Lincoln looks to get back to winning against Charleston
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[September 29, 2017]
By Benjamin Yount
LINCOLN – Lincoln's last home football
win came 51 weeks ago.
The Railers return to Handlin Field Friday night to take on the
Charleston High School Trojans in a game that Railsplitter head
coach Matt Silkowski said his team can win.
“(Charleston) is an 0-5 team heading into Friday night,” Silkowski
explained after Lincoln's final practice on Thursday. But he
cautioned his team against thinking the Trojans will be a pushover.
“They are a really good football team. They have a solid running
game.”
Charleston, like Lincoln, has played the cream of the Apollo
Conference during their first five games. The Trojans lost them all,
but averaged more than two touchdowns a game.
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2017/Sep/29/images/ads/current/lincolnchrysler_sda_050614.png)
“They run their inside zone play very well,” Silkowski said. “Their
backs hit the holes. They are very patient. Their quarterback does a
really good job. They throw when they have to.”
But Charleston's defense has given up and average of almost five
touchdowns a game.
Coach Silky hopes his offense can score that often as well.
“There are some looks we like,” Silkowski said. “They play a
standard base Cover Three. Which is something our kids are used to
seeing everyday.”
“We'll keep the ball moving,” Senior tailback Titus Cannon said.
“We'll make sure plenty of people touch the ball.”
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2017/Sep/29/images/ads/current/cliffs_sda_FOOTBALL_2017.png)
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Lincoln practices special teams ahead of
Friday's match up against
Charleston.
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2016/Mar/14/images/ads/current/tires250x300.gif)
Silkowski said the key for the Railer offense will be exploiting
mismatches.
The key could also be the Handlin Field faithful.
Lincoln has seen larger crowds this year. And Friday's game is the
first home game in three weeks.
“Everybody is pumped up for it,” Cannon added. “We're ready for the
crowd to make some noise. There is an expectation for this game.”
Friday's match up will do more than give Lincoln a chance to get
back into the win column.
The Railers' schedule for the rest of the season is easier than the
first half. Only one team remaining on the schedule has a winning
record.
If Lincoln wins out, that'd be five wins. In Illinois, five wins is
sometimes good enough to make the playoffs.
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2017/Sep/29/images/ads/current/chicagost_sda_FOOTBALL_2017.png)
“Going 5-4 and having a chance, at our stage in our program, having
a chance is all you can really ask for,” the coach said. “In life or
football, if you set yourself up for a chance, it's all you can
really ask for.”
Lincoln welcomes the Charleston High School Trojans to Handlin Field
Friday night. Kickoff is 7 p.m. [by
Ben Yount] |