Spartans Win in Spectacular Fashion

If you're a parent, player or fan of the Simley High School football program, it doesn't get much better than Friday night's 20-15 victory over Tartan. 

Playing smack-dab in the middle of Inver Grove Heights Days, the crowd was sizeable, the student section was raucous and the victory came courtesy of a 50-yard scramble from senior running back Jake Short in the dying minutes of the game. 

"For me, it was just another run," Short told Patch after the game. "I wasn't thinking about the fans, or the community, I was thinking about my brothers; my teammates ... I told them 'you guys do it for me and I'll do it for you'." 

After scoring in both of the first two quarters, the Spartans strode confidently into halftime leading 14-6.  

But the Titans wouldn't lay down. 

Emerging strong in the third quarter, Tartan scored a quick touchdown to open the half and followed with a field goal at the start of the fourth quarter. 

Nursing a 15-14 lead, a defensive battle ensued for much of the final quarter.

Short approached head coach Rex King with 2:20 to play. 

"I told my coach that the run (name of the play withheld) was there," Short said. "It was the same play I scored on in the first quarter and after we ran two pass plays, it was open again." 

King called Short's number with 1:45 left in the game.

After some contact at the line of scrimmage, Short spun off a lineman and outran two Titan linebackers before being pulled down at the 1-yard line. 

The Spartans punched in a touchdown on the following play to secure the 20-15 advantage. 

Tartan got the ball back with just over a minute to play and, despite two major penalties by Simley, failed to connect on a series downfield throws.  

According to head coach Rex King, Friday night's victory is indicative of a program that is really beginning to gel. 

"This is a different program from even last year," King said after the game. "Before every game I get 40 texts; I get facebook messages and emails from friends, former players and members of the community encouraging us to 'go get 'em'."