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CRYSTAL LAKE – Prairie Ridge’s statistics are indicative of an offense that does not lean heavily on one player.
The Wolves hope they don’t lose junior Carter Evans for any length of time after he injured his left ankle late in the first half of a 51-6 victory over Grayslake North in Saturday afternoon’s first round of the Class 6A football playoffs. But they also believe they have plenty of options to keep their seven-game winning streak going.
"We've got a whole bunch of athletes on offense," said senior two-way lineman Riley Smith after Prairie Ridge rushed for 347 of its 362 total yards.
"We have so many weapons that are ready at all times," said sophomore Matt Fryer, who had two interceptions and a kickoff recovery to set up touchdowns. "As unfortunate as it is, if one person goes down, we have so many people that we can reload."
Evans rushed for a game-high 127 yards and three touchdowns on 15 carries and had a sack for a safety as the top-seeded Wolves (9-1) advanced to host No. 8 Simeon (8-1), a 34-3 winner over Lakes, in next weekend’s second round. But after he was tackled on a 30-yard run, Evans needed some assistance from teammates to get to the bench and watched the rest of the game on crutches with his shoe off.
"We don't know anything yet," Wolves coach Chris Schremp said. "We'll check in with the doctor and see what's going on.
"He was playing great. He was really coming off the ball hard today and punishing tacklers. He was doing everything you want a fullback to do, and he really set the tone early.
"We'll find out next week if he can play. If he can't, we have plenty of other guys who can shoulder the load."
After Evans left, Kyle Koelblinger ran for touchdowns of 8 and 38 yards as the Wolves built a 44-0 halftime lead. Taidhgin Trost ran for a 13-yard touchdown, sophomore Zach Bentsen had eight second-half carries for 56 yards, and quarterback Connor Lydon (four carries, 66 yards) threw a 4-yard touchdown to Ryan Goudschaal.
PICK TWO
Fryer had two interceptions in a game for the first time. On the first play of the game, Fryer returned receiver Tony Hines' option pass 31 yards.
"We talked about it the night before, that we were expecting them to come out with something and get some momentum," Fryer said. "That was in the back of my mind going into it, and I read the play and stayed on top of it."
The 16th-seeded Knights (5-5) had 11 of their 145 total yards through three quarters.
"When you're the 16 seed going against the one seed, you have to pull out all the stops," Knights coach Sam Baker said. "They're (9-1), and they beat Cary-Grove, 42-7, for a reason. They're going to go a long way."
SLOPPY TRACK SUITS WOLVES
Thursday's snowstorm produced field conditions that were ideal for Smith and linemates Ryan Pearson, Preston Polizzi, Nick Mattran and Jack Schnoor in the Wolves' option offense.
"We took advantage of the mud, and we knew they hadn't played on a grass field all season," Smith said with a smile. "It was a fun game, and it was one to remember. I'll definitely remember it until I get a lot older. The mud bowl."
STAR OF THE GAME
Carter Evans, Prairie Ridge, jr., FB-LB
Evans rushed for 127 yards and three touchdowns on 15 carries and also had a sack for a safety before leaving late in the first half with an injured left ankle.
QUICK STATS
Grayslake North 0 0 0 6 - 6
Prairie Ridge 21 23 7 0 - 51
First quarter
PR - Evans 6 run (Koelblinger kick), 10:34
PR - Evans 4 run (Koelblinger kick), 4:57
PR - Trost 13 run (Koelblinger kick), 1:06
Second quarter
PR - Safety, Evans tackled Donohue in end zone, 5:28
PR - Evans 4 run (Koelblinger kick), 5:08
PR - Koelblinger 8 run (Koelblinger kick), 4:08
PR - Koelblinger 38 run (Koelblinger kick), 1:51
Third quarter
PR - Goudschaal 4 pass from Lydon (Koelblinger kick), 2:44
Fourth quarter
GN - Kenebrew 22 run (kick failed), 9:50