By Anthony Bosco
The Bayside Commodores scored a big win Sunday morning, sinking the Beach Channel Dolphins, 32-7, and putting the team right back in the thick of the PSAL varsity football playoff race.
Head coach Joe Capuana’s troops were dominant from the outset, scoring on the very first drive, an eight-play, 70-yard march downfield capped by an 11-yard touchdown scamper by running back Drew Williams, which put Bayside up 6-0.
“We did everything today,” Capuana said of his team’s performance at Beach Channel High School. “It was a very important win. We’re in a situation where we need every win and every power point you can get right now.”
Two drives later, after Kenny Johnson and Bashkim Blaku recorded a sack on third-and-8, pinning Beach Channel inside the Dolphin 12, Bayside got the ball back at midfield and went right to work
A 10-yard run by Unique Stowe Youman and a five-yard pickup by Williams set up a 35-yard run by Youman for the score. Quarterback Zanu Simpson ran in the two-point conversion to put Bayside up 14-0.
Another short Beach Channel drive and subsequent punt gave the ball back to the Commodores at the Dolphins’ 40. A 20-yard run by Youman followed by an eight-yard jaunt by Williams, who had 84 yards on the day, set up Simpson’s 12-yard scoring strike to Jarrett Perry. The extra point failed and Bayside took a 20-0 lead into the locker rooms at halftime.
Beach Channel got on the board with the first drive of the second half on a one-yard touchdown run by Paul Washington. The subsequent extra point made the score 20-7 and the time-consuming drive left just 3:00 in the third quarter.
Youman, however, helped Bayside regain the momentum on the next series, running the ball 35 yards on the first play from scrimmage to the Dolphins’ 20-yard line. A pass from Simpson to Youman moved the ball to the seven, followed by a seven-yard run by the freshman who finished with 152 yards, for the touchdown, making the score 26-6.
The final score came late in the fourth after a Richie Richards interception put the ball at the Beach Channel 25. Three plays later Richard scored on an 18-yard sweep.
“We knew they would be a tough opponent,” Capuana said of Beach Channel. “Coming off the Tottenville game our main concern was turnovers and execution. We did a great job. We had no turnovers at all this week and our running game continues to be strong. As long as we’re running the ball successfully I think we have a chance to beat anybody.
“And defensively I thought we played very well,” the coach added. “We’re a team that can really improve week to week. I think we have a chance to be an excellent team by the end of the season.”
Bayside improved to 3-3 overall, 3-2 in PSAL action, while Beach Channel fell to 3-3, 3-2 in league play.
The Commodores will take on Lehman Saturday at 12:30 p.m. at Jamaica High School.
John F. Kennedy 36, Long Island City 14. Ronnie Rodriguez ran for three touchdowns to lead JFK (4-1 PSAL), while Ronald Whittingham scored both touchdowns for LIC (3-2 PSAL), who will be without tackle Anthony Russell for this week’s game against Springfield. Russell was ejected following an altercation with JFK’s James Toler late in the fourth quarter.
Campus Magnet 13, James Madison 6. Ansel Wallace broke a scoreless tie by returning an interception for an 80-yard touchdown in the second quarter. Eugene Liddie recovered a fumble for a two-yard score for Campus Magnet (4-1 PSAL), which won its fourth straight. The Bulldogs are at Midwood Saturday at 1:30 p.m.
Far Rockaway 24, Bryant 14. Mike Toney racked up 214 yards on 27 carries and scored three touchdowns, highlighted by a four-yard run that gave Far Rock (4-1 PSAL) a 16-14 lead in the third quarter. Marlon Rodriguez connected with Chris Howard on a two-point conversion following a two-yard TD run by Toney in the fourth quarter. Bryant falls to 1-4 in the PSAL.
— Dylan Butler contributed to this story
Reach Sports Editor Anthony Bosco by e-mail at TimesLedger@aol.com or call 229-0300, Ext. 130.
