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 1-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 1-yard touchdowns and passed for another score.
Key of the game: Simley's offense couldn't get going. The Spartans scored on 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 limiting the Packers' offense largely to short-yardage gains.
JACK SATZINGER
