A blank sheet in the first quarter and an early deficit couldn’t rattle the confidence of the Rye boys lacrosse team on Wednesday. You don’t pile up championships the way the Garnets have without knowing how to manage the big-game nerves.
Rye settled in and powered past John Jay-Cross River in the Section 1 Class C boys lacrosse final at Yorktown High School. The five-time sectional champs scored four straight goals to take a lead before halftime and pulled away in the fourth for an 11-7 victory.
Tournament Bracket: Rye remains on top in Class C
Season Results: Rye | John Jay-Cross River
Broadcast Replay: Watch the full game on LocalLive.tv
Game Highlights: Rye surges to another Section 1 title
Rye trailed 2-0 after one quarter thanks to two goals from John Jay star Luca Duva and terrific goaltending by sophomore Blake O’Callaghan.
But the Garnets settled in during the second period, putting together a four-goal rally that gave them a 6-3 lead at the break. It was 7-3 early in the third before Jay scored three in a row, aided by a few Rye penalties. But sophomore Henry Shoemaker padded the Rye lead with two of his four goals in the third.
Shoemaker had four goals to lead a balanced Rye attack. Ty Ramachandran was terrific in the cage for the Garnets.
Rye (12-7) advanced to the NYSPHSAA Class C Regionals, which will be held on Saturday in Amsterdam against Section 2 champion Queensbury. Start time is 5:30 p.m.