Lincoln Way Central’s Justin Langford had a major decision to make when he found out he had suffered a torn right labrum during the wrestling season.
It happened during a tournament at the start of the winter, but Langford still wrestled with it, not realizing the severity of the injury.
“I didn’t know it was torn until the regionals,” he said. “I couldn’t really use it, so I went to the doctor and found out it was torn.”
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Langford was also torn by the decision he had to make. His love, and his future, is football. If he opted to get the surgery done, he would have missed his senior season of high school football.
The 6-foot-2, 210-pound defensive lineman picked doing physical therapy instead and has been thriving this fall for the Knights, who dropped a 42-0 SouthWest Suburban Conference decision Friday night to visiting powerhouse Lincoln-Way East in New Lenox.
In the first football game played between the district rivals since spring 2021, Lincoln-Way Central (4-3, 2-2) faced a 14-0 deficit in the second quarter with the Griffins (7-0, 5-0) in complete control.
Langford, however, gave the large home crowd something to cheer about when he pounced on a muffed punt to hand the Knights some much-needed momentum.
“That was fun,” Langford said. “I thought it was going to be a turning point for us in the game. But that didn’t happen.”
Lincoln-Way Central turned the ball over on the next play and the Griffins went on to dominate.
Langford’s shoulder, meanwhile, has been holding up pretty well so far. He had a recruiting visit to Central Michigan scheduled for Saturday morning. He also visited Valparaiso in September.
“I went through PT and I use some tape,” Langford said of his shoulder. “I have a brace, and it feels brand new. I feel as good as new. I was upset that I had to miss state for wrestling.
“It definitely (stunk) to be out, but I’m glad to be back.”
He also knew getting back on the football field wasn’t going to be easy.
“It was a little rough,” Langford said. “I had PT for strength and I had one for inner muscles. I was going twice a day, then came to football and lift and do everything I could to get back out here.”
In his first six games since returning, Langford was second on the team with 28 tackles, including 13 solo stops. He had a sack, an interception and a team-high four tackles for losses.
Lincoln-Way Central coach David Woodburn is happy to have a healthy Langford on defense.
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“He was a good football player last year, but he has really come into himself this year,” Woodburn said. “He’s a leader and is probably one of the fastest kids we have on the defensive side of the ball and maybe even on the team in general.
“I know people are starting to see what he is doing on the field and colleges are starting to see what he’s capable of doing. He makes play after play on defense.”
Woodburn pointed out that he uses Langford in different ways, with a few cameos at tight end. That versatility should serve him well in college.
Langford confirmed he wants to keep playing the sport as long as he can.
“I live for football — I love football,” he said. “I love higher-level football and I want to do anything I can get my face out there.”
The Knights have lost two games after opponents came up with one-handed, game-winning catches in the closing seconds, making Friday’s blowout setback a bit of an aberration.
Despite the lopsided loss, Langford continued to show how glad he is to be playing again.
“I love the brotherhood that I get when I am out here with my teammates,” Langford said. “Win or lose, it’s great to be a part of something like this.”
Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.