Sandwich runs for 416 yards in Class 4A playoff win over Ridgewood

SANDWICH – Ridgewood was mounting a comeback late in the fourth.

Up just eight points, Caleb Jones and Sandwich needed a stop badly.

From his outside linebacker spot, Jones broke on an out route toward the sideline. The ball deflected off the hands of the intended receiver and into the breadbasket of Jones.

From there, he was off to the races.

Jones took the interception 55 yards to the end zone to put the finishing touches on the game with his second pick-six of the season.

“Definitely right place, right time,” Jones said. “I was praying I didn’t drop it.”

Sandwich coach Kris Cassie had nothing but faith in his linebacker.

“He does a great job for us at that outside linebacker position,” Cassie said. “He’s an enforcer, he’s one of our leaders and a very emotional player. Just a tremendous football player.”

Sandwich (7-3) has been known for its prolific rushing attack. The Indians used it to their advantage en route to a 49-34 win over Ridgewood (6-4) in the first round of the Class 4A playoffs.

Led by Simieon Harris, the Indians ran for 416 total yards.

Harris rushed for a career-high 208 yards and three touchdowns.

“I’m happy about that,” Harris said after hearing his stats.

Harris set the pace in the first half, rushing for all three of his touchdowns. The first was an 11 yarder, the second was a 52 yarder and the third was a 37-yard touchdown.

“He’s just a special player,” Cassie said. “Flash is exactly that. You give him a little seam, and he’s gone.”

The offensive line was physical all night long, clearing the way for Harris and Nick Michalek, who rushed for 158 yards of his own.

“The way [the offensive line] has come together and gelled the last few weeks has been impressive,” Cassie said. “Give a lot of credit to coach [Dusty] Behringer and [Jeff] Bewley, who coach the offensive line.”

The dominating start on offensive gave the Indians a 19-7 lead at halftime. Sandwich kick returner Cole Leeper extended that lead by taking the opening kickoff of the second half 72 yards for a touchdown to make it a 26-7 game.

From there, Ridgewood started on the comeback trail. With senior quarterback Jaden Rodriguez leading the way, the Rebels scored on each of its first three possessions, not including a kickoff return for a touchdown by Daniel Lamas, to make it a 42-34 game after trailing by as many as 23.

“I give Ridgewood a ton of credit,” Cassie said. “They made a lot of plays at the end.”

Rodriguez finished the night 24 of 35 for 272 yards, four touchdowns and an interception. His favorite target was Majd Saleh, who had eight receptions for 99 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

After Harris’ dominating first half, Sandwich turned to Michalek in the second. He rushed for 86 of his 158 yards in the second half and scored two touchdowns.

“Nick’s been right there with [Harris] all year long,” Cassie said. “Just a heck of a player.”

The community braved the elements to see the Indians’ first playoff game since 2013, and its first home playoff game since 2012. Cassie and his players took notice.

“Our community has been very supportive,” Cassie said. “It means everything to us.”

Harris knows that a lot of people will overlook the Indians as an eight seed, but he knows that him and his teammates can make some real noise this postseason.

“If we clean up our mistakes, I feel like we’ve got a shot,” Harris said.

Some mistakes on special teams allowed the Rebels to stay in the game. The Indians allowed Ridgewood to recover an onside kick and return a squib kick for a touchdown. However, Cassie’s players persevered, and found themselves in position to win the game.

“Bottom line is, you win by one, you win by 20; in the playoffs, a win is a win,” Cassie said.

Sandwich’s playoff win continued the program’s immediate turnaround. After not having a varsity team last season, and going 0-9 the year prior, the Indians have found their way into the second round of the postseason.

“It means a lot,” Jones said. “We stuck with it last year. We pushed through, had a great season last year, and now we’re having a great season this year. If we fix some mistakes, I think we have a decent chance.”