Imported Garnets
-
- November
- 23
Lynette Rix, a native West Virginian and the mother of Rye High’s senior tight end/linebacker Matt Rix, noted this in an email to me a few days ago:
In last week’s state semifinal win over upstate Peru, all 24 of the Garnets’ points were scored by three kids who landed in in Rye from faraway foreign lands, whose six parents included just one U.S. native from among them.
This wouldn’t be so rare if this were a collegiate sport where kids are recruited from all over the world, or if it were a case of a school importing football players. This is totally different. These three weren’t recruited, and they weren’t really football players.
“It is a coincidence,� receiver/defensive back James Bonsall said. “We all moved here, we fell in love with the game, started playing football and ended up in the same place.�
Rix’s father, Paul, is English. Matt was actually born in Manhattan, but moved at six months old to London, and then Hong Kong, and lived in New York City and Connecticut before settling in Rye.
Senior kicker/guard Sebastian Saunders’ father Christian and mom Martina are English, and Sebastian, a senior kicker/guard, was actually born in Jerusalem, lived on the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, then in Vienna and England before moving to Mamaroneck, then Rye.
Bonsall’s father Rick is from New Zealand and his mother Julia from England. James was born in Sunningdale, England “outside of Berkshire, about the same distance to London as Rye is to New York City,� he said. After a year the Bonsall family moved to Japan for five years, then to Hong Kong for a year before moving to Rye.
“I don’t know if I could put into words what they’ve meant to us,� Rye coach Dino Garr said. “We’re really fortunate and happy. They’re part of the Garnet family. It’s very special. More importantly, they’re great kids, great gentlemen.�
I wrote a column for tomorrow’s Journal News and LoHud.com about the three kids heading into Rye’s Sunday state Class B championship game against Chenango Forks.
This entry was posted
on Friday, November 23rd, 2007 at 9:01 pm by Carp.
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
Print
| 
Email
Rick,
What was missing from your article is the essential element played by the Rye Coaching staff who took three kids who precious little about the sport and within a very short period of time molded and mentored them into being an important part of the Garnet Program. This is yet further testament of why the Garnet Football program is second to none. Much kudos to Dino Garr, Mike Bruno and Tommy Maloney, it is difficult to put into words how much we appreciate what you do for our kids.
In the case of Sebastian, Mike Bruno needs special mention as his coaching, support and encouragement over the last four years has been completely without limits.
Christian Saunders
Rick,
Great article…being a Harrison guy, you should know that second guessing Artie is just as common as second guessing Dino AND much more in vogue lately!
I agree with both of you.
Anybody who watched Rye play the last two years, especially, understands that this team knows how to win games, and that while the kids are certainly to be admired for that, it comes largely from Garr, Bruno, Maloney and Co.
And, Jim, to me it’s remarkable how Troilo and Garr are taken apart by their respective towns after every game, as if they’d never won anything.