Simeion Harris, Sandwich bring the smoke, run past Plano in 113th Rt. 34 rivalry game

PLANO – Fans at Plano’s Reaper Stadium were treated to an impressive fireworks display prior to the 113th Route 34 rivalry game with Sandwich on Friday.

Simeion Harris and Sandwich supplied their own smoke.

Harris’ 75-yard touchdown run highlighted a night in which the visiting Indians rolled up almost 400 rushing yards. Four different Sandwich backs rushed for touchdowns in a 41-16 win over Plano in the Kishwaukee River Conference game.

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“It feels great, my last year playing them too, it was amazing. Got bragging rights,” Harris said. “It’s my last time playing with this team, we worked hard for this moment, and we came out with the win.”

Harris rushed for 158 yards and the long TD on 12 carries, and junior Nick Michalek went for 148 yards on 13 carries with a 16-yard TD.

Sandwich (1-2, 1-0), a Class 4A quarterfinalist last season, had struggled out of the gate with losses to Manteno and Wilmington, surrendering a combined 94 points.

So beating Plano (1-2, 0-1) for the third straight time carried extra special weight.

“We looked at it that the adversity only makes us stronger, if we stick together, stick to our process,” Sandwich coach Kris Cassie said. “That’s what the guys did. We believed that we could get it done. Defensively, I thought we played pretty well as a whole. And then, offensively, it starts in the trenches.”

Harris, who rushed for over 1,400 yards as a junior, barely managed over 50 through Sandwich’s first two games. But he got on track in a big way Friday.

Harris’ 75-yard TD run with 4:48 left in the second quarter sent Sandwich into halftime ahead 20-10. Harris also had an interception defensively.

“Linemen did a great job today; I can’t give credit to myself, have to credit my line and Nick Michalek blocking for me,” Harris said. “I saw the opportunity and I took it. I had nothing but green grass on that run.”

Cassie said it was good to see Harris get on track. It was also big to get Quinton Rome back on the offensive line at right tackle, allowing Sandwich to move Peter Popp inside on the line.

“We had to get Sim going; the first two games they were keying in on him,” Cassie said. “He came out huge for us tonight – blocking, running, playing defense, everything he does for us.”

The smoke from the fireworks was still hanging in the air at kickoff, when Plano’s Amari Bryant electrified the home crowd with a 91-yard return for a TD.

Sandwich, however, came right back with a 12-play, 65-yard drive capped off by fullback Diego Gomez’s 2-yard TD run. Colby Byrd’s 24-yard field goal pushed Plano ahead 10-8, but Sandwich scored the next 27 points.

Capitalizing on a Dom Rome fumble recovery, Brady Behringer’s 11-yard QB keeper gave Sandwich the lead for good, 14-10, with 9:10 left in the second quarter.

“Great credit to what they were able to do up front; they have some very talented linemen,” Plano coach Kyle Tutt said. “They’ve been playing for a while, and you can tell. They have great continuity on their line and they definitely won the line of scrimmage tonight.”

Michalek’s 16-yard TD run on Sandwich’s first drive of the second half made it 28-10. Behringer later threw a 6-yard TD pass to Kai Pon and took in a 17-yard TD for Sandwich’s final score. Tim Young had a 5-yard TD run for Plano. Young rushed for 106 yards.

“First two games were tough games, very good teams we played, but we battled through and it only made us better,” Michalek said. “It really showed on the scoreboard tonight. All our guys can run, we have breakaway speed, and with our line it pretty much makes us unstoppable.”