Whenever Crystal Lake Central quarterback Ryleigh Smith looked to throw the ball down the field, Ruby Macke was open behind the defense.

Smith and Macke are teammates on the basketball court during the winter, but their chemistry on the gridiron shined through Thursday evening, when the duo connected on four scoring plays to lead the Tigers to a dominant 51-6 win over Prairie Ridge in a Fox Valley Conference matchup.

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Prairie Ridge’s Alayna Cooper-Turnage runs with the ball as Crystal Lake Central's Mae Anderson tries to grab her flag during a girls flag football game on Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025, at Prairie Ridge High School in Crystal Lake. (Gregory Shaver/Gregory Shaver )

Smith threw for 272 yards and five touchdowns, four of which went to Macke, who ended the game with six catches for 182 yards to fuel the Tigers offense.

“It’s a big win, especially after our game yesterday,” said Smith, whose team fell 14-0 against St. Edward on Wednesday. “I had confidence in myself and starting off with an interception was rough, but I came back and got stronger. ... Ruby’s always there for me. It’s awesome because, even when she isn’t open, she helps other people get open. We play basketball together and we’ve known each other for a while.”

Central (2-1) moved the ball effectively on its opening series, but the Prairie Ridge defense forced the game’s first turnover, as Jessie Merritt intercepted a pass near the line of scrimmage and set the Wolves up with the football near midfield. Seeking its first win of the season, Prairie Ridge (0-4) was unable to capitalize on the play, going three-and-out on its first offensive possession of the game.

The first of four Smith-Macke touchdown passes came late in the opening quarter, when Smith launched a 28-yard throw to her senior teammate, who navigated behind the defense and used her superior height to reel the ball in and give the Tigers a 6-0 advantage. Crystal Lake Central racked up 156 yards in the first quarter and finished with 436 yards of total offense.

“Our blocking, our passing and hyping each other up,” Smith said when asked about her team’s keys to success on offense Thursday. “There were a couple of mistakes, but we can clean those up. It’s a very big confidence boost for me and I want to do this more.”

The Tigers pulled ahead early in the second quarter, taking a 20-0 lead after running back Pekun Bolarin plowed forward for a 2-yard touchdown run and defender Ella Mueller brought an interception back 15 yards for a score. It was the first of two interceptions in the game for Mueller, whose team held the Wolves to 64 passing yards and only one play of 20-plus yards.

“Ruby’s always there for me. It’s awesome because, even when she isn’t open, she helps other people get open.”

—  Ryleigh Smith, Crystal Lake Central QB on teammate Ruby Macke

That play belonged to Prairie Ridge senior Lila Stewart, who took a carry down the near sideline and sprinted past multiple Central defenders for an 82-yard touchdown, the longest play from scrimmage for either side. Stewart recorded 112 yards of total offense for the Wolves, who trailed 26-6 at halftime after a 55-yard deep ball from Smith to Macke in the final moments of the second quarter.

“It’s a really big confidence builder because it was our first conference game,” Mueller said. “It’s our first year playing too and we’re much better than we thought. I wanted to help our team, especially since this was our first conference game. My focus was on getting the ball and running for the touchdown.”

Crystal Lake Central’s offense took control of the game during the second half, where Mueller’s second interception of the night preceded back-to-back third-quarter scoring drives from the Tigers, who surged ahead 39-6 on touchdown passes of 20 and 35 yards from Smith to Macke. The junior quarterback Smith capped off her five-touchdown performance with a 25-yard strike to senior teammate Emma Sieg early in the fourth quarter.

“Our keys on defense were to follow the girls so that when the quarterback threw the ball, we would be there to intercept it,” Mueller said. “We did really good on defense and offense tonight. It’s a huge confidence builder that we started our first conference game like this. We’re going to keep going and win more games.”

Bolarin, who led the Tigers with 74 rushing yards, took the ball down the far sideline late in the fourth quarter, evading defenders for a 59-yard touchdown, Crystal Lake Central’s longest play from scrimmage. Smith ran for 54 yards and Mueller rushed for 41 yards while adding two catches for 21 yards on offense.