Update No. 11: FINAL SCORE: Rye 34, Hudson Falls 7. The Garnets are going to the Dome for the fifth time in six years, looking for a third state championship in four years. They will play Oneida Sunday afternoon, and Eck said he’ll be fine and he will play.

Update No. 10: With 1:29 to go, Hudson Falls has gotten into the end zone. Elite running back Joe McMurray, who was just stopped cold most of the day by Rye’s defense, finished a 69-yard drive with his 34th touchdown of the season. It’s 34-7.

Update No. 9: End of three quarters: Rye 34, Hudson Falls 0.

Update No. 8: No Eck, no problem. McCormack broke off a 53-yard run, and Ramahlo slammed in from the three. Rye’s lead is 34-0 with 7:42 to go in the third.

Update No. 7: Jack O’Callaghan is at quarterback for Rye. Don’t know the extent of Eck’s  injury, but this might just be precautionary and wise on Dino Garr’s part.

Update No. 6: This is what makes Rye so tough. Hudson Falls’ Matt Ali nearly broke the kickoff for a touchdown, but kicker Jack Kelleher made a one-on-one, last-chance open-field tackle at the Rye 42. Otherwise Ali’s gone. Rye plays every play like that, and its kids are so fundamentally sound. So it’s halftime, and Rye is up 27-0 and in complete control. The only downside is that QB Connor Eck missed the last few plays with what appears to be a twisted ankle.  

Update No. 5: With 12 seconds left in the half, Cole McCormack broke a fourth-and-one pitch for a 29-yard touchdown run. Rye is up 27-0 and it’s going to take a miracle to keep the Garnets from going to the Dome now.

Update No. 4: Rye is having its way with Hudson Falls, which doesn’t have a first down yet, and is now trailing 20-0 with 5:56 left in the half. Cole McCormack scored on a 26-yard run as Rye’s offense is steamrolling.

Update No. 3: Two plays into the second quarter, it’s 13-0, Rye. Connor Eck lofted a pass to tall Matt Foristel, who outreached the coverage in the end zone for a 13-yard TD catch. The PAT failed on a low snap.

Update No. 2: End of first quarter: Rye 7, Hudson Falls 0. The Garnets start the second quarter first and 10 at the Hudson Falls 16. Rye has absolutely shut down HF’s big-time running back Joe McMurray.

Update No. 1: The defending state champs are off to a strong start. Patrick O’Callaghan intercepted a Hudson Falls pass—with pressure coming from Donald Keough—and returned it to the Hudson Falls 11 Kyle Rahalho bulled it in from the one, and Jack Kelleher booted the PAT, so with 8:01 to go in the first, it’s 7-0 Garnets.

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Pregame: We’re a little more than 20 minutes from gametime, the sun is going down, and it’s brutally cold and windy at Dietz Stadium.

No team playing this weekend has more pressure on it than Rye, because the expections have become so high for the Garnets, who are shooting for a fifth trip to the Dome (and a third state championship) in the last six years.

We’re going to be here throughout the afternoon and night with the updates from the B and AA games. You can also watch the games by clicking here.