Peglegs’ Tough Season Continues With Blowout Loss

“The whole Bayside game gave us some optimism for our Beach Channel game. We never gave up and really came together as a unit.” —Perry Wang, senior and captain

When a team starts a season with four consecutive losses, optimism can be hard to come by. However, for senior running back and captain of the Stuyvesant Peglegs varsity football team Perry Wang, there was still an upside to the team’s 55-12 loss to Bayside High School.

Though the Peglegs struggled, Wang is sure that they remained mentally tough. “The whole Bayside game gave us some optimism for our Beach Channel game. We never gave up and really came together as a unit,” he said.

As improbable as this may seem, considering that the blowout loss dropped the Peglegs to a 0-4 start for a second consecutive season, the team’s performance actually reflected Wang’s sentiment: They improved as the game progressed.

After being outscored 35-0 in the first half—the third time this season that the Peglegs have been shut out in the first two quarters—the team fought back, adding two passing touchdowns and holding Bayside scoreless in the third quarter.

Furthermore, the Peglegs stayed true to their strength, which, according to Wang, is their passing game. Aside from an interception, senior quarterback Rigneyla Rigneyla was spectacular, completing 10 of 13 passes for two touchdowns as Stuyvesant outgained Bayside in the passing game with 175 yards to Bayside’s 102.

With the following week’s opponent, Beach Channel Educational Campus, having posted a high of just 63 yards through the first four games, Rigneyla’s aerial prowess had the potential to pose a serious advantage. This game, on October 8, resulted in another Peglegs loss, but proved that Wang’s confidence was not unfounded. They only lost by 10 points, the narrowest of any game thus far this season.

They have also showed a significant defensive improvement. After giving up 127 total points over the previous three weeks, the Peglegs held Beach Channel to just 16 and shut them out through three of the four quarters. This is especially impressive considering that Rigneyla threw two interceptions in this game, meaning that Beach Channel started their drives with good field position on multiple occasions.

Of course, the Peglegs had their fair share of struggles, too. For one, Rigneyla was not as sharp as he had normally been. Completing just seven of 25 passes for just 75 yards, a touchdown, and the two interceptions, it marked the first time this season that Rigneyla turned the ball over twice and also failed to complete even half of his passes.

Additionally, Rigneyla’s completion percentage in this game (28 percent) was his lowest of the first five games. This is not to put all the blame on the quarterback, though: the Peglegs came up short in many other areas. For example, though Stuyvesant contained Beach Channel’s passing game well, giving up just four completions for 38 yards, the Peglegs were not nearly as dominant against the run. Both of the touchdowns that Beach Channel scored came on the ground, and the Peglegs gave up over 100 rushing yards for the fifth consecutive game.

This speaks to their lack of size in the defensive line, something that Wang described as being one of Stuyvesant’s weaknesses before the season. “We might not physically match up against every team,” he said.

This is not to say that Peglegs have regressed defensively. In fact, many of the team’s defensive newcomers—namely Joshel Xiedeng, Ian Sulley, and Daniel Chernov—are playing well. Against Beach Channel, these three defensive linemen combined for a total of 10 tackles, two tackles for a loss, and a sack, with Wang himself also adding a sack of his own from the linebacker position.

However, it just isn’t enough against teams with larger offensive linemen. This was the case last season too when the Peglegs gave up 196 rushing yards to a more sizeable George Washington team en route to a 36-20 loss, and it was likely also the case against Beach Channel.

The Peglegs’ most recent game, however—aptly played on Friday, October 13—featured far fewer potential positive takeaways from a glance. In a 54-14 loss to Eagle Academy, Stuyvesant’s play was diametrically opposed to what one would have expected after the stout defensive performance against Beach Channel.

Though the Peglegs again demonstrated an ability to finish strong, scoring the entirety of their 14 points in the second half, it was a dismal game overall, particularly on defense. They were dominated in the run game, giving up 358 rushing yards, including 235 on 13 carries by Eagle Academy’s Gary Newman. On top of that, the Peglegs gave up their highest passing total of the season, 85 yards.

There does not seem to be just one thing for the Peglegs to do in order to turn their season around. Rather, it will take improvements in all facets of their game for them to get a win in their remaining games. However, in a division as difficult as theirs, if they keep the positive attitude Wang and others have shown thus far, the future looks good for the team.