Peglegs Come Back Late But Fall in OT

by Ava Quarles

Coming off of a brutal loss against Brooklyn Tech last Friday, the Varsity Stuyvesant Peglegs (0-2) were determined to come back this weekend, visiting the undefeated John Adams Spartans (2-0).

After days of heavy rainfall and flooding that caused the postponement of PSAL activity city-wide, Stuyvesant kicked off at noon on a cloudy Saturday. After electing to receive the opening kickoff, the Spartans caught the Peglegs by surprise and called a reverse on the first play of the game to put them into scoring position. The Spartans converted a fourth down and went on to score their first touchdown soon after, followed by a safety on the next possession, putting the Peglegs down 8-0 early. Still, Stuyvesant demonstrated several strong plays in the first half: Senior defensive end Tobias Oyaniran blocked a crucial pass on a fourth down attempt by the Spartans, and sophomore cornerback Eli Garcia intercepted a pass deep in Peglegs territory to stop another score and give the Peglegs the ball at the end of the second quarter. However, the Spartans’ stellar pass-rush defense forced a couple of picks on difficult throws by senior quarterback Eric Tang, preventing the Peglegs from advancing into the end zone before halftime.

At the half, Coach Ed said, “We’re playing soft. I need a little nastiness out there.” The Peglegs responded immediately and turned up the intensity. On the first drive of the second half, the offense converted a pivotal fourth down in the red zone to set up junior running back Bodhi Sabongui’s first rushing touchdown of his Peglegs career. After a missed two-point conversion, the Peglegs trailed 8-6 but the momentum had clearly shifted. After a defensive shutout for most of the second half, Stuyvesant allowed a late fourth-quarter touchdown which extended the Spartans lead to 14-6, but successfully prevented their two-point conversion to keep it a one-possession game. With less than two minutes left, the Peglegs needed to score a touchdown and complete a two-point conversion to tie the game. Their drive started strong, and then took off when Garcia took a jet sweep for 45 yards to put the Peglegs at the Spartans’ 35-yard line. On the very next play, Garcia caught a perfect over-the-shoulder pass from Tang to score a touchdown to reduce the deficit to 14-12. Tang then connected with Oyaniran for two more points, tying the game with less than a minute left to send the teams into overtime. It would be the second consecutive overtime game for the undefeated Spartans and the first one for the Peglegs in many years.

PSAL football overtime rules allow each team a chance to score from the opposing 20-yard-line. Stuyvesant had the ball first but couldn’t convert a fourth down and turned the ball over, allowing John Adams to run in a touchdown to end the game, 20-14.

Following this thrilling game, the Junior Varsity Peglegs looked to avenge their Varsity teammates and a loss to the JV Spartans last season. And they certainly did, putting on a show with a dominant 34-0 shutout. Several offensive highlight plays including a long touchdown run by sophomore running back Aiden Bailey led to a commanding victory. The defense forced multiple turnovers—three fumble recoveries and two interceptions—which led to a scoop & score from sophomore defensive end Issac Peng and a pick-six from sophomore captain James Boodhoo. First-year JV Head Coach Simerau said, “Overall I’m proud of the way this JV team approached their first road trip of the season from beginning to end. They stayed focused on the bus ride out to Queens, and were supportive of the Varsity squad in what was a tough up-and-down battle eventually ending in another tough loss. Due to the Varsity game going to OT, our guys were faced with some unexpected adversity in a quick transition between games and limited time to warm up. Despite being 1-0, they responded like a team with a chip on their shoulder due to the nature of last week’s game [a sloppy 2-0 victory against Brooklyn Tech]. Our staff emphasized getting off to a fast start, and they did just that, scoring 14 points in the opening quarter before taking a 21-0 lead at the half and completing the shutout with a 34-0 final score. It’s early in the season, and we have a lot to clean up, but this group has a strong foundation to build upon after the first 2 weeks”. Coach Ed added, “As coaches, it’s hard to mentally recover after a tough loss in the Varsity game, but we had to turn our attention to JV and they lifted our spirits. I’m very excited for the rest of the season and the future of the program.” These JV Peglegs now sit 2-0 for the first time in recent years and have still yet to give up any points.

Looking back, the Varsity Peglegs’ opening game this season was a last-second heartbreaker; Saturday at John Adams was yet another close loss. Many players stepped up and showed out on the rainy afternoon, but it ultimately wasn’t enough to overcome the undefeated Spartans. Still, the Peglegs are confident that their 0-3 record isn’t representative of their capabilities and that they will continue to improve each week. The team has many new players who are still learning the game, and some played in their first game against the Spartans this week. “Stay tuned,” said Sabongui. “I truly believe in the potential of these players and what this team will soon become.” Although their next game is a tough one, Friday night against 2-1 Harry S. Truman High School, the Peglegs look forward to another home game at Pier 40 with their fans to help push them to their first victory.