Prep Zone: ‘Champs’ has nice ring to it

Prairie Ridge senior tight end and punter Nick Margiotta looks at his IHSA Class 6A football state title ring after receiving it Wednesday during an assembly at the high school in Crystal Lake. The school also honored athletes from other sports and students selected to the All-State choir. (Jenny Kane - jkane@shawmedia.com)

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The bling factor at Prairie Ridge took an exponential jump Wednesday.

Almost 100 coaches, players, managers and trainers picked up their rings to commemorate the 2011 IHSA Class 6A football state championship. The Wolves defeated Peoria Richwoods, 35-14, to win their first state football title in the 15-year-old school’s history.

Prairie Ridge administration designated the final hour of school for an assembly during which the Wolves received their rings. They also got a trophy from MaxPreps, a national website that tracks statistics and exploits of players and teams in various sports. The school also honored athletes from other sports and students selected to the All-State choir.

Athletic director Patti Hie had a couple of stipulations for the players, who each grabbed their ring box as they entered the gymnasium.

“They could hardly wait to open them, but I told them no peeking or I might have to hurt them,” Hie said. “And I said, ‘Don’t give this to a girl unless she has your last name and a wedding ring, too.’ ”

Prairie Ridge started the tradition of buying state championship rings in 2008 when the baseball team won the Class 4A state title. Since then, Carolyn Huerth and Allison Murphy picked up rings for winning the 2009 IHSA Tennis State Tournament doubles championship. And gymnast Jenny Covers picked up three rings for state titles her sophomore through senior years.

This one required more fundraising because there were so many. Hie and football coach Chris Schremp thanked many of the donors who contributed to covering the cost of the rings. The players designed the rings, which have their name, number and position on one side and a “PR” helmet with “Good enough is not enough,” the team’s motto on the other side.

“Initially, all of us were thinking we would wear them a lot because this is what we’ve been waiting for,” quarterback Nick Nissen said. “I want to take good care of it. I’ll wear it when I’m feeling fancy or want to impress someone.”

Schremp also does not want to wear it daily.

“I’ll wear it on the right occasion,” he said. “I’m afraid of ruining it.”

Prairie Ridge finished 13-1 and was honored by MaxPreps with a trophy designating the Wolves as one of the nation’s top 50 teams. The trophy was presented to Schremp by members of the National Guard, then passed player to player so they could all admire it.

“We heard about that a couple weeks after we won,” Nissen said. “That’s a really big deal. That puts us in a pretty high percentage.”

Another trophy: Hie said the third-place trophy Prairie Ridge won at the IHSA Gymnastics State Meet this weekend soon will be sent on a sort of District 155 tour. The team competes as Prairie Ridge, but also has athletes from Cary-Grove, Crystal Lake Central and Crystal Lake South.

Brittany Potts, Jada Berkland and Danielle Dyra, the three gymnasts from Prairie Ridge, were recognized at the assembly.

FVC placements set: The Fox Valley Conference crossover placement games for boys basketball Friday are set. This is the first year the FVC has designated the final crossover games as placement games, in which the team from one division plays the corresponding place team from the other division. Division play was completed Tuesday.

All games are set for 7 p.m. starts and will be played at the site of the Fox Division teams this season.

The most notable game has FVC Valley winner Huntley visiting FVC Fox winner Grayslake Central. The other games, in order of place, are: Dundee-Crown at Crystal Lake Central, Crystal Lake South at Grayslake North, McHenry at Hampshire, Jacobs at Johnsburg, Cary-Grove at Woodstock North and Prairie Ridge at Woodstock.

Ties were broken by points allowed.

• Joe Stevenson is the senior sports writer for the Northwest Herald. He can be reached by email at joestevenson@shawmedia.com. You also can follow him on Twitter @nwh_JoePrepZone.