Coach Brian Sacks, in his second year leading the Stuyvesant Peglegs, the boys’ football team, got drenched with water well after the brief, yet heavy rain stopped prior to the varsity Peglegs’ homecoming game on Friday, September 28.
The team doused Sacks with water after it won, 30-8, against Alfred E. Smith High School. “It feels great. I’m nice and wet,” said Sacks.
Their second consecutive victory improved the Peglegs’ record to 2-2. The varsity team’s win also came on the heels of a 14-0 win by the junior varsity Peglegs against Smith.
The Peglegs gave the students, parents and alumni packed in the bleachers at Pier 40 something to cheer for. The defense kept Smith from scoring more than a touchdown and a conversion while the Peglegs recovered two fumbles, and forced two safeties and two interceptions.
The Peglegs came into this homecoming game with doubts about their offense after past performances.
Both sides played the first half sloppily. Several bad punt snaps by Smith helped the Peglegs gain excellent field position in opponent territory. Junior and Pegleg line backer Michael Oh helped Stuyvesant get on the scoreboard after he sacked Smith senior and quarterback Luis Garcia in the end zone to force a safety, giving the Peglegs a 2-0 lead.
However, the Peglegs’ offense was unable to take advantage of numerous opportunities in the red zone and Stuyvesant had only a 4-0 lead midway through the second quarter.
Things started to look grim when the kicking teams failed to catch the safety punt and Smith senior and running back Shamar Wright broke free with the ball. Wright then ran down the field to score the touchdown. Following the conversion, Smith had an 8-4 lead.
The Peglegs answered when senior and quarterback Shafi Alam passed to senior and wide receiver Dmitriy Timerman for a 59-yard pass to Smith’s one-yard line. After being sacked on the first down play, Alam threw a short touchdown pass to Pegleg junior and wide receiver Nick Goldin. The extra point helped the Peglegs regain the lead, with the score 11-8 at halftime.
The Stuyvesant offense improved right from the start of the second half when Peglegs senior and running back Amos Dai led the rushing attack on each Peglegs drive. Timerman caught two touchdowns passes and senior, captain and runningback James Morrissey ran an additional touchdown from inside the ten-yard line.
“We feed off of our defense because sometimes we have some trouble starting off with some butterflies. But our defense really helps us settle down,” Alam said.
Meanwhile, the Peglegs prevented Smith from gaining a first down in the second half and Goldin made his second interception at the end of the game to preserve the 30-8 victory.
The victory is the Peglegs’ first at Pier 40, their new home. Their first game against John Adams High School on September 7 resulted in a 22-8 loss. Last year, the team played home games at Brooklyn Technical High School’s field.
“Playing at Brooklyn Tech was nice, but there’s nothing really like this,” Goldin said.
The fans played an important role in the Peglegs’ homecoming win, according to Alam. “People came out [for] homecoming [and] supported us,” said Alam. “We really get a boost whenever they come, so we want more people to come to our games.”
Despite an improved offense, Sacks praised the Peglegs’ defense, which he said was the “cornerstone” of their performance. “We saw a couple of holes in their defense and took advantage,” said Sacks. “A couple of guys got their hands on the ball and that’s what we needed.”
The Peglegs still have six games to play in their season before they meet their goal: making the playoffs.