Lincoln-Way Central displayed all its weapons Friday night in a 49-7 shellacking of Reavis to open its 7A playoff adventure.

The offense was there: three touchdown runs by lanky senior Lucas Andresen in the first half, along with a touchdown pass from Drew Woodburn to Nick Bartkus just before the halftime horn.

The defense was there: a first-string shutout hardly sullied by the one Rams score, a 39-yard collaboration between Dardan Nreci and Niko Roberts with the clock running late in the fourth quarter. Knights outside linebacker Jalen Byrd’s back-to-back interceptions to end a pair of Rams drives when the outcome was still somewhat in question – the first pickoff returned 21 yards to the end zone – helped make sure the contest stayed one-sided.

The score at the half was 27-0. The yardage at the half was 323-38.

“I read all my keys, did a ton of studying on film,” Byrd said of his score. “My teammates did a ton of studying on film. They’re part of the reason they forced that QB to try a ball like that. They’re why I got that pick.”

Nreci was under heavy pressure on Bryd’s pick-six, allowing him to grab it on the run and turn upfield unhindered.

Andresen raced 35 yards to the end zone for his first touchdown 1:53 into the game. It set a trend that saw the Knights dominate throughout, allowing coach Dave Woodburn to rest most of his regulars in the final quarter. That could prove useful next week, when the Knights (9-1) travel to St. Rita.

“I’m happy,” Dave Woodburn said. “We knew they were going to be feisty, but these guys came out and executed the game plan the way they were supposed to.

“Andresen, I feel like he’s a star every game. Every time he touches the ball there’s a chance to score.”

Andresen ran 13 yards off left end for his second score midway through the first quarter, and 19 yards on the same play for his third midway through the second. It was 20-0 and clear the Rams (6-4) were overmatched.

His inspiration was easy to come by.

“It’s Round 1 of playoffs, and you’re out here fighting with your boys,” Andresen said. “It’s fight and advance. I contributed, my O-line contributed. I can’t take credit for myself. I can’t do it without the guys blocking for me.”

Central also had an advantage in numbers. With a gaggle of freshmen and sophomores called up, the Knights dressed close to 100 players. Reavis dressed 37.

“They’re a 7A powerhouse that went to the Final Four (in 2024),” Reavis coach Tim Zasada said. “We’ve got six two-way players and start four sophomores. We’ve got four guys who played middle-school football, and they’ve got a hundred.

“We’re proud. We came out and didn’t back down.”