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 With the Railers clinging to a 7-6 lead against
Olympia in the third quarter of Friday's contest, Lincoln's Austin Krusz
-- the starting quarterback who also happens to play linebacker -- picked off a Spartan pass and returned it to the end zone for a
touchdown, giving Lincoln a comfortable 13-6 lead and swinging
momentum entirely in their favor. The Railers would go on to win by
a final tally of 19-6.
But how fitting that in a season when the Railers were forced to play eight or nine players on both sides of
the ball, the game-changing play would be a interception return by
the starting quarterback.
For this season at least, only Lincoln, it
seems, has had to endure such challenges.
"I saw the tight end release on the route. I
read the quarterback and his eyes were on him the whole time," said Krusz.
"I knew I could jump the route. I caught it and knew I could take it
all the way."
Krusz's touchdown was part of a 19-point second
half, in which the Railers overcame a 6-0 halftime deficit.
"I told them when the game was over, really, I
wouldn't have this any other way, to have a game like this, where
we're down the first half and we came back in the second half
because we just kept battling," said Lincoln coach Andy McDonald. "I
think that just epitomized this group and the kind of guys they are.
This was more gratifying, and I think fulfilling to me and our team,
than coming out and blowing someone out. This is a more fitting, to
come from behind, battle, be determined and show their heart."
McDonald attributed his team's early struggles
to a lack of focus, which could possibly linked to the amount of
emotion on Senior Night.
"I don't know if we were so emotional that
maybe the focus wasn't as sharp. We let a couple of their players
disrupt our running game too much, where they kept us from getting
outside," said McDonald. "We went in at halftime and talked about
it. We made a tiny little adjustment, where we re-emphasized some
things. It was kind of like the Springfield game, where they were
mad at themselves, that we weren't ahead, that we had let them score
and we didn't score.
"We just came out with more determination and a
better focus. We were woken up a little bit."
Ironically, the final game saw several firsts
for the Railers.
Krusz's touchdown was the first defensive
touchdown of the season for the Railers.
Senior receiver Dane Eimer caught his first
touchdown pass of the season early in the third quarter. Eimer
leaped over a defender to make an acrobatic 27-yard touchdown catch
that gave Lincoln a 7-6 lead.
In the fourth quarter, senior fullback Anthony
Cannon put the game away with his first touchdown of the season.
Cannon, one of the team captains, said that while
his first touchdown of the season was rewarding, he was more proud
of winning his final game.
"It feels good, but the season wasn't about my
touchdowns. It feels good to score, but as long as the team scores,
I'm fine with that," said Cannon. "I don't care if I had no
touchdowns, as long as the result was fine, anyone could have scored
my touchdown."
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Cannon led Lincoln with 92 yards on 14
carries, including the 1-yard touchdown run. Conner Schmidt,
another senior, had 42 yards on 10 carries, while senior Cody Heidbreder added 54 yards on 11 carries.
Krusz finished the game with a 6-for-9 mark
passing, throwing for 70 yards.
All of Lincoln's yards on offense were gained
behind an offensive line of seniors. Austin Brummett, Riley Reid,
Brandon Aper, Caleb Awe and Daniel Bacon were the starting linemen
for most of the season.
Gerred Reidel, another senior, got his first
start of the season on the defensive line for the Railers as well.
Tyler Brumfield also suited up for the Railers as a senior for the
final time.
The emotions of playing their final game got
the best of many of the seniors in the game's aftermath. There were
several hugs exchanged between players and the coaching staff.
Krusz, a junior, credited the senior class for
their play and their leadership.
"I owe the world to them, because coming in as
a junior without any varsity experience, every single one of them
took me under their wing," said Krusz. "We had nine seniors starting
on offense and usually eight on defense. They really helped me,
showed me the way.
"To come out, win for them and show them maybe
how much I appreciate them, it really means a lot. They're going to
be missed next year. They were great leaders and they are great
friends."
Eimer is hopeful that the underclassmen can
take the program to the next level in upcoming years.
"Keep working hard. Build off of this season.
Keep moving the program forward," said Eimer when asked what advice
he would give to the underclassmen. "Get in the weight room, get
stronger and faster, so we can come out next year and be more
successful."
McDonald said his first priority for next year
is to return as many players as possible from this year's team.
He's also hoping for a strong offseason, as
next year's team will have to replace starters at several positions.
"We've got to make sure, first of all, they are
going to be back next year," said McDonald. "Beyond that, they need
to either be playing a sport, where they're becoming more athletic
and more competitive, or, they need to get in the weight room and
become stronger, tougher, faster.
"They've got to have the burning desire inside
to be successful like this group of seniors did. You saw how hard
those guys ran tonight too: Tank, Cody and Conner. They were
relentless and didn't go down. We've got big shoes to fill. That's
the way it's going to be every year, but this is a really special
senior group. We've got to fill in for them."
[By JUSTIN
TIERNEY]
Justin Tierney's Railer football reports
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