Prairie Ridge stings Jacobs in 2nd half

Jacobs came out amped up for Homecoming.

The Golden Eagles stuffed Prairie Ridge's triple option offense, holding the visiting Wolves to just 87 yards on 16 carries in the first half.

But then the Wolves exploded for 177 yards on the ground and 2 touchdowns in the third quarter en route to a 27-10 victory in the Fox Valley Conference crossover Friday night in Algonquin.

"We just couldn't get outside, we couldn't stop (the option) play," said Jacobs defensive lineman Brandon Huckabone, who finished with 6 tackles, a sack, fumble recovery and a blocked extra point.

Prairie Ridge (2-1) running back Justin Henderson (9 carries, 116 yards) exploded for a 67-yard touchdown run off an option pitch from quarterback Jon Williams to put the Wolves up 20-3 with 6:38 left in the third.

Jacobs (1-2) responded quickly. The Eagles were forced to punt, but the ball bounced off the Wolves and into the arms of Huckabone. Instead of a third-straight unsuccessful drive, Jacobs cut the Wolves' lead to 20-10. Quarterback Jason Judson (8-of-11, 142 yards) found Zach Bates on a 38-yard bomb for the score.

"We played well in spots," Jacobs' coach Dean Schlueter said. "We came up with big plays in spots. In the last two games, we haven't played well in the second half."

Prairie Ridge would increase its lead to 27-10 after scoring on its next possession. The Wolves worked an 11-play, 64-yard drive down the field and capped it off with Tim Deering dashing in from 3 yards out for the score.

Jacobs had allowed just 2 plays of more than 10 yards in the first half after holding the Wolves to just 87 total yards. Prairie Ridge had 6 runs of greater than 10 yards in the third quarter and finished the game with 321 on the ground.

Jacobs rushed for 67 yards on the ground in the first half, but finished with just 108 in the game. The Eagles also missed two red zone opportunities in the first half. Judson threw an interception in the end zone with 6 seconds left in the first half and a 1st-and-goal from the 3 resulted in a 25-yard field goal from Derek Collinsworth with 4:46 left in the first half.

Prairie Ridge answered back with a score from Bob Maxey with 2:18 left in the first half.