Huntley had just lost a heartbreaker.

Carson Rowe did his part to make sure the Red Raiders hadn’t also just lost the confidence of their quarterback.

Rowe, a junior who started the season as Huntley’s QB but suffered a broken ankle against Dundee-Crown in Week 2, hobbled over on his crutches to sophomore Malik Carter after Fox Valley Conference leader Prairie Ridge rallied late to beat the Raiders 35-34 Friday night, spoiling homecoming while keeping its perfect season intact.

Carter had marched Huntley 66 yards to the Prairie Ridge 10 in three minutes and had his team on the verge of reclaiming the lead. Carter fired a pass on third-and-8 to wide receiver Jacob Marx, who ran a comeback route to the right pylon. Wolves defensive back Eli Loeding stepped in front of the pass and intercepted it on the goal line with 30 seconds left, silencing Huntley’s spirited crowd and securing the visitors’ comeback victory.

A dejected Carter blamed himself for the interception. His head was down after the game. Rowe made sure Carter left the field with his head up.

“He was the first guy who came over,” Carter said of Rowe, whose season is likely over due to his injury. “He said, ‘You’re good, Malik. Don’t worry about it.’ ”

Huntley coach Mike Naymola wasn’t blaming any of his players, particularly his young QB, after the Raiders (3-3, 3-3 FVC) suffered their third loss in a row.

“I know Malik feels horrible, and he doesn’t need to,” said Naymola, whose team led most of the game. “I’m so proud of him. He played 100% better than he played [against Jacobs] last week. He’s only going to get better.”

Carter, who shared snaps with Rowe the first two weeks of the season, was making his fourth start in a row. The 6-foot-5, 190-pounder completed his first eight passes and finished 27 of 37 for 289 yards, including a 37-yard touchdown strike to Marx. Carter also rushed for 66 yards, scoring his twice on 1-yard sneaks.

The interception was his only turnover. Carter moved the Raiders downfield on their final drive despite the absence of his classmate, running back Chase Hojnacki, who rushed 29 times for 118 yards and two TDs before tweaking an ankle.

“Malik played so well,” Naymola said. “I told the guys, ‘That [loss] is on me.’ We probably should have played it a little safer and taken five more yards, kicked the field goal and given ourselves a chance to win the game.”

Carter engineered touchdown drives of 15 and 11 plays on Huntley’s first two possessions. The Raiders played up-tempo, and their short passing game had Prairie Ridge, the top-ranked team in Class 5A in the AP poll, on its heels.

“He’s going to be real good,” Prairie Ridge coach Mike Frericks said of Carter. “He managed the ball well. He made a lot of nice, effective, quick throws, got rid of the ball. He was running the offense quickly. They were keeping us out of rhythm. They really executed well, and he was the lead on that.”

Naymola knows he has a special talent in the towering Carter, who also slung a 54-yard strike to Kyle Ziebell to set up Hojnacki’s second TD and extend Huntley’s lead to 34-21 with 4:16 left in the third quarter. Carter had 283 passing yards and three TDs in the Raiders’ 34-27 loss to Cary-Grove in Week 4.

“He’s got the uncoachables,” Naymola said. “He’s got unbelievable arm strength. He’s 6-5, so he can see over the line, and he’s a student of the game. His cognitive ability is very impressive. Sometimes he’s too smart for his own good, but it’s nice to work with people like that.”

Carter left the stadium confident that he and his teammates will continue to improve.

“We can hang with anybody,” Carter said. “When we do our best, and we’re playing with tempo, we’re hanging with the best. It’s a lot of stuff that I know we’re capable of. It’s just finishing it now.”

Hunter Carley carves up Sandwich: Richmond-Burton put together its fourth 40-point effort in a row (fifth overall) Friday night, beating host Sandwich 42-12.

Running back Hunter Carley led the way. Carley, a junior and Northwest Herald All-Area first-team selection last year, rushed for a career-high 301 yards and five touchdowns.

“He was dominant,” said coach Mike Noll, whose Rockets improved to 6-0 and 4-0 in the Kishwaukee River Conference.

Carley ran behind an offensive line featuring center Bryce Kowall, strong guard Joe Sulek, strong tackle Calvin Werkmeister, tight end Luke Robinson, quick guard Shane Falasca, quick tackle Christian Ojeda and quick tight end Logan Johnson. All are seniors, except for Falasca, who’s a sophomore.

Alden-Hebron loses Caleb Linneman to injury: Alden-Hebron suffered its first loss of the season Friday night, as South Beloit rolled to a 49-7 win in a battle between unbeaten 8-man teams in Hebron.

A-H sophomore star running back Caleb Linneman did not play after suffering a knee injury on the Giants’ first series against Christian Life the previous week. Linneman has rushed for 885 yards (13 per carry) and 12 touchdowns this season. The safety also has 32 solo tackles, including two for loss, and an interception.

Coach John Lalor said his Giants hope to have Linneman back Friday night when they host Harvest-Westminster.

Tigers making progress: Winless Crystal Lake Central came into its homecoming game Friday night Jacobs having allowed an FVC-high 214 points (42.8 a game) through five weeks.

Jacobs was riding high, having won its last two games.

At halftime, Central was two quarters away from shocking the county. The Tigers led 14-7, only to lose 27-21, as Jacobs scored the go-ahead touchdown with 1:40 left in the game on Justin Gonzalez’s 29-yard run.

The loss dropped the Tigers to 0-7 and 0-7 in the FVC, while the Eagles improved to 4-2 and 4-2.

“We had intensity in the first half, and then [Jacobs] amped it up a little bit, and we just didn’t match it,” Tigers first-year coach Matt MacCrindle said. “But they’re starting to believe in what we’re preaching, and we’re playing for each other, and that’s the most important part.”

Week 6 scores

Fox Valley Conference

Prairie Ridge 35, Huntley 34

Cary-Grove 46, Dundee-Crown 27

Burlington Central 42, McHenry 7

Jacobs 27, Crystal Lake Central 21

Hampshire 24, Crystal Lake South 21

Kishwaukee River Conference

Johnsburg 28, Marengo 0

Richmond-Burton 42, Sandwich 12

Woodstock 20, Plano 14

Woodstock North 44, Harvard 8

Chicagoland Christian Conference

Bishop McNamara 49, Marian Central 14

Illinois 8-Man Football Association

South Beloit 49, Alden-Hebron 7

• Correspondent Mark Winter contributed to this report.