5 months ago
If you watch him play on Saturdays, it's hard to believe the 6'2", 260-pound lineman Sergio Pengal grew up in South America playing another kind of football.
"Soccer was my first sport, and I still love soccer. It's my passion. When I moved here to Berkmar, I tried to be a kicker in high school, but I got bigger. I started lifting weights and they liked my speed, so they wanted me to come and play football," says Pengal.
Pengal was born in Amsterdam and later moved to Suriname, a Dutch colony in South America. It was there as a teenager that he decided to move to Georgia with family. But in the Valley, he considers himself just one of the guys.
Pengal says, "A lot of players on this team are from different parts of the United States. I just happen to be from a whole different continent."
The defensive end helps to anchor a Blue Death defense that is ranked number two overall in the SIAC, and head coach Don Pittman quickly credits Pengal as part of the reason.
"Sergio has been here for a while", says Pittman. "And he has been consistent all those years and continues to get better, plus he is a leader that all the players on defense look up to as a senior."
So when you see #91 in the blue and gold making big plays on the field, know the senior is glad he took a chance on being a Wildcat, and Fort Valley seems to be happy, too.
"I never would have thought I would be here at FVSU, but I had to take a risk to come down here and I actually enjoyed it and glad I made that decision," beams Pengal.
Pengal and the Wildcats are 3-2.
They hit the road this week to face Miles College on Saturday at 1 p.m.
