South St. Paul quarterback Dan Pietruszewski had five touchdowns -- three rushing and two passing -- and the Packers’ defense shut down Simley on Friday in a 38-6 rout. 

“It’s easy when you have a line like this and running backs that can back you up,” Pietruszewski said. 

The victory on the Spartans’ homecoming gave South St. Paul at least a share of the first-ever Metro East Conference championship. Both teams entered the game undefeated in conference play. 

Pietruszewski, a junior, had 83 yards rushing and 47 passing to lead the Packers’ offense. On defense, the Packers held Simley to 20 total yards in the first half and forced two turnovers in the game. Simley had just two first downs through three quarters of play. 

South St. Paul’s Trenton McCloud and Jaden Bjorklund made big plays on both sides of the ball. McCloud had an interception and Bjorklund recovered a fumble. 

“It’s a great defense,” said McCloud, a running back and defensive back. “We’re fast, we run to the ball, always find people and hit hard.”

South St. Paul can claim the conference title outright with a victory at Hill-Murray next week. 

Key of the game: South St. Paul went up 21-0 on a 1-yard touchdown run by Pietruszewski as the first half ended. 

 Quote: “We’re known for our running game. We’re blue-collar kids and we pound the ball.” -- South St. Paul quarterback Dan Pietruszewski

 One thing to know: South St. Paul use five ball carriers in first half.

PATRICK JOHNSON

South St. Paul quarterback Dan Pietruszewski had five touchdowns -- three rushing and two passing -- and the Packers’ defense shut down Simley in a 32-point rout.

The victory on the Spartans’ homecoming gave South St. Paul at least a share of the first-ever Metro East Conference championship. Both teams entered the game undefeated in the Metro East. 

Pietruszewski, a junior, had 83 yards rushing and 47 passing to lead the Packers’ offense, while the South St. Paul defense dominated on the other side of the ball. The Packers held Simley to just 20 total yards in the first half and forced two turnovers in the game. Simley had just two first downs through three quarters of play. 

South St. Paul can take the conference title outright with a victory at Hill-Murray next week. 

Check back later for more on the game.