An interception return for a touchdown, a punt return for a score, a touchdown reception – indeed, Austin Rinello reached the end zone in several different ways for Greenwich Country Day’s varsity football team during its season-opening game against Capital Prep Harbor on Friday.

Rinello, a junior wide receiver/defensive back/kick returner, achieved a rare feat, scoring on offense, defense and special teams for the Tigers, who made their first game on their new home field – Offit Field – one to remember.

Four touchdowns from Rinello, two touchdown passes from senior quarterback Jesse Ripka and an impressive defensive performance allowed Greenwich Country Day School to build a 34-point halftime lead on its way to recording a 40-30 win over visiting non-league foe Capital Prep Harbor in its season-opener.

The Tigers (1-0) entered halftime with a commanding 34-0 lead on the Sharks in the first-ever meeting between the two teams.

“It’s a credit to our players and our coaches for having a really fantastic preseason, a sense of urgency, a sense of purpose and a real mission about what we were trying to do,” Greenwich Country Day School head coach Kevin Avery said. “We took advantage of some really good, big plays. We played really efficiently on offense in the first half, we played lights out on defense in the first half. In the first half, we had great special teams play.”

A sign of things to come occurred on the game’s opening possession. Rinello, a defensive back on defense, intercepted the Capital Prep quarterback and returned the pickoff to the end zone for a touchdown, making it 6-0 just 54 seconds into the first quarter.

Capital Prep’s ensuing possession was halted courtesy of a tackle for a loss of three yards by GCDS junior defensive lineman Luca Corsano and a combined sack by junior linebacker Joe Citrin and senior defensive lineman Watner Murphy.

On the Tigers’ next possession, Ripka threw a 7-yard touchdown pass to senior tight end Cooper Edwards with just over eight minutes remaining in the opening quarter. Electing to go for two points, Ripka completed the two-point conversion pass to junior wideout Connor Crain, giving the home team a 14-0 advantage.

“Cooper Edwards was really big on that first drive, catching a couple of passes, breaking some tackles and then finishing with that score, which was great,” Avery said.

Key tackles by junior linebacker Dylan Kellan, Stephan Carre (junior linebacker) and sophomore linebacker Colin Mackey helped prevent the Sharks from getting going offensively on their third drive. Taking possession on their own 35-yard line, the Tigers promptly marched 65 yards in six plays to widen their advantage.

Ripka’s 16-yard scramble put the ball on the Sharks’ 17-yard line and the next play, the GCDS quarterback completed a 17-yard scoring strike over the middle to Rinello. Crain kicked the extra point and just like that, the Tigers held a 21-0 lead with 1:48 still left in the first quarter.

“There was a lot of energy from the crowd and it was good to come out and get a win,” said Ripka, who gave kudos to the squad’s offensive line.

“It will show up as a lot of Rinello, a lot of Edwards, a lot of skill guys, but at the end of the day, it starts up front,” Ripka noted. “Those guys were working hard. It doesn’t show up in the stats, but they should get all the credit. They did a great job.”

Senior running back Jake LeDonne escaped Capital Prep’s defense for a 15-yard touchdown run at the 7:29 mark of the second quarter, then Rinello ignited the special teams unit, returning a punt more than 50 yards for a score, putting the Tigers ahead, 34-0, with 5:04 to go in the second quarter.

“Austin was lights out,” Avery said. “He’s been dialed in since the spring time – unbelievable performances at 7-on-7s, great practice habits over summertime and into preseason. The kid is an absolute player, when the ball is in his hands, he’s incredibly talented and he has great instincts. He is really hard to get down to the ground, he’s incredibly shifty and he is an absolute gamer. Credit to him, he really got it rocking for us.”

Said Rinello: “It felt great, but it’s just a good team win to start the season. Last year we started off with a big win and it set us up on an upward trend for the rest of the year. So, it’s good to know that we are starting off with a big win, defending our new home field. I’m thankful we got out of here with a win against a good Capital Prep team.”

Capital Prep got going on offense in the second half, scoring all 30 of its points. GCDS substituted freely in the second half, beginnng the third quarter with its second team defense on the field. The Tigers’ first team defense and offense returned to action for a spell in the second half, which proved to be a learning experience for the squad’s first-season varsity players.

“In that second half, as we kind of got our into our twos and threes and we got our younger guys some run, I hope the younger guys appreciated that it was their moment in the second half,” Avery said. “Credit to Capital Prep, they kept playing, their coaches kept coaching them hard and they put a couple in and we had to come back with the ones to finish things out.”

Capital Prep’s QB scrambled for a touchdown run with 4:55 left in the third quarter and the visitors added a second scoring run later in the quarter, cutting the Tigers’ edge to 34-14. Returning to the field, Ripka connected with the elusive Rinello for a 53-yard touchdown pass, giving GCDS a 40-14 lead at the 9:46 mark of the fourth quarter.

“Our organization was good, everyone tried to execute,” Rinello said of the Tigers’ overall effort. “Everyone was trying their best to be their best selves. It’s on our starters to lead the team and I hope next week we come out stronger in the second half.”

Avery was pleased with the offense and the manner in which Ripka guided the unit.

“Jesse’s operation at the beginning of the game was very clean,” Avery noted. “It showed from the first couple of series, we were on schedule, we were getting the ball to our guys and we were making good reads in the run game and good decisions in the drop back game.”

“We were running the ball pretty efficiently and staying ahead of the sticks,” Avery continued. “The kid (Ripka) works incredibly hard not only in the mental edge of the game, but the physical edge of the game. He is adding a different element in terms of his ability to break tackles and get to the next level. He is the consummate field general and he operates the offense with incredible efficiency. You’re not going to get too much of a better performance than that from your starting quarterback.”

Capital Prep added two long scoring plays in the fourth quarter and converted a pair of two-point conversions, making it 40-30. Up next for GCDS is another home game, but this time against a league opponent. The Tigers will host New Hampton School on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. in a NEPSAC Evergreen League matchup.

“Next week, we are facing a tough opponent – New Hampton,” Ripka said. We’re excited to get them here, we’re excited to compete, it should be a good one.”

“We have an incredibly formidable matchup against New Hampton,” Avery noted. “They are a boarding school and they have a couple of post grads. They are really well coached, they’re really physical, they play good football. It’s our first league game, so we have all we can handle in a pretty short week.”

Said Edwards: “The first half, we came out we executed. Things went well, I think we got a little sluggish and we got a little too comfortable. But we have to persevere. Next week we have a tough league opponent, so we have to get ready in practice this week, leading up to next week.”

Defense was an area of strength for the Tigers, especially in the first half.

“Our defense played really well,” Edwards said. “A lot of new faces were playing and they really stepped up to the challenge. We were the more physical team, even though we might not be the biggest. We came out and showed that early with the pick six.”