Lincoln-Way Central’s Justin Cobbs has been getting some great opportunities to carry the ball since Luke Tingley was injured in the second week of the season.
But make no mistake about it, the 5-foot-7, 185-pound senior running back isn’t happy about Tingley being on the shelf with a broken tibia and fibula.
“I’m doing all of this for him,” Cobbs said of his teammate. “Hopefully, he gets to come back and we can do it together.”
Tingley, who said he’s going to the doctor Thursday for a progress report, has his fingers crossed for a possible return this season.
“When I was first injured, they said I would be out 3-10 months,” Tingley said. “But I’m ahead of schedule.”
In Tingley’s absence, Cobbs is piling up big numbers. He ran for 133 yards and two touchdowns on 13 carries Friday night in a 28-21 Southwest Valley Red win over host Andrew in Tinley Park.
Senior receiver/running back Lucas Andresen also continued to take charge as the headliner for Lincoln-Way Central (6-1, 4-1), coming through with 176 yards and two TDs on 14 carries.
Cobbs, however, delivered an amazing 35-yard TD run with 1:20 left in the fourth quarter. He muscled his way into the pile but somehow emerged, racing outside to the right to give the Knights the lead. Joe Rafferty iced the win with an interception.
“Honestly, I couldn’t even tell you what happened on that last play,” said Cobbs, who also had a 57-yard TD run in the second quarter. “I just remember that I got out of that little pile and there was just one more guy I had to beat. I made a cut and I was out.”
Senior quarterback Drew Woodburn was just as stunned as Cobbs.
“I saw a big pile and I saw him break out,” Woodburn said. “I was like, ‘Oh my God, he’s gone.’ It was really exciting.”
Andresen added TD runs of 85 and 5 yards. The 85-yard burst was a big momentum swing, coming with 14 seconds left in the first half and only 14 seconds after Andrew (4-3, 2-2) scored to take a 14-7 lead.
Junior linebacker Grant Ruppert returned a fumble recovery 28 yards for a TD, while junior running back Landon Paredes hit senior quarterback Camden Maniatis with a trick play for a TD and Mariatis threw a scoring pass to Jameson O’Reilly. It was almost enough for the Thunderbolts.
Sophomore defensive lineman Nicholas Paczesny also picked up a third-quarter fumble for the Knights, who clinched a playoff spot for the third straight season and have their eyes on an 8-1 record with the hopes of securing a home game for the first round of the Class 7A playoffs.
It helps to have Cobbs displaying a knack for moving and escaping from the pile.
“I’ll tell you what — I love that kid,” Lincoln-Way Central coach Dave Woodburn said of Cobbs. “My heart goes out to him because of how hard he works. He fights through adversity.
“He deals with it all the time. He continues to come back and rally around this team and the team rallies around him. I’m really proud of him. You saw what he was capable of doing at the end.”
Woodburn described Cobbs’ style as looking like a “bowling ball.” He plays downhill.
But even with his size, Cobbs is tough to tackle. He might have a hard time garnering a ton of recruiting interest, but he said he is getting a few colleges that are looking at him.
He has been playing football since age 5 and still wants to keep it going.
“I love playing football because I love the competition and I love running the ball, obviously,” Cobbs said. “I also like building bonds with my teammates.”
Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.