Copyright Chicago Tribune
Oh, man, did Lincoln-Way Central’s Jalen Byrd take a verbal beatdown from his teammates during practice after he dropped the ball twice on interception attempts. The senior outside linebacker was determined to do something about it, though. “I got messed with all week for that,” Byrd said, shaking his head. “I told them, ‘I’m not dropping any in the game — I promise you that.’” The 5-foot-8, 190-pound Byrd kept that promise Friday night. He had two interceptions in third quarter — including one for a touchdown — and added a sack as the host Knights opened the Class 7A playoffs with a 49-7 victory over Reavis in New Lenox. Lucas Andresen finished with four carries for 68 yards and touchdowns of 35, 13 and 19 yards for Lincoln-Way Central (9-1). Drew Woodburn threw for 146 yards and Justin Cobbs ran for 125. The Knights, who piled up 481 yards on offense, will play Saturday’s winner between St. Rita (5-4) and Rockford Guilford (8-1) next weekend in the second round. Andresen, meanwhile, jokingly admitted that he was one of the players who gave Byrd some grief during the week. But he has a lot of respect for him. “Byrd brings physicality, energy and definitely passion,” Andresen said. “I love the kid. He’s all over the field and loves the game, and I absolutely love him for it.” Reavis (6-4) entered Friday’s game loving its chances after wrapping up the regular season with a 42-0 win over Oak Lawn. The Rams had not allowed more than 22 points in a game this year. But facing Byrd and the Knights’ defense, Reavis only scored during a running clock in the third quarter when Dardan Nreci hit Logan Hurtado for a 12-yard TD. Andresen, who planned to visit Butler on Saturday after past visits to Dayton, Valparaiso and Indiana State, confirmed that he goes up against Byrd in practice quite a bit. “We always battle,” Andresen said. “When I go against him, it’s a fun time. Sometimes he gets me, for sure. It makes me better. That’s what we need as a team.” One of the top wrestlers in the state, Byrd isn’t shy about his confidence on the football field. On his X social-media account, he has a pinned message that reads, “I’m one of the smallest on the field, yet I still put your best players on their butt.” Afterward, however, Byrd gave credit to his teammates for the pick-six. “You don’t get too many opportunities to take picks for touchdowns,” said Byrd, who entered the game with one interception this season. “I did a ton of studying on film. “My teammates did a ton of studying on film. They are the reason they forced that QB to throw the ball like that and they are the reason why I got that pick.” For college, Byrd said he’s still keeping his options open regarding wrestling and football. His father, Tyrone, was a national-qualifying wrestler for Illinois and heads up Lincoln-Way Central’s wrestling program. Jalen’s visits for both sports include stops at North Central College, Southern Illinois Edwardsville, Illinois Wesleyan and Grand Valley State. “He loves both sports,” Lincoln-Way Central coach Dave Woodburn said of Byrd. “If he plays college football, it might break his dad’s heart. “I do think he can play football, but they have to get over his size. Just watch his highlight film.” Jalen started playing flag football but always wanted to make tackles. Once he got in a tackle league, he found out that he loved both sports. “I love proving people wrong,” he said. “I’m an undersized kid in football and I love to — hypothetically — punch someone in the mouth. It feels great. “And with wrestling, size doesn’t matter, so I’m able to show off more physicality.” Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
