The Pelham HS team out of New York opened up their season Sunday with a 29-21 defeat of the Fairfield club team.

In a typical early-season clash - somewhat unrefined, but physical nonetheless - Pelham won thanks in part to tries from Luke Persanis, Kevin Ndou, Justin Johnson, Sam Louman, and North Westall. Scrumhalf and captain Persanis played well while JT Perez made the rare shift from lock to fyhalf with success. It was the positional kicking from Perez that helped pin Fairfield deep in their own end, especially in the second half.

Prop Alex Pasa set the tone up front, while Johnson, the team's outside center, was also effective. Both teams seemed rusty in the first half. The Fairfield Pegasi will face New Rochelle next week, while Pelham packs up for a trip to Florida where they will face Orlando and the Cape Pirates.