Iron Horses trample the Bishops, 58-10, in crosstown showdown

K.J. Asbury became the first Philip Simmons High School football player to top 1,000 yards rushing in a season with another big effort Sept. 22 in a 58-10 victory over Bishop England.

 

Asbury had his typical effort with 15 carries for 208 yards and three touchdowns against the Bishops, including a 60-yard run to pay dirt. The 5-11, 200-pound senior now has 1,062 yards rushing on only 84 carries in six games, and has a robust 12.6 yards per carry average to go along with 15 touchdowns.

 

Asbury might be the first Iron Horse to reach the milestone, but he won’t be the last. Philip Simmons’ other talented running back, Sharod Williams, is also closing in on 1,000 yards this season.

 

Williams, 5-11, 193-pound senior, carried a dozen times against the Bishops and tallied 140 yards and two scores. He now has 833 yards and 14 touchdowns on only 57 carries.

 

“It’s been fun to watch them,” Philip Simmons coach Eric Bendig said. “Sometimes, you catch yourself in awe a little bit. I watched the guys put in the work, and I’ve seen the results of that hard work. It’s special because you don’t have something like this happen every year.”

 

The victory, before an enthusiastic homecoming crowd at The Phil, pushed the Iron Horses’ record to 6-0. Bishop England fell to 0-4. The Bishops, who scored 31 points in a season-opening loss to Porter-Gaud, did manage to score their first touchdown in three games. Bishop England’s touchdown came on a pass from William

Donato to Conner Layne that covered 40 yards. Julien Mazzarulli kicked a 20-yard field goal.

 

It was the same storyline for the Iron Horses, who set a record with six consecutive victories to begin the season. They ran inside, outside and at will against a gritty BE defense. The Iron Horses finished the night with 40 rushing attempts for 445 yards and six touchdowns. They have rushed for 2,186 yards as a team and are on

pace for 3,643 rushing yards for the regular season.

 

Philip Simmons, coming off a successful four-game road trip, settled the issue early with a 23-point first quarter, and expanded the lead to 29-10 at halftime.

 

Tavien Orellana and Max Stafford had limited passing attempts against the Bishops. Orellana was 5 for 8 for 59 yards and Stafford completed both of his attempts for 22 yards.

 

Philip Simmons, which has scored at least 40 points in five of its six games, will face the biggest challenge of the season. They open Region 8-AAA play Sept. 29 with a home game against Beaufort. Beaufort won the Class AAA state championship last season, and finished as state runners-up in 2021.

 

“Obviously Beaufort is a big, talented team,” Bendig said. “They play really hard, and they play really fast. This is one of the bigger games in our program’s history, and it’s a chance to see where we stack up against the best teams in the state.”

 

The Bishops, who have lost 13 of their last 15 games dating back to last season, will travel to Timberland Sept. 29 to begin Region 7-AA play. The Wolves are 1-5 this fall.