Sep. 25—Traditionally, it has been South St. Paul breaking its opponent's spirit with long, physical drives that drain both time and energy to seal games late.
On Friday night, Simley returned the favor.
Leading 20-14 early in the fourth quarter, the Spartans took over in their own territory after the Packers turned the ball over on downs.
Simley's offense — which usually featured a heavy dose of passes — proceeded to largely keep the ball on the ground, feeding Gavin Nelson and Landon DuVal with one carry after another. DuVal ended the drive with a 9-yard rushing score — his second of the game — to put Simley up two scores with 4 minutes, 41 seconds to play, all-but sealing the Spartans' 26-14 homecoming victory over their South Metro rivals.