On Saturday, Oct. 2, Harrison and Rye will square off in the latest installment of Westchester’s most storied high school football rivalry, as the two teams will take to McGillicuddy Field for the latest installment of ‘The Game’. For Rye, the game is an opportunity to extend the all-time series lead, while Harrison—who comes into the game with an impressive record—is looking to succeed where recent Husky teams have failed.

In the past 21 meetings between the two teams, Harrison has won just once, as Rye’s streak of dominance gives the Garnets a 48-42-3 edge in the series. But Harrison showed the ability to hang with the explosive Garnets last April—the first time in history that “The Game” was played in the spring—falling 21-13.

This season, the Garnets (4-0) and Huskies (3-0) have established themselves as the cream of the Class A South, sitting atop the standings—alongside Pelham—with undefeated records. But Saturday’s matchup—which will kick off at 3:30 p.m. due to standardized testing in the morning—will be a significant jump up in competition levels for both teams. Rye and Harrison have steamrolled through the schedule thus far—with the Garnets outscoring foes 131-50 and the Huskies putting up similar numbers with a 115-21 disparity—but neither team has yet secured a victory against a team that currently possesses a winning record. Rye’s closest matchup came on opening day—Rye began regular season play a week before most other Section I teams—as they topped a physical Lourdes team 27-12. Harrison’s came last Friday in a 28-14 win over Nyack.

Harrison has fared slightly better against common opponents Tappan Zee and Sleepy Hollow, scoring 52-0 and 35-7 wins against the teams that Rye beat 41-12 and 35-14, respectively.

Each offense is led by a dynamic running back that enters the week coming off a solid performance. Harrison workhorse AJ Troilo had an impressive game against Nyack last week, rushing 19 times for 118 yards and a touchdown. Rye’s Caden Whaling—who torched Harrison for two touchdowns last year—went for 218 yards on just 13 carries against Sleepy Hollow on Sept. 24.

No stranger to playing in the Harrison-Rye game, Whaling said that Saturday’s game will come down to which team is better able to handle the pressure that comes with playing on a big stage.

“It’s gonna be intense, there’s going to be some nervous energy this week,” said Whaling. “But it’s going to be fun.”

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