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The Harrison freshman, who attended Rye through eighth grade, registered four sacks. And when he was not sacking Livingston, Pyne was pressuring him and forcing him out of a comfort zone as the Huskies defeated the Garnets, 21-0, in the 82nd meeting.
Pyne spearheaded a Harrison defense that sacked Livingston six times, forced him to fumble, and intercepted him twice by Cory Calcagni and Christian Santa Maria. Livingston completed just five of 24 passes for 73 yards.
“It was very strange,” said the 5-foot-9, 180-pound Pyne. “I used to hang out with Andrew (Livingston), Tim (DeGraw) and Drew (Abate), and they were all very nice to me.”
Even though Pyne now plays for Harrison, he has remained friends with these three players. However, Pyne had to put their friendship aside, just for one day.
Playing on the left side, Pyne was consistently in Livingston’s face, using his speed to evade Rye’s right tackle. Pyne registered his first sack in the final minute of the opening quarter. He would share a sack with Thomas Lovinger on Rye’s ensuing series and add his second of the game in the Garnets’ final possession of the first half.
“It feels great and unbelievable to come to Rye’s field and to beat them, 21-0,” Pyne said.
Michael Amicucci, who scored two touchdowns and starts at cornerback, knew Pyne was psyched to play against Rye.
“He was unbelievable,” Amicucci said. “I think he wanted to make a statement today.”
Pyne credited Harrison head coach Artie Troilo Jr. and defensive coordinator Steve Williams with making the right calls. And Pyne said it was a total defensive team effort.
Last year, Pyne witnessed a Rye victory. He made a huge impact in his first Harrison-Rye game as a Husky and it’s something he won’t forget.
“Coach Troilo always says that you will always remember your first Rye-Harrison game and your last,” Pyne said.
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