Prairie Ridge‘s Hunter Mosolino charged ahead on fourth and 10 from the Wolves’ 11-yard line Friday evening and had a clear view of Vernon Hills quarterback Colin McMurray in their eventual 46-30 win.

Prairie Ridge’s hulking defensive end didn’t waste a second, arriving at full speed and knocking the ball out of McMurray’s hands.

Senior defensive lineman Angelo Kay chased the ball down near the sideline, giving quarterback Luke Vanderwiel and Prairie Ridge’s triple-option offense one more shot before halftime of their Class 5A first-round football game in Crystal Lake.

“Once I saw I had an open lane I just saw the quarterback and went for the ball,” said Mosolino, a 6-foot-4, 235-pound sophomore. “It was important to get that stop. We worked hard for it.”

Mosolino’s booming hit and the Wolves’ defensive stand led to the team’s fifth offensive score of the first half as Vanderwiel hit junior Owen Satterlee for a 33-yard TD with 40 seconds remaining.

Top-seeded Prairie Ridge (10-0) led by 40 points at halftime and went on to top No. 16 Vernon Hills to move on to the second round against No. 8 Morgan Park or No. 9 St. Francis.

Vernon Hills (5-5) scored all of its points against backups after a running clock to start the second half.

Vanderwiel (95 rushing yards) added a 29-yard rushing TD and was 3-of-5 passing for 66 yards. Sophomore fullback Vincent Byk ran for three TDs and a game-high 123 yards on 11 carries, and RB Logan Thennes ran for 53 yards on six attempts, including a 10-yard TD.

Prairie Ridge finished with 321 rushing yards on 37 carries (8.68 average), with 276 coming in the first two quarters.

Byk, who became the Wolves’ fullback late in the season after an injury to Jake Wagler, averaged over 11 yards a carry behind the offensive line of Zach Mason, Kay, Ben Nystrom, Mike Pochron and Braeden Kehl.

“We all just did out 1/11th,” Byk said after his three touchdown, playoff debut. “Our O-line, they did a great job blocking all game. My first run, I was 10 yards downfield after a pancake block, and it was the greatest feeling.

“They’re all happy when I score. I just love being able to tell them that they’re doing great. They’re always leading me and guiding me on the field.”

Prairie Ridge coach Mike Frericks said the Wolves’ offense, which is averaging 40.1 points a game with Vanderwiel at QB, comes down to the performance of their offensive line.

“They’re phenomenal. They fire off hard and they’re low at your legs and they just move people,” Frericks said. “When you watch the film, you see a wall of guys. And that’s what we work so hard on. They really are the backbone of our offense. None of this would be possible without them.”

Vernon Hills scored all 30 of its points in the second half. McMurray, a junior, finished 6-of-12 passing for 133 yards, a touchdown and interception to Thennes. After he ran for an 81-yard TD in the third quarter, McMurray later connected with senior wide receiver Devin Ratajczyk (five catches, 137 yards) for a 54-yard touchdown.

Senior running back Giuseppe Urso added a pair of second-half touchdowns from 9 and 4 yards. He finished with a team-high 51 yards on 18 carries. McMurray tallied 87 yards on the ground to finish with 220 total yards.

The Cougars rallied to win their final four games of the regular season after a 1-4 start filled with injuries to earn their first playoff appearance since 2021.

“We had six season-ending injuries,” Vernon Hills coach Bill Bellecomo said. “We had to reinvent our offense a little bit and get through those middle games. We got some guys back towards the end and we started playing better, but it was a great effort from this team all year.

“Anything that could go wrong in the beginning of the year went wrong, and they just kept fighting. And that’s the thing I’m most proud of. I’m pleased with that. I think that will carry far with them in life.”