10/10/2026
Prairie Ridge rallies to beat Crystal Lake Central in double overtime, keeps playoff chances alive
Brock Bowden runs for 162 yards, two TDs; Jeffrey Lukacs kicks game-tying field goal and game-winning PAT
October 10, 2026 at 12:21 am CDT
By Alex Kantecki
It’s no secret that Prairie Ridge has vastly underperformed expectations.
The Wolves, last season’s undefeated Fox Valley Conference champions, went into Friday’s crosstown conference matchup with Crystal Lake Central winless and needing something – anything – to start feeling good again.
“We needed it bad to keep the spirits up,” said sophomore quarterback Brock Bowden, making his second straight start following an injury to starter Owen Satterlee.
The Wolves, finally, got off on the right foot.
Prairie Ridge put together a long scoring drive in the fourth quarter, getting a game-tying field goal from senior Jeffrey Lukacs, then withstood two overtimes to get its first win of the season, 25-24, and keep its postseason chances alive.
After Central scored on sophomore QB Jake Ginter’s 1-yard sneak in the second OT but was unable to complete a pass into the end zone on the ensuing two-point attempt, Bowden (6-foot, 185 pounds) scored on a 1-yard keeper on fourth-and-goal from the 1-yard line, tying the score at 24-24.
That left it up to Lukacs, who in the fourth quarter delivered a 21-yard field goal on his first attempt of the season to help send the game into OT.
Lukacs kicked a beauty, leaving no doubt as the Wolves raced to the visitors’ sideline to celebrate with coaches and fans.
“Wasn’t nervous, not really,” Lukacs said of his game-winning heroics. “It’s just the same thing, over and over. It’s all I do, you know? Just go out there and get it done.
“I couldn’t do it without my long snapper Jacob Dunlap and my holder Vinny B*k. Vinny made some great holds tonight.”
With the win, Prairie Ridge (1-7 overall, 1-7 FVC) kept its playoff chances alive. The Wolves host Dundee-Crown in Week 9, and with the expanded playoffs, two wins could be enough to sneak in.
Prairie Ridge, a playoff regular, would like nothing more than to get back in the playoff picture.
“It’s no secret, it’s been a rough year for Prairie Ridge football,” Wolves coach Mike Frericks said. “This is not what where we typically are. But our kids, they don’t quit. They haven’t given up and haven’t felt sorry for where we’re at. They’ve just continued to work.
“We’ve kept telling them, ‘Guys, this whole playoff scheme is unique, and you have an opportunity to win a couple of games here.’ We needed this one, and they knew that. When you’re Prairie Ridge, you’ve got high expectations, and we haven’t met them this year. But they haven’t quit, and that’s what I’m proud of.”
Crystal Lake Central (0-8, 0-8), also winless entering Friday, got off to a promising start with a spectacular defensive play. Prairie Ridge ran 12 plays on its opening drive, but the Tigers took advantage of a costly mistake as linebacker Daniel Zuehlke scooped up a fumble by fullback Jake Wagler and ran 82 yards the other way for the opening score.
“DZ, that little sq**rt came out of nowhere,” Central coach Matt MacCrindle said of Zuehlke, who also played running back Friday. “He’s just a grinder. He’s a wrestler, he’s going to stick his nose anywhere. He’s a 140-pound pit bull. That was a spark, and we’re like, ‘Alright, let’s go!’ They were grinding it on us pretty good there, and that turned the tides the other way.”
The Tigers again recovered a fumble on Prairie Ridge’s second possession and looked to immediately cash in. Nathan Kozlowski ran 46 yards and came close to scoring before he was chased down by a Wolves’ defender and the ball popped out of his hands and out of the end zone, giving the ball back to Prairie Ridge.
After getting the ball back Prairie Ridge drove 80 yards on 13 plays, tying the score at 7-all with 4:14 left in the first half on a 1-yard rush by Bowden, who ended with a game-high 162 yards on 37 carries.
Prairie Ridge lost three fumbles in the game but remained poised throughout.
“I had full confidence in my team,” Bowden said. “Full confidence in my fullback and my linemen. It was just basically next play. Erase the play before.”
Wagler ran for 74 yards on 18 caries and scored on the first play of the first OT, also adding a two-point run. Nolan Terhaar added 40 yards on seven carries and Mason Walsh chipped in 39 yards on nine carries.
Ginter finished with 76 yards rushing with one TD and the two-point run in the opening OT. Kozlowski finished with 131 yards on 12 attempts and ran in a 12-yard TD in the first OT for the Tigers.
Central, which made two costly defensive penalties on Prairie Ridge’s fourth quarter drive that tied the game, came close to winning the game in regulation, putting itself in position for a long field-goal attempt in the final seconds. But sophomore Cameron Smith, who earlier in the game drilled a 26-yard FG, went wide on a 40-yard attempt.
“I had confidence that Cam was going to make that,” MacCrindle said. “He’s beating himself up right now, but there’s so many other things we could have done in different spots tonight. It’s not on him. Our kids, they never quit. I’m just so proud of their efforts.”
Prairie Ridge's Brock Bowden ran for a game-high 162 yards and two TDs, and Jeffrey Lukacs kicked a game-tying field goal and game-winning PAT to send the Wolves past Crystal Lake Central 25-24 in double overtime Friday.
