The offensive juggernaut that is South Shore showed just how explosive it could be in the Public School Athletic League Bowl title game.
The top-seeded Vikings scored three touchdowns in as many minutes in the second quarter to take control of the game. The outburst gave South Shore all the points it needed to put the exclamation point on an undefeated season by topping No. 2 McKee-Staten Island Tech 34–12 for its second-straight city title at Springfield Gardens high school on Sunday afternoon.
“I knew if we could get going it would be over,” said Vikings running back Dupreme Robinson. “It was just a great feeling. We just kept rolling, we knew we couldn’t stop.”
He scored twice to put South Shore (12–0) up 12–0 with 8:00 left in the first quarter. Robinson scored again in the second quarter by plowing over the safety from eight yards out to bring the South Shore lead to 18–0. On the ensuing kickoff, the Vikings’ Enoch Jemmott recovered a Seagulls fumble at midfield and Robinson immediately made the play. He scored his fourth touchdown of the game on a 49-yard burst around right end. The next possession by McKee-Staten Island Tech (10–2) resulted in another fumble recovered by South Shore. This time it was Equan Yunus exploiting a hole up the middle for a 35-yard touchdown to give South Shore a 34–0 lead.
“I think Dupreme scored the majority and just watching him run the ball today was incredible,” South Shore coach Matt Ciquera said. “This is the last game he played at South Shore and he’s been the main reason this program turned around.”
Robinson not only powered the offense but anchored a defense that was stingy all day, allowing only two second-half scores when the Vikings already had a comfortable lead. McKee-Staten Island Tech got a 15-yard scoring run by Terrence Ravenell and a 15-yard pass for a touchdown from Justin Tufaro to Arslan Awan.
“Defensive-line-wise, I felt we stuffed them, and not just this game but all year long,” Ciquera said.
South Shore felt slighted by the league at the beginning of the year by not being bumped up to the Champion division after winning the Bowl championship last year. The squad used that as motivation to work harder towards that goal this season.
“It was something to help us fight and work harder,” Robinson said. “That’s what the coaches put in our head and that’s what we did as a family and as a unit. It was up to the coaches and the players, and we just came and did what we had to do.”
