.
Port Jervis came right back with a sustained drive, but the Garnets dug in and came up with a fourth-down sack. Miller hit Kessner with a deep out to set up first-and-goal, then went to Stevens for a 6-yard TD.
It was a 13-0 lead at the half.
“They have some big, strong guys up front, a good running back, good receivers and obviously a good quarterback,” Warriors coach Damian Striharsky said. “It does make it very difficult to game plan for.”
Garr usually has a surprise ready to go, too.
He brought Carson Miller off the bench three minutes into the second half and the backup quarterback got loose for a 31-yard touchdown. A.J. Miller hit Iuliano with the conversion pass to make it 21-0.
“We can really keep a defense on its heels,” Rye wideout and defensive back Jack Acciavatti said.
Iuliano set up the final score with a 49-yard run. Miller got the ball to Tucker Hess for a 24-yard touchdown in the final minute of the third quarter.
Game balls
Charlie Saurack and the Garnets defense shut out a team averaging 35 points a game for three quarters.
“Chris and I get a lot of credit and Jake gets a lot of attention, but our defense is fantastic,” Miller said. “They have a lot of good players, but our defense is just so talented, so gifted and so angry.”
The offensive line was again stout, allowing Iuliano and Charlie Garnett to average 7.4 yards per carry, which takes a lot of time off the clock.
By the numbers
Rye (10-2): Miller was named offensive MVP after completing 11 of 14 passes for 182 yards and two touchdowns. ... Iuliano ran for 112 yards and one TD on 12 carries. ... Hess made four catches for 39 yards and one touchdown. ... Acciavatti caught three passes for 79 yards and had one interception. ... Stevens finished with two grabs for 21 yards and one TD. ... Kessner had two receptions for 48 yards.
Port Jervis (8-3): Anthony Theodore had 75 yards rushing and scored a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns. He also caught five passes for 60 yards. ... Dylan Fox completed 8 of 14 passes for 109 yards. He was intercepted once. ... The Raiders came in with a six-game winning streak, outscoring the opposition 236-23 in that stretch.
They said it
"It was a good win and everyone is satisfied, but I think everyone is excited to go another week, especially the seniors," Acciavatti said. "We’re excited to have Thanksgiving practice and excited for next week."
"I think the kids were on a mission last week and they accomplished their goal, but the mission continues," Garr said. "We’re very proud of these players and we’re going to have a great Thanksgiving week together and hopefully another great week after that."
What's next
Rye plays Section 7 champion Peru or Section 2 champion Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk at 3 p.m. Saturday at Middletown High School in the NYSPHSAA Class B East semifinal.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: lohud high school football: Rye gets win over Port Jervis in regional
