Prairie Ridge handles Crystal Lake South
Crystal Lake South football coach Chuck Ahsmann came up with every defensive scheme he could think of in attempt to contain Prairie Ridge sophomore quarterback Samson Evans.
Nothing worked.
Evans ran for 4 touchdowns and threw for 2 more in leading No. 2 seed Prairie Ridge to a 56-12 win over 15th-seeded Crystal Lake South in first round action of the Class 6A playoffs at PR Stadium Friday.
PR (9-1), winners of 9 straight, hosts Lake Forest next weekend in second round play. Lake Forest defeated Lakes 34-27 Friday.
"Samson Evans is a special player," said Ahsmann. ""He has a great combination of speed and strength."
Evans, who ran for 261 yards on 19 carries, ensured the Wolves got off to a good start with first quarter TD runs of 54 and 95 yards. PR enjoyed a 14-0 lead with 2:42 left in the first quarter.
"Samson is an unbelievable talent," said PR coach Chris Schremp. "His 2 first quarter touchdowns got us off to a good start."
The Gators (5-5) bounced back after Evans' second TD to score on their next possession as Luke Nolan tossed a 14-yard TD pass to Drew Murtaugh. The extra point kick hit the crossbar and PR held a 14-6 lead after one quarter.
The Gators couldn't get any closer.
The Wolves, who gained 481 yards on the ground, received 2 more running scores from Evans on runs of 4 and 10 yards. The PR quarterback also engineered a solid passing game, completing 4-of-5 passes for 138 yards and 2 scores. Dean Brown grabbed a 70-yard TD pass while Cole Brown snared a 49-yard scoring pass.
"It was nice to get the passing game going." said Evans. "On the option, the blocking was great. I was really nervous before the game. It was nice to get the early touchdowns."
PR senior back Nathan Griffin ran the ball 14 times for 117 yards and scored on runs of 38 and 11 yards.
Nolan completed 13-of-22 passes for 172 yards and 2 TDs with 1 interception, a pick by PR's Jon Tieman.
Murtaugh, who caught both touchdown passes, grabbed 6 passes for 80 yards. Matt Meyers caught 4 passes for 97 yards for the Gators.
"After being out of the playoffs for two years, it was nice to be back in," said Ahsmann. "Our seniors worked hard and it was good to see their hard work pay off."