Peglegs Play Tough Against Fort Hamilton

By Ava Quarles

On Friday, November 10th, the Peglegs hosted the Fort Hamilton Tigers in what would be the final game of the 2023 season. They were determined to take the momentum from their dominent win against Christopher Columbus High School and give everything they had in their last game as a team to finish the season on a winning streak. It would also be the last home game for the seniors who had been through the most unimaginable four years of high school. Despite the coldest temperatures they had seen all fall, these Peglegs were hot and eager to show out.

After kicking off, Stuyvesant defense came out tough, and Fort Hamilton’s first drive ended with a 3-and-out and punt. The Peglegs’ moved quickly down the field on their first drive, but fumbled snap on a fourth-down attempt in the red zone and could not capitalize on the opportunity. Yet Stuyvesant was on a roll, and on the Tigers’ next drive a sack from junior linebacker Eli Lifton helped force another Fort Hamilton punt. Though the Tigers gained the ball back, junior safety Bodhi Sabongui intercepted a pass in the end zone and deftly ran the ball for 63 yards, all the way back into Fort Hamilton territory. However, in a Peglegs canon event, Stuyvesant threw an interception and the Tigers regained possession. This led to a long rushing touchdown for Fort Hamilton and a successful two-point conversion.The Tigers were on the board, 8-0, to close out the first half.

Only down one score at the half, the Peglegs maintained their fight going into the third quarter. Unfortunately, despite several dominant Stuyvesant plays, the second half didn’t show improvement scorewise. Sabongui and senior receiver Tobias Oyaniran connected on several occasions to move the Peglegs down the field, and Lifton recovered a fumble in the red zone to keep them moving. Yet the playoff-bound Tigers offense couldn’t be stopped, and ran in two more touchdowns in the fourth quarter with one successful two-point conversion. The Peglegs’ final game concluded as a 22-0 loss. Still, as in many Stuyvesant games this season, the scoreboard didn’t accurately reflect the full story of the game. In fact, the Peglegs’ energy was worthy of pride. Coach Fuchs said, “This truly was the proudest game. This was the first game of the season where these guys did everything we asked them to do. It showed on the field.” It may have been a disappointing ending in ways, but the Peglegs left everything on the field in this bittersweet ending to the 2023 season and last game for the graduating seniors.