May 18, 2024
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Prairie Ridge denies Jacobs’ 2-point try to hang on for FVC win

By Sam Natrop for Shaw Local
Prairie Ridge's Zachary Bentsen runs the ball through the Jacobs defense hosted Jacobs for their week 4 football game on Friday, Sept. 17, 2021 at Prairie Ridge High School in Crystal Lake.

Prairie Ridge's Zachary Bentsen runs the ball through the Jacobs defense during Friday's game in Crystal Lake. (Matthew Apgar)

CRYSTAL LAKE – His team had shredded the opposing defense for more than 400 yards on the ground. His top two backs combined for 382 of those yards and scored seven touchdowns, often ripping off double-digit chunks of yardage.

So the decision to go for two points and the win, down 49-48, with 2:33 to play, was not the most difficult decision Jacobs coach Brian Zimmerman made Friday night.

But the Prairie Ridge defense mustered one final stand, stopped Jacobs 1 yard short and held on for an exhausting and heart-stopping Fox Valley Conference victory before a frenzied homecoming crowd.

“Ben [Ludlum] and Nas [Canty] were amazing all night,” Zimmerman said of his backfield duo. “I thought we could get it up the gut, but [PR)] made the play.”

[ Photos: Prairie Ridge vs. Jacobs ]

Ludlum rushed for 198 yards and four touchdowns on 11 carries, while Canty added 182 yards on 21 tries and three scores. As a team, Jacobs (2-2, 2-2 FVC) compiled 403 yards on the ground and 481 for the game.

The Wolves, ranked No. 7 in Class 6A, amassed 353 total yards, 295 of those on the ground. Despite the frenetic nature of the game, it was PRś 15-play, 64-yard drive to open the third quarter that may have set the tone for the second half. That drive took 8:13 off the clock.

¨That was key. It was a perfect Prairie Ridge drive,” a drained PR coach Chris Schremp said. “We couldn’t match up with their tight end (6-6, Grant Stec) and their backs are big and fast. They came in here and smacked us in the mouth and woke us up. I don’t question coach Zimmerman one bit for going for two. I would’ve done the same thing.”

After Jacobs jumped to an early 14-0 lead, the Wolves got on the board with a Nathan Greetham TD run and then got a huge lift on James Jewell’s 25-yard interception return for a score. After that the teams literally traded scores until the final breathtaking fourth quarter.

Greetham led the Wolves with 165 yards on 29 carries and three scores. Quarterback Mason Loucks completed his only two passes of the game, but both went for scores.

“I’m proud of those kids,” Zimmerman said. “We’ve played close games with the best teams in this conference. I hope we put everyone on notice that we are not a 3-6 football team.”