The defending champion picks up right where they left off

Brian Jerzak September 2, 2023 @ 12:02 AM

The Winona Winhawks took the opening kickoff and were on the move on the road at Simley. Near mid-field, an errant option pitch resulted in a fumble recovery by Spartans' linebacker Derrick Dohmen. The defending champions' offense would score a few plays later – behind junior running back [player_tooltip player_id='348728' first='Jerrod' last='Jones']' first of four touchdowns - and they never looked back. By the night's end, Simley would win their season and home opener in fine fashion – 37-6.   After the defense forced a punt, the Spartans' offense went back to work. They worked the ball into the red zone before running back Danny Martin caught a pass from quarterback Tim Pietsch and sprinted up-field for a fifteen-yard touchdown.   "Coach (Mensen) always says, 'the gas is on the right, we stay on the right and go down and score," Jones said.   The Spartans' offensive line dominated from the first possession. They opened holes for the running game all night and gave Pietsch a clean pocket. Pietsch took advantage of the time and got the ball to his explosive playmaker – Jones. After catching the short pass, Jones turned on the jets and sprinted down the sidelines and into the end zone for a 29-yard touchdown.   The Spartans continued to pour it on, coming out of the locker room for the second half. The Winhawks had no answer for the powerful Spartans' offensive line. Jones continued to find space to run, especially on the interior behind Theo Hepper, Charlie Bultman, and Justin Young-Guevara. He took a handoff up the middle, made one cut, and turned on the jets. The 5'3" – or so – running back blew by the defense and didn't stop until he was in the end zone with a 76-yard touchdown run.   "Those big boys – without them, nothing we did out there could happen," Jones said.   "They are big, strong, physical guys. We knew that was going to be a key to our offense," Mensen said. "We graduated four starters, so they were a bit of a question mark, but they played well. We still have some technique to shore up, but I am happy with the start."   The night for Winona was summarized nicely by the next play from scrimmage. The center snap sailed over the head of quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='1075819' first='Deion' last='Prolo']. The junior was able to pounce on the loose ball, preventing a defensive touchdown but giving the home Spartans a safety.   Neither team would get much offense going as the Spartans went away from Jones – until the Spartans' student section got impatient and started chanting, 'Jerrod, Jerrod, Jerrod.' I don't know if Mensen heard the calls to get the ball back to his star running back, but Jones' number was called again, and he would reward the student section with one more touchdown – his fourth of the game – this time from thirty yards out.   "Jarrod is a special player," Mensen said. "We saw it a little bit on JV last year. We knew what kind of a player he could be – it was just a matter of figuring out how to incorporate him into the offense. You give that guy a seam, and he can take it to the house."   Winona would score a late touchdown, but the Simley first-team defense would pitch a shutout and force four turnovers in the win.   "Our defense was flying around," Mensen said. "I loved how fast we played. We rallied to the football, but they did a great job of being disciplined as well."   "We rallied to the ball – that really helped us," Jones said about the defensive side of the ball.   Next week, the Spartans will try to keep their now seven-game winning streak going when they host Totino-Grace. Winona will try to rebound when they host Mound-Westonka.