The first time Simley and North St. Paul met earlier this month, Jerrod Jones tallied 26 carries for 195 yards and two scores in a Spartans’ victory. In Saturday’s playoff rematch, the workload only increased. Jones carried the ball five times to account for all 44 yards of offense for Simley on the Spartan’s opening drive, which ended in a 13-yard rushing score for Jones. The senior tailback toted the rock 33 times in total Saturday for 162 yards and two scores as Simley beat the sixth-seeded Polars 41-20 in Inver Grove Heights in the Class 4A, Section 3 semifinals. “It felt good,” Jones said of the start. “I feel like I was on a little bit of a slump the last couple weeks. … Having a touchdown against a good team that stacked the box, it felt great.” Jones sidekick, junior Carter Bungue added 136 yards and three scores of his own on just seven carries, busting off a couple long runs in the second half. Spartans coach Chris Mensen noted the Simley offensive line — made up entirely of seniors — is healthy right now, and playing well. That group set the tone Saturday. “We know that we can definitely run the ball well,” Mensen said. “We try to spread it around as much as we can. When you have a guy like JJ and Carter in the backfield, it’s hard to not just turn around and hand it to them. They’re phenomenal athletes. Today, the o-line really had their stuff rolling. They had a little swag about them, they wanted to run the ball and, when that happens, you’ve got to feed the beast a little bit.” Second-seeded Simley (5-4) will travel to Maplewood to face the section’s top seed, Hill-Murray, on Friday for a trip to state. The Pioneers beat Chisago Lakes 35-14 in the other semifinal. North St. Paul’s talented offensive skill position players kept things interesting for much of the afternoon on Saturday. Quarterback Elijah Adzimahe was often running for his life but consistently made plays, even under heavy duress. He finished with two passing scores and another touchdown on the ground. His 27-yard scoring strike to Jayden Her pulled the Polars to within 14-12 in the third quarter. Adzimahe threw for 271 yards on Saturday, with his No. 1 target, John Jeanetta, recording eight catches for 177 yards and a score. But Adzimahe was also picked off four times, including twice by Simley defensive back Tre Lovelace. And, on the other end, Simley’s running game ultimately wore the Polars down. The Polars (4-6) reached Saturday’s bout via a section quarterfinal victory over Johnson, which represented North St. Paul’s first postseason win since 2015. The Polars’ four wins this season also represent their most in a single season since that state tournament run. In the eight years between that campaign and this one, North St. Paul won a grand total of six games. Mensen was highly complimentary of the Polars after the game, noting they’ll be a problem for opposing teams for years to come, with Polars coach Justin McDonald having pillars to build around such as Adzimahe and Jeanetta. Both stars are slated to return for their senior seasons next fall as the Polars look to continue to build. “It’s good that it’s turning in the right direction,” Jeanetta said. “It’s just stuff like this hurts because you put in so much work. It’s kind of disappointing. I love the group of guys I’m with. (The season) was amazing. It was amazing to finally see some recognition and just an uprise from North only getting one or two wins a year.” Simley fell 49-14 to Hill-Murray in mid-September, part of a 1-3 start to the season. But the Spartans have since won four of their past five games. “I feel like we’re a whole different team than we were when we started the year,” Mensen said. “We’ve had a couple guys that have come into their own, had a couple guys back that weren’t healthy. … We’re just playing a better level of football than what we did the first few weeks.” And now they have earned another shot at the defending section champ. “We’re out for vengeance right now,” Jones said. Related Articles High School Sports | High school football: Lakeville South avenges Week 1 loss to Wayzata in playoff opener High School Sports | High school football: Blaine beats Rosemount to advance in playoffs High School Sports | High school football: St. Michael-Albertville defense comes alive in 21-14 win against Stillwater High School Sports | High school football: Saturday’s section semifinal predictions High School Sports | High School Football: First-round predictions for Class 6A playoffs