Sports

PSAL football Cup Division roundup: Automotive remains undefeated

With an undefeated record and playoff spot all but sewn up, Haseeb Khawaja took the time to remember a rather poignant moment in the evolution of his still-burgeoning program at Automotive.

Last year the Pistons has just completed a 6-3 season with a shellacking of Lafayette. The bus trip back to school was positive, since the two seasons before that – Automotive’s first two with a varsity program – it had won a grand total of two games. But it wasn’t a content feeling, either.

“We were proud of our record,” Khawaja, the fourth-year coach, recalled, “but nobody on that bus was satisfied with finishing one game out of the playoffs.”

This year, it shows.

Automotive moved to 9-0 with a dominant 44-0 victory over Lane on Saturday, the fifth time the explosive offense had topped the 40-point barrier. Maurice Edwards tossed two touchdown passes to Zorey Lewis, Donald Kelley ran for 116 yards and a score, David Genis had two sacks and Dwayne Cadet returned an interception for a touchdown.

Khawaja credited the program’s surge to the mix of veterans and newcomers. He singled out the play of his five seniors captains – Edwards, halfback/safety James Clark, two-way linemen Harrison Fontenelle and Jason Moquete and Genis, a center/linebacker. There have also been plenty of contributions from a number of youngsters up from a JV program that has won 22 of its last 23 games, including linebacker Malik Robinson and running back Barry Montgomery.

“They don’t know what it’s like to lose by the time they get to varsity,” Khawaja joked.

In all seriousness, Khawaja said the stability in coaches all on the same page has made an impact. Plus, when the program began, Automotive was full of tough, hard-nosed players, but not kids with football experience.

“In all honesty, we’re right where we thought we would be,” Khawaja said. “Not so much an undefeated record, but definitely one of the four playoff teams.”

South Bronx 48, Adlai Stevenson 6: Michael Walker threw for 145 yards and two touchdowns to Luiz Sanchez and one to Michael Drake Jr. for South Bronx (9-0). Drake also ran for 85 yards and a score, and Andrae Simpson and Eduardo Dickson also found pay dirt for the Phoenix, who racked up 387 yards of total offense. Stevenson is 3-6 and has lost two in a row.

McKee/Staten Island Tech 36, Lafayette 22: Manny Johnson ran for 119 yards and three touchdown runs and Michael Hernandez returned an interception 18 yards to the house for MSIT (6-3).

Ronnie Scott had an 81-yard kickoff return for a touchdown for Lafayette (2-7) and Jahleel Fenelon scored on a 75 yards dash and threw an eight-yard touchdown pass to Sean Murray.

Info Tech 14, Petrides 6: Chris Bohan completed 4-of-6 passes for 144 yards and ran for a touchdown and Chris Change also scored on the ground for Info Tech (7-2). Gideon Taylor had a game-high 14 tackles, three for loss, for the Blackhawks, who have won three in a row. Petrides is 6-3, and would make the four-team Cup Division playoffs if the season ended today.

William Bryant 25, Stuyvesant 9: Mohammed Azam ran for 78 yards on 10 carries and two touchdowns and Justin Pollizi ran for 205 yards and a score for Bryant (5-4). Vasilios Qirollari also had a rushing touchdown and Adel Neljkovic had 17 tackles. Michael Bucuato ran for 88 yards and a touchdown for Stuyvesant (2-7).

OTHER SCORES

Far Rockaway 14, Alfred E. Smith 12

George Washington 30, Evander Childs 16

zbraziller@nypost.com