Earlier this season, when Oswego East’s Lincoln Ijams injured his knee, he feared the worse.
The senior wide receiver was given the tough diagnosis of a torn MCL.
“I thought I was done,” Ijams said. “I couldn’t walk for the first two weeks. Then magically, I felt good. It was weird.”
Whether it was quick healing, hard work, divine intervention or a combination of those things, the Wolves are happy to have him back.
The Butler recruit caught only two passes for 49 yards Friday night in a 28-17 Southwest Prairie West win over previously unbeaten Yorkville, but it showed the possibilities for the future.
It also helped open things up even more for star running back Jasiah Watson, who stole the show by rushing for 253 yards and three touchdowns on 38 carries for Oswego East (6-1, 2-1).
Senior quarterback Niko Villacci added a 1-yard TD run for the Wolves.
Jack Beetham tried to keep Yorkville (6-1, 2-1) in the game with his arm, but the Wolves successfully shortened the game with their ground game, keeping him off the field. He completed 14 of 23 for 227 yards and TD. Gavin Geegan added a 10-yard TD run for the Foxes.
Ijam’s 37-yard catch in the second quarter helped set up Villacci’s TD run. Ijam added a 12-yard grab in a drive that stalled out due to penalties at the start of the third.
“We can throw that ball all we want to,” Ijams said. “When we have Jasiah and our O-line and the receivers blocking like how we block, there’s no need. If we have to throw the ball, I feel confident with anybody guarding me. I’m going to go out there and make a play.
“Even with my knee jacked up, I feel fine. The brace hurts my mobility a little bit, but I feel great.”
His impact is felt by more than just receptions, however.
“We had a guy following me in man coverage everywhere I went,” Ijams said. “It made a lot of big plays. When they put me in motion, I bring him across and now we have an advantage.”
Oswego East coach Tyson LeBlanc was more than happy to welcome his star receiver back, but he admitted there were some hiccups.
“Last week, there was a little bit of rust, but we were able to work some things out over the course of the week,” LeBlanc said. “He’s just going to get healthier as we go.
“We want to run the football and we’re going to continue to do that until somebody takes that away from us. We’ll adjust from there.”
If there comes a game where Watson doesn’t run roughshod, he knows Ijams puts them in a good position.
“He has amazing hands,” Watson said. “I’m not trying to be cocky or anything. Yorkville came out saying that Lincoln was hurt. He’s still Lincoln at the end of the day.
“His minor injury didn’t slow him down. He’s perfect now, good to go.”
Friday wasn’t the night to deploy Ijams fully, though, as Watson had everything under control.
With the Wolves leading 21-10 with 10:08 to go in the fourth quarter, Watson was the catalyst for a 13-play, 82-yard drive that worked 7:20 off the clock and forced Yorkville to use two of its timeouts.
Watson cashed in a 4-yard TD run to essentially put the game away.
“We came in and did what we talked about doing all week,” LeBlanc said. “They’re a great team and their defense has been pretty solid. We challenged our guys up front and our guys answered.”
Ijams, meanwhile, is just happy to be along for the ride. After fearing that his senior season would be cut short, he’s in the thick of it now.
“I was supposed to be out for the season,” Ijams said. “Crazy quick recovery — PT like crazy. I’m glad I didn’t have to miss this.”
Paul Johnson is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.