Junior quarterback Drew Woodburn is focused on running Lincoln-Way Central’s offense. His dad Dave, the head coach and defensive coordinator, devotes much of his attention to the defense.
So, there’s not always a lot of strategy talked between father and son.
But when Drew’s offense goes against his dad’s defense in practice, well, that certainly leads to some interesting conversations at home.
“Oh yeah, we always go back and forth,” Drew said. “There’s definitely some trash talk in our house.”
After Friday night, the Woodburns can redirect their smack talk to everyone else, with plenty of reasons to brag about how far they have helped take the Knights.
Drew Woodburn completed 6 of 10 passes for 96 yards and ran for a touchdown to lead Lincoln–Way Central to a 28-16 win over host Bradley-Bourbonnais in a Class 7A quarterfinal in Bradley.
Luke Tingley ran for 143 yards and two TDs on 20 carries for the Knights (9-3). Tyler Tulk added 65 yards and a TD on 21 carries. Shawn Mowry had a sack and a vital fumble recovery, while Daveon Williams and Aiden Hennings each came up with big tackles on fourth down in the fourth quarter.
Lincoln-Way Central advanced to the semifinals for the first time since 2000, the final year with just one Lincoln-Way program. The Knights will take on the winner of Saturday’s game between Batavia (10-1) and Downers Grove North (10-1).
Gavin Kohl completed 16 of 23 passes for 211 yards, including a 45-yard TD toss to Kyren Edmon, who added a 1-yard TD run for the Boilermakers (9-3).
Gavin is the son of Bradley-Bourbonnais coach Mike Kohl.
“Having both coaches’ sons play quarterback in a quarterfinal, that’s got to be a pretty rare situation,” Dave Woodburn said. “It’s really cool.
“Drew and I don’t talk a lot of football at home because I coach defense and he plays offense. Those guys do what they do and we do what we do. But I’m going to give him a big hug because he played really well (Friday).”
Drew is not asked to throw the ball often in the Knights’ run-heavy offense but he came through with some big plays in key situations, including an 8-yard pass to Kyle Miller on fourth-and-six to extend his team’s first TD drive.
Woodburn hit Lukas Mandt for a 16-yard pass down to the 1-yard-line to step up his QB sneak for a TD that gave the Knights a 21-7 lead late in the first half. His 32-yard pass to Jack Dykas got the ball down to the 2 to set up Tingley’s 2-yard TD run early in the third quarter.
“I just have confidence in everybody,” Drew Woodburn said. “The run game really opens up the pass when we need it. The O-line blocks, the receivers make plays. I trust everybody.”
That trust is mutual according to Tingley, who has seen his quarterback continue to develop.
“I’ve been playing with Drew since seventh or eighth grade and he’s been improving that whole time,” Tingley said. “It’s good to see.”
Down 28-14 with just under five minutes to go, the Boilermakers seemed to be on the verge of making it a one-score game when Kohl hit Malachi Lee for a 55-yard pass, but Carick Richards forced Lee to fumble.
Mowry hopped on the ball at the Knights’ 5, essentially sealing their spot in the final four.
“This is a game-changer for the program,” Mowry said. “It feels good.”
The Knights went 3-6 in 2022 and had not made the playoffs since 2018 until last season, when they advanced to the second round in Dave Woodburn’s first year as coach.
Now, they’ve taken it two steps further.
“To be honest, if you asked me a couple of years ago if we’d be here, I’d say no,” Drew Woodburn said. “This year, I thought we had a shot to go somewhere.
“But to be here, it’s just really great.”
