Prairie Ridge football players have worked to get faster, to get stronger – and their work paid off. For the first time in school history – 15 years – the PR football team not only went to Champaign to play for an IHSA class 6A state championship, but they brought home the title in a 35-14 victory over the 10-4 Peoria Richwoods Knights. Ever since the 14-7 loss just one year ago in the state semi-finals to Boylan, the Wolves have been ready for another opportunity.
In a cold and damp Memorial Stadium in front of an electric crowd of loyal Prairie Ridge fans and families, the Wolves showed why they deserved to be crowned champions.
The game got off to a slow start for the Wolves offensively, but that didn’t bother anyone in the huddle. The Knights “obviously prepared for the option pretty well and it showed” tight end Nick Margiotta said. “But when we executed our 1/11th we were able to move the ball whenever we wanted. We made some adjustments at halftime that they couldn’t adapt to.”
After a 7-7 first half tie, the Wolves imposed their will on both sides of the ball. PR scored on its first possession of the second half on Jordan Getzelman’s 13-yard TD run and then added a defensive score when Brad Simms stripped running back Jeremye Johnson inside the Knights’ 20 yard line, and defensive end Erik Odden picked up an ideal hop at the 15 and ran it in for a score.
Prairie Ridge scored three third-quarter touchdowns to break things open, one of which was an option pitch to Getzelman, who rushed for 175 yards and two touchdowns, for a 35-yard score.
Senior fullback Connor Greenwald picked up the tough yards for the Wolves getting 51 yards on 12 carries and a touchdown. Senior offensive linemen Nick Hartleb said “Converting on those third and short and fourth and short plays can demoralize a defense. They’re all about who can stay lower and get a bigger push, and then we give it to [Greenwald] who pounds it up the middle.”
The Wolves defense, lead by senior linebackers Brad Simms, Josh Hrudicka, and Colin Corcoran, clamped down and held the Knights offense to only one touchdown for the remainder of the game.
“It all started up front with the defensive line” Simms said. “Ralph Nardi and Eric Odden did a phenomenal job hitting contact points and line racing. The rest was up to me, Josh, and Colin flowing to the ball.”
The Wolves defense held the Knights running back Kendrick Foster, who had 2,362 yards coming into the game, to 59 yards on 18 carries. The Knights managed only 192 total yards and turned the ball over three times.
Senior running back Steven Bashor suffered a broken collarbone early in the fourth quarter but scored a touchdown anyway.
Other seniors displayed great heart. With sixteen senior starters, and many returning varsity players, there was leadership throughout the locker room. “They were all a very determined and experienced group,”Getzelman said, “so just having them around made it a positive and hardworking environment.”
All the coaches deserve the utmost credit for what the team accomplished this season. “Every coach played a major role,” said quarterback Nick Nissen, who played well once again racking up 89 yards on 18 carries. “Coach Hartl is so committed to all of our offseason training, and he definitely goes beyond what he’s asked to do. Both Coach Terhaar and Coach Petersen spent so much valuable time away from their families and made the offense and defense click. Throughout the season every coach was absolutely committed and Coach Schremp was a great leader for such a large group of coaches. I think seeing so much commitment from the coaches drove us players to want to win it for them in addition to winning it for ourselves.”