The coronavirus pandemic may have forced a cancelation of the 2020 installment of the annual football game between longtime foes Harrison and Rye, but the pageantry of the rivalry was still on display this past weekend. On Oct. 17—the day which would have served as the 93rd meeting between the two schools—members of both communities took the field at Rye High School to honor the legacy of Christopher Mello, a former Garnet standout who died in the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
Since 2002, two senior football players—one from each school—have been given the Christopher Daniel Mello Scholarship Award in a pregame ceremony. This year’s recipients were Rye quarterback Jack Griffiths and Harrison lineman TJ Ciafone, two players who best embodied the spirit and character that Mello exuded in life.
Although high-risk fall sports have been shifted to March, both Ciafone and Griffiths welcomed the chance to don their football uniforms on Saturday and line up at the 50-yard line to celebrate Mello’s life.
“It’s such an honor because Chris Mello meant so much to everyone,” Griffiths said. “Even though it’s weird with no football, it’s great to be on this new field with our Harrison opponents, it’s great to hear the voice of our announcer Steve Feeney, and it definitely has us looking forward to our season this spring.”
“It’s such an honor, because Chris Mello was such a great guy and his characteristics live on through this award,” Ciafone added. “Everyone who gets it deserves it, and it just means that Chris’ legacy is living on.”
According to Doug Mello, Christopher’s father, the annual award has not only helped to honor his sons’ memory, it has also served to help bring the two communities together each fall. Mello cites some examples of unpleasantness in the history of the longstanding rivalry and believes that the award has helped to bridge some of the divides between the two towns.
“When I started out years ago, one of the things I wanted to do was keep Chris’ memory alive, but the other thing I wanted to do was to have the two communities stop some of the insane behavior,” he said. “And I think we’ve done that, and one of the testimonies to that is the relationship I’ve been able to build with the police in both communities.”
As for this year’s recipients, Mello lauded the decisions made by the coaches and athletic directors and believes that both Ciafone and Griffiths are worthy standard-bearers for the annual award.
“I miss Chris today as much as I did 18-and-a-half years ago; that doesn’t go away,” Mello said. “But I see these kids, and it’s like he’s walking; he’s right here.”
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