There was a driving rain, which then turned to snow. The wind was whipping furiously. Putting the ball in the air wasn’t going to be an option. And that was just fine for Beach Channel.
Victor Nazario, the Dolphins coach, dropped his typical game plan, put star sophomore Diequan Underwood in the backfield and what followed was an epic performance in a 36-20 win over host Bayside in the PSAL Bowl division football Saturday. Underwood finished with 314 yards on 19 carries, his most of the season, with four touchdowns.
“Everybody rallied around the kid,” Nazario said. “They were just like, ‘Let’s ride Diequan to victory.’”
And it was a huge one for Beach Channel (5-3) against previously undefeated Bayside (7-1). Favored to win the Bowl title in the preseason, the Dolphins were reeling not too long ago, following a forfeit against Madison due to an ineligible player. They ended up losing their next two games and even after a win last week versus Long Island City, they were in seventh place in the Bowl – one spot out of the playoffs if the season ended before Saturday.
“Today’s win was really big for us, needless to say,” Nazario said. “This team is gonna be tough to beat in the playoffs. They’re been through a lot of adversity.”
Underwood ended up with the eye-popping numbers, but Nazario said the offensive line needs to share some of the credit. The star ran behind right tackle Calvin Stanley and right guard Ibraheem Wynne all afternoon. Center Kajeen Lucas also did a good job not putting the ball on the ground despite the conditions.
“They said just run Diequan to our side,” Nazario said. “They’re telling me what to do, I’m certainly gonna test it.”
Staney and Jamel Robinson also stood out at inside linebacker and Wynne was a force at defensive tackle. Bayside scored all 20 of its points in the first quarter and did not reach the end zone again.
Meanwhile, Beach Channel was also aided in the standings by Jamaica’s upset of August Martin. If the Dolphins can beat Springfield Gardens next week, they should reach the postseason.
“We had three hurdles after that loss,” Nazario said. “We beat LIC last week, we cleared this one, now we just gotta close out the season strong and we should be good.”
Tilden 18, Lafayette 6: Quarterback Shawn Brathwaite ran for 76 yards on five carries with a 30-yard touchdown and also had an interception on defense to lead Tilden (7-1), which hosts Automotive next week. Farid Adenuga had 81 yards on nine carries with a 35-yard touchdown. Kendall Clarke had nine tackles, three sacks, two blocked punts and two forced fumbles and Marcus Monfiston added five tackles, a sack and returned a fumble for a score. Lafayette (5-3) heads to Madison in Week 9.
James Madison 20, George Washington 8: Dennis Shpigel had 67 yards on six carries with a touchdown and Corey Woods rushed for 62 yards and a touchdown on six carries for Madison (7-1), which hosts Lafayette next week. GW (2-6) hosts Mott Haven in Week 9.
Grady 20, Automotive 0: Ruben Joseph ran for 132 yards and three touchdowns on 11 carries to lead Grady (6-2), which hosts Columbus in Week 9. Dave Antoine and Steve Britto both recovered fumbles. Automotive (0-8) heads to Tilden next week looking for its first win.
CUP DIVISION
South Shore 14, Petrides 0: Dupreme Robinson ran for 100 yards, a touchdown, two-point conversions and had 15 tackles, four for losses, Rayon Jeffrey threw a TD pass to Jhamel Cohen and Alex Candio added 10 tackles for South Shore. The Vikings have won four in a row and host Lane in Week 9. Star running back Joe Henry was held to 63 yards on 24 carries for Petrides (5-2), which takes on undefeated defending Cup division champion McKee/Staten Island Tech next Sunday at 12:30 p.m.
McKee/Staten Island Tech 14, Evander Childs 0: Manny Johnson had a 12-yard touchdown run and Thomas Ferranola added a 5-yard scoring dash for undefeated MSIT (7-0), which visits Staten Island rival Petrides next Sunday at 12:30 p.m. Evander Childs (2-5) faces Smith Friday at 4:30 p.m.
Smith 36, Adlai Stevenson 8: Diamonte Corley ran for two touchdowns and had a fumble recovery for a score, James Goff also scored on the ground, Kevin Gonzalez converted a pair of two-point conversions and Juan Degout returned a botched snap on a punt 15 yards to the house for Smith (7-1), which visits Evander Childs Friday at 4:30 p.m. Stevenson (0-7) takes on KIPP NYC College Prep in Week 9.
Lane 26, Info Tech 12: Rashaun Donald ran for 140 yards and a touchdown, Dymeen Hammond also scored on the ground, Keith Rodriguez caught a scoring strike, Allnear Rosario had seven tackles and five sacks and Dante Stone added three sacks and an interception for Lane. The Knights (5-2) meet South Shore in Week 9. Andrew Suwuh had a pair of rushing scores for Info Tech (2-6), which hosts Stuyvesant next Sunday at noon.
Postponement: The Far Rockaway-KIPP NYC College Prep game was moved to Sunday at noon because of the inclement weather.
OTHER SCORES
Jamaica 12, August Martin 6, Overtime
Mott Haven 22, Columbus 0
Springfield Gardens 28, Long Island City 0