Tyrone Battle will be on the field for nearly every play this Saturday, starting at running back and safety for South Shore when the fifth-seeded Vikings face No. 1 Sheepshead Bay for the PSAL title.

“I wasn’t sure I would ever get to this point,” Battle said at a press conference yesterday in Long Island City. “It didn’t seem like I would a while ago. I thought I’d be gone.”

After his sophomore year and even last season at times, Battle had several disagreements with head coach Tommy Salvato. The problems became so frequent that Battle considered leaving the team and, at the time, Salvato didn’t necessarily think it was such a bad idea.

“He had a lot of issues,” said Salvato, who questioned Battle’s attitude and work ethic. “I didn’t want to lose him, because he’s a good football player and a good kid, but it gets to a point where sometimes that’s the best thing to do.”

Instead, Battle stuck around, enduring last season’s unsuccessful campaign. As a senior, he became a captain.

“I never thought that would happen,” said Salvato, who is in his 11th year as the coach at South Shore and is seeking to bring the program its first title since 1978. “But he’s grown up a lot and now he’s one of the most important people on the team.”

Battle is the Vikings’ leading rusher and a mainstay on defense, which is one of the best in the league. He doesn’t know where he will play college yet, but is relieved to have the option.

“If I quit this team, I probably would have stopped playing football,” said Battle, one of only five seniors on the roster.