When the Rye Garnets and host Sleepy Hollow Headless Horsemen squared off against each other, it was a contest that the Garnets were the favorite to win but the Headless Horsemen were extremely confident that they could come out on top of.
That confidence showed as the Headless Horsemen physically stood right up to Rye but two big returns on special teams by Jack O'Callaghan ignited the visitors to a 27-6 triumph on opening day Saturday, Sept. 11.
"We stress offense, defense and special teams equally," O'Callaghan said. "A fumble on special teams could be big. We keep good players on special teams to block. They really opened everything up."
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Sleepy Hollow made the first big play of the game when L.J. Garrant picked off a Connor Eck pass during Rye's first series of the game right in front of the Sleepy Hollow sideline at his own 48-yard line.
"L.J. has great instincts and tremendous athletic ability," Sleepy Hollow coach Steve Borys said.
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The Headless Horsemen though couldn't capitalize on Garrant's big play and were forced to punt on their initial possession of the game.
Rye then garnered a 14-play, 55-yard scoring drive when it had the ball next. The Garnets' drive looked like it was going to stall when on fourth and seven from the Sleepy Hollow 41, Eck threw an incomplete pass.
However, a roughing the passing penalty was called on the Horsemen, giving Rye a second life. Rye took advantage of that when it took a 6-0 lead on a 1-yard touchdown run by Kevin Turco.
Sleepy Hollow momentarily garnered the momentum when Dondrey Sharrock electrified the home crowd with a fantastic kick-off return from his own 10 to the Rye 13-yard line.
"I was just thinking I have to find some way to get my team hyped and the way to do it was to bust a big one," Sharrock said. "We didn't get the touchdown but we sure got fired up."
Rye's defense though also got fired up and shutdown Sleep Hollow on four plays, preventing the Headless Horsemen from taking the lead. Rye then added to its lead with just 31 seconds left before halftime when O'Callaghan returned a punt 70 yards for the touchdown and with the 2-point conversion the Garnets went up 14-0 at the half.
"The key on that return was the blocking," O'Callaghan said. "I think I might have dodged one player and then I just had a clear path. Everyone was blocking, so it was pretty easy for me."
Sleepy Hollow made things easy for themselves in the third quarter when it kept the ball for nearly the entire quarter. The Headless Horsemen stared the second half with the ball and kept it until Garrant went around the left corner and scored on a five-yard touchdown run with just 1:24 remaining in the quarter.
Sleepy Hollow failed to convert on the 2-point conversion but it was back in the game, trailing just 14-6.
"That drive was heart, it was something that you can't teach," Sharrock said. "It's something that you have to have and we have lots of it."
Rye though threw the knockout punch when on the kickoff after Garrant's score, O'Callaghan returned it 85 yards for a touchdown.
"Once again, all I did was run," O'Callaghan said. "Kevin Turco, who blocked for me, set it up. I have the easy job there."
