Dion Earls ignites Simeon’s second-half rout

The Simeon sideline looked like they were in a state of shock when the first half against Young ended in a scoreless tie. However, the No. 19 Wolverines pulled things together in the second half and rolled to a 42-0 Red Bird victory on Friday at Rockne Stadium.

The Dolphins defense led by safety Christopher Everett — who had two of his three interceptions in the first half — was up to the task early in the game of keeping Simeon off the scoreboard. Everett also had eight tackles.

The second half was a different story as the Wolverines (7-1, 5-0) showed why they are a top rated team in the Public League. On the first play from scrimmage in the third quarter, running back Dion Earls Jr. went straight up the middle on a 61-yard touchdown run give Simeon a 7-0 lead over Young (0-8, 0-5). Earls found the end zone three more times, scoring on runs of 36, nine, and five yards. He finished with 13 carries for 241 yards and four touchdowns, with 211 yards coming in the second half.

The Simeon defense also woke up in the second half, starting with a 22-yard fumble recovery return for a touchdown by safety Anthony Sheko. The entire defensive backfield got in on the act as cornerback Jair Myric had two interceptions and Antonio Crosby and Josh Cole each had a pick.

Reserve quarterback Ralphe Gross finished off the scoring for the Wolverines with a 35-yard touchdown pass to Malik Holcomb.

Young coach Tim Franken said it was a tale of two halves. “It’s a four quarter game and we couldn’t compete with their athleticism in the second half,” said Fraken. “In the second half their line began to dominate and we made some turnovers. We had to play a perfect game to beat them.”

Simeon coach Dante Culbreath said he was pleased with the second half. “We came out flat,” Culbreath said. “We had a good talk at halftime and they responded.”

Earls gave most of the credit to the defense. “They held it down until we got our act together in the second half,” he said. “Our offense got going in the second half when the line took control.”