Naperville Central cornerback Gavin Bohan was out of sight but not out of mind this summer.
Bohan missed a lot of the Redhawks’ offseason training due to club soccer commitments. He played defender for an Eclipse Select team that won two national championships.
Naperville Central coach Mike Ulreich was eager to welcome Bohan back.
“Going into the season, we didn’t know exactly what we had in Gavin because he was gone,” Ulreich said. “We just didn’t see him a ton.”
Opposing wide receivers have seen way too much of Bohan this season. The 5-foot-10, 170-pound senior is the linchpin of the secondary.
“We weren’t surprised that he was going to be a key player for us,” Ulreich said. “But the level of play that he has given us has been unbelievable.
“Week in and week out, he’s been our best football player.”
It has been an awesome autumn for Bohan and his family. His younger brother, Patrick, is a star defender for the Naperville Central boys soccer team, which finished the regular season with a 19-3-1 record and is the top seed in the Class 3A Bolingbrook Sectional.
“It’s really exciting to be able to come out here and really thrive in most of the sports that I play,” said Bohan, who also wrestles. “I do my best every week to make sure I perform for the team.
“I don’t want to let up a deep touchdown after we’re locking up. I want to make sure that I perform to my best to make sure that our team is in the best position.”
Bohan has done that. He has 30 tackles and five pass breakups while usually shadowing top receivers like Naperville North’s Luke Williams.
Bohan broke up a pass intended for Williams in the fourth quarter of Naperville Central’s 10-7 overtime win on Sept. 30. Ulreich called that one of the biggest plays Bohan has made this season.
Bohan held Williams to three catches for 63 yards. He also limited Neuqua Valley star Grant Larkin, a North Dakota State recruit, to three catches for 12 yards.
“He plays with unbelievable balance and confidence,” Ulreich said. “What’s impressive is usually a corner doesn’t stand out for physicality, but ever since Week 1 against Hinsdale Central, his physical style of play has been eye-opening.
“It really sets the tone for us. He’s a strong kid for his size.”
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Bohan, who is the backup kicker to another club soccer player, Logan Ellison, said he gets his stamina from playing soccer and his strength from lifting in the offseason. Ulreich also appreciates Bohan’s quiet confidence.
“One of my favorite moments this year came in practice,” Ulreich said. “We were going into a two-minute drill, so Gavin was our corner, and I asked him, ‘Gavin, where do we have to get to for the field goal?’
“He goes, ‘Coach, you’re not going to get anything.’ That was pretty hilarious, and he was right. They shut us down, and we never got a chance to kick a field goal.”
Bohan wasn’t trying to be cocky.
“I try to keep myself in my place,” Bohan said. “I want to live up to the expectations that I put out there, but that was one of those great examples of how I love to be competitive.
“It’s not all the time I will go out and say, ‘Hey, coach Ulreich, we’re going to shut you out,’ but sometimes in practice you’ve got to get that energy going.”
Bohan is leaning toward playing soccer in college, but playing football energizes him.
“It’s unlike anything you can really experience in high school,” he said. “I love every moment of it, and I really feel so privileged to be out here.
“This senior season has been unlike anything ever before, and I’m so stoked to be a part of it.”
Matt Le Cren is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun.