The newly minted outright Fox Valley Conference champion Prairie Ridge Wolves (9-0) have played with excitement all season like they did in Friday night’s 54-26 win over Crystal Lake South (1-8).

A rambunctious first quarter was punctuated with Logan Thennes’s 66-yard score that put the Wolves ahead 22-7.

Late in the game, senior Thennes again found the ball in his hands, this time intercepting an errant pass and running it back for the Wolves’ seventh and final touchdown of the night.

“It was a great feeling. To get a pick-six is kind of cool. I’ve never got one before,” Thennes said.

The early excitement was not totally filled with the dominance the Wolves are used to, however.

Even though the Wolves fumbled the first snap of the game that led to a Hector Del Bosque 2-yard touchdown, the Wolves explosive offense was more than prepared to respond in a big way.

Only seconds later, quarterback Luke Vanderwiel broke free and ran the next drive’s first play into the end zone for a 70-yard score as the first two minutes of play saw the game’s first two touchdowns scored.

The Wolves never took their foot off of the gas pedal as Vincent Byk followed shortly thereafter with a 8-yard TD run.

Later in the half, Byk, only a sophomore, was handed the ball on a fourth-and-3 that required measurement to confirm the first down. Luke Vanderwiel promptly connected with Eli Loeding on a 67-yard touchdown reception on the very next play.

“I’m just happy that the coaches trust me and put their faith in me. That means a lot,” Byk said.

That faith rewarded again, Byk later ran in a 5-yard score that helped the Wolves to a 38-26 halftime lead.

“He’s just a football player. That’s just the best way to describe him,” coach Mike Frericks said of Byk, who also plays on the line. “He just does anything for us, and he works hard.”

Vanderwiel followed up his five-touchdown performance from last week with two rushing TDs, the second of which was a 5-yard score in the fourth quarter – both of which he ran in the two-point conversions for.

Not going down quietly, the Gators offensive game plan was effective during the first half and in the air.

Quarterback Michael Silvius connected with three different receivers on first half touchdown receptions. Noa Franch hauled in a 29-yard score, Eddy Phillips had a 6-yard catch, and Logan Driscol hauled in a 28-yard score.

“I knew I was getting the ball, and when I get the ball, I just feel pure adrenaline just rushing through me,” Franch said of his TD. “I just have to go up and get it, and that’s what I did.”

“We were able to run inside, and then hit some short passes which opened up some of the longer passes,” South coach Rob Fontana said. “We provided enough time for our quarterback to throw the football. Our front 5 did a nice job of protecting. It was a good high school football game.”