Recap: South St. Paul’s first offensive drive against Simley spanned 14 plays and slowly but surely edged the ball toward the end zone for a one-yard rushing touchdown by quarterback Dan Pietruszewski. The Packers dominated time of possession from there to advance to the Class 4A state tournament. Pietruszewski, a senior, and senior running back Anthony Perez ran with power throughout the game. Perez routinely broke tackles to get past Simley’s defensive front, including a 27-yard rush. Pietruszewski also fought for extra yardage, scored three one-yard touchdowns and passed for another score.

Key of the game: Simley’s offense couldn’t get going. The Spartans scored off of a 41-yard pass from senior quarterback Michael Busch to junior wide receiver Joel Woja, but struggled to put drives together. Busch threw an interception at the end of the first quarter and senior wide receiver Cody Albright fumbled to give South St. Paul favorable field position.

Quote: “We wanted to run as much as we could. … [Time of possession] was very important.” — South St. Paul running back Anthony Perez

One thing to know: Simley’s defense didn’t give up big plays. The Spartans were outclassed at South St. Paul but did a good job of limiting the Packers’ offense largely to short yard gains.

JACK SATZINGER

South St. Paul’s first offensive drive against Simley spanned 14 plays and slowly but surely edged the ball toward the end zone for a one-yard rushing touchdown Dan Pietruszewski. The Packers dominated time of possession from there to win 27-7 and advance to the Class 4A state tournament. 

Running back Anthony Perez and quarterback Pietruszewski ran with power all afternoon. Pietruszewski embraced contact as a runner and routinely fought for extra yardage. Perez also broke tackles to get past Simley’s defensive front, netting a 27-yard rush in the process. The senior duo combined for four touchdowns in the victory. 

Simley's offense struggled to produce. Save for a 41-yard touchdown pass from Michael Busch to Joel Woja, the Spartans showed little life offensively.

Check back later for more on the game.