Lincoln Football: End Of The Beginning

[October 22, 2016]  By Benjamin Yount

CHATHAM – Friday's game was long over by the time the Railers' offense took the field in the second half.

Chatham Glenwood, on its senior night and needing a win to clinch a playoff birth, jumped out to a 42–0 lead with three minutes to go in the first half.

The Titans didn't score again in the game. But neither did the Railsplitters.

Lincoln was able to move the ball just not to the end zone.

Chatham's running backs, Zakary Wardlow and Brandon Hay, split the Lincoln defense for easy first half touchdowns.

Lincoln Quarterback Andrew Yount threw the ball more and better than he had all season. A second quarter toss to sophomore Chad Baldwin put the Railers in scoring position in the first half. But a few mistakes and quick-whistles later, and Lincoln was was out of scoring range.

The game went about how you'd expect a contest between a 5-3 team fighting for a playoff spot and a 1-7 team playing for pride to go.

Lincoln lost.

Senior Zach Montcalm said the loss wasn't the hardest part for the senior class. The end was the hardest.

“We knew it was the end coming in,” Montcalm said. “But we wanted to play hard and not think about the end of our careers.”

Montcalm was one of many seniors fighting off tears as they changed out of their uniforms for the last time.

Senior fullback Trent Whitham said he knew the season would be just nine weeks. He didn't realize nine weeks would go so quickly.

“When we went to the 50-yard line to shake hands at the end of the game, I knew we were done” Whitham said as he fought off tears. “When that last buzzer sounded. It was over.”

But as the season ended for the senior class, the future of Railer football began.

“Now that we have the base of our system in place here, we can come out in June of next year and hit the ground running,” Head Coach Matt Silkowski said Friday night.

Lincoln is leaving the Central State Eight. The Railsplitters will play in the Apollo Conference next year.

Coach Silkowski said he expects his team to do more than just compete.

“(There are a lot of ) younger guys who played in starting roles and back-up roles this year, who we'll look to as starters net year,” Silkowski said. “Obviously we get Titus Cannon and Isiah Bowers is back. Issac Derringer will be up front. Gage Wilson on the offensive line. Kade Schmidt at center. A lot of guys coming back. Matthew Yount is playing linebacker and Austin Sparrow is returning on defense.”

Silkowski said he expects a lot of his returning players next year.

Lincoln ends the season as it hasn't since 2012. The Railers won a game.

The Railpslitters don't leave the Central State Eight on the highest of notes.

But there are a few things to remember:

The Central State Eight is the best football conference in downstate Illinois, if not the entire state. Sacred Heart Griffin and Rochester high schools are perennial state championship threats. And six of the ten teams in the conference will make the playoffs this year.

Lincoln is the second smallest schools in the conference. LCHS's listed enrollment is 846 students. The four Springfield schools are all at least 1,100 students. The two Decatur schools are both at least 1,00 students.

And Lincoln scored more touchdowns and more points than last year.

But most importantly, fans and parents who spent a long year in the stands can attest to this, the team never gave up.

The Lincoln football team will open the season against Macomb next August.