Railers Ready To Be Tested In Macomb

[August 25, 2017]  By Benjamin Yount

LINCOLN – Lincoln's offensive line knows all eyes will be on them.

Not that the hundreds of fans who will travel to Macomb for Friday night's game will only watch the play of the five young men from tackle to tackle.

But senior Issac Dueringer knows that the 2017 Lincoln Railsplitters will only be as good as the offensive line allows them to be.

“We're better than we were in previous years. But we still have a lot of inadequacies,” Dueringer said after Thursday final practice.

Lincoln head football coach Matt Silkowski said Dureinger is a senior, but most of the rest of the front five (Jake Benninger, JT Guzzardo, Kade Schmidt, and Gage Wilson) are underclassmen.

“We're real young up front,” Silkowski said. “Three new starters. Which obviously is an offensive coordinator's nightmare come true. But we believe in them. They wouldn't be starting if we didn't believe in them.”

The line, perhaps more importantly, believes in itself.

“I think our identity is Swag,” said junior left guard Wilson.

The line's first test comes Friday night against Macomb.

The Bombers from Macomb High School won just two games last year, including one against an Olympia team that didn't win a single game.

Macomb's quarterback, Jake Burg, will start once again. But in a spread offense.

The 2017 Railers Varsity football team.

“They were in a different offense last year. So this change was something we were hoping they were going to make,” coach Silky said. “They're got a real good tight end (Payton Hammond). He's a real good football player.”

Silkowski said he expects the Lincoln defense to swarm the ball and be aggressive.

It's the Railer offense though that has the coach excited.

“Titus Cannon and Isaiah Bowers. Everybody knows them from last year,” Silkowski explained about his offense. “But additions like Issac Dewberry, Payton Anderson has really stepped up as a sophomore. Noah Funk has stepped up as a sophomore as well.”

Silkowski said Lincoln has a number of weapons this year.

Macomb is a non-conference game for the Railsplitters. Lincoln joins the Apollo Conference this year, but the Apollo only has seven members. The Railers will have three non-conference opponents this seaon.

The first Apollo Conference match-up comes week two at home against Mt. Zion.

Kickoff Friday is set for 7 p.m. at Macomb High School.