Prairie Ridge, St. Ignatius face similar challenge in trying to defend the triple-option

Prairie Ridge, a program known for its triple-option offense, is used to having the upper hand against teams less familiar with defending the ground-and-pound style of attack.

This week, facing a St. Ignatius team that also relies on the triple-option to grind out yards and wear down its opponents, Prairie Ridge’s defense will face a similar challenge.

“Their style, it’s just like us,” Prairie Ridge junior linebacker Landon Severson said. “They’re a powerhouse, they’re quick. They want to get outside and go.”

The second-seeded Wolves (11-1) host the No. 4 Wolfpack (10-2) at 2 p.m. Saturday in the Class 6A semifinals. The winner advances to next week’s state championship at the University of Illinois’ Memorial Stadium in Champaign. Prairie Ridge is going for its fifth state championship appearance. St. Ignatius never has been this far before.

Prairie Ridge has piled up silly numbers against defenses all year, led by senior Tyler Vasey. The electric quarterback has more than 1,900 rushing yards in his past five games and last week ran for a 6A playoff record 481 yards and eight touchdowns in a 69-28 win against Harlem.

Vasey’s historic performance vaulted him into the No. 1 spot on the IHSA’s all-time single-season rushing list. He enters the semifinals with a state-record 3,609 yards on 280 carries (a 12.9 average), along with 50 rushing touchdowns, including 21 in the playoffs.

[ Read more: Prairie Ridge’s Tyler Vasey sets IHSA single-season rushing record with 481 yards, 8 TDs in win over Harlem ]

Prairie Ridge fullback Nathan Greetham has 1,332 yards and 14 touchdowns, and running back Luke Vanderwiel has TDs in each of the past two games.

St. Ignatius coach Matt Miller is preaching the fundamentals entering Saturday’s semifinal.

“You just have to tackle,” Miller said. “It’s assignment football, and you have to tackle. You can’t let [Vasey] squirt out. Anytime you’re running [with] the quarterback in any offense, it’s an advantage because most teams, he’s catching the ball and handing it off. And then you’re short a guy – nine guys are trying to block 11.

“When the quarterback’s the runner, you have an extra gap, an extra runner. That’s always a challenge with anybody. You got to get him to the ground when you get hands on him.”

Miller said the two offenses are not 100% clones, but pretty close.

“They’re not a complete carbon copy,” Miller said of Prairie Ridge. “They do things differently from us, but the core principles that they have are the same. Two very close [offenses]. You can’t get much closer. That helps with getting the scout look since the scout knows the terminology.

“It’s just watching, seeing what they can do and being prepared to stop it.”

St. Ignatius is led by running back Vinny Rugai, who set the team’s career and single-game rushing records earlier in the year. The Wolfpack senior had 215 yards and three touchdowns in a 31-6 win over Niles Notre Dame in the quarterfinals.

Justin Scott (6-foot-5, 312 pounds) is a force on the offensive and defensive lines and holds offers from Alabama, Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State and Notre Dame, among others. He is the top-rated prospect in the state’s junior class.

Prairie Ridge and St. Ignatius are even closer than at first glance.

Prairie Ridge coach Chris Schremp had St. Ignatius coaches visit the school many years ago. Wolves graduate Grant Golata, a starting lineman on Prairie Ridge’s 2016 state championship team, now is an assistant coach at St. Ignatius.

Schremp joked after the quarterfinal win against Harlem that “I probably shouldn’t have taught them some of things we do.”

But the Wolves remain confident.

“We’re feeling what I think other coaches feel,” Schremp said. “Who are you going to choose to stop? What are you going to force the other team to do? The good thing is we can simulate that in practice. Our backups know how to run that offense. Being able to simulate that makes it somewhat easier to defend because you see it all the time, and I think we come pretty close to their speed.”

Schremp likes the improvements he has seen from his defense in recent weeks. After giving up 145 points in their three previous games, Prairie Ridge has allowed 50 points combined in the quarterfinals and semifinals against Kaneland and Harlem.

“Probably the guy that’s really stepped up is Landon Severson,” Schremp said. “He’s been a real physical player, coming up and making some big tackles for us. And [senior linebacker] Ryan Koelblinger. ... Those guys have really stepped up and played well.

“An exciting kid starting to blossom is Gavin Tinch, our big defensive lineman and nose guard. He’s only a sophomore, and he’s starting to look like a legit D-lineman now.”

Vasey, who has subbed in on defense this year, including in the team’s first-round victory against Crystal Lake South, has seen steady improvement from his defensive mates.

“They’re starting to get a little more confident,” Vasey said. “We lost some kids last year, so their confidence level wasn’t high. Most of them are juniors this year, so I think it’s good to see their confidence on the field. They’re playing a little bit faster. They’re hitting their gaps a bit harder.”

Koelblinger said the Wolves can look back on their Week 5 game against Cary-Grove – another team that runs the triple-option – as they prepare for St. Ignatius. Prairie Ridge won that game 27-16, the Wolves’ fewest points scored in a game all year.

He doesn’t, however, see a big advantage for either team.

“Any team in the semifinals is going to be good,” Koelblinger said. “It’s kind of cool to see how similar they are to us on film, and even Cary-Grove. Even some of their plays, they’re kind of the same. They have one play where their wing twirls back and they pitch it out. I know [C-G] runs that a lot on us.

“I think the familiarity is going to help both teams. It just comes down to who executes better.”