Railers Take On Midgets To Close 2018 Season

[October 19, 2018]  By Benjamin Yount

LINCOLN – If you didn't know about high school football in Illinois the headline 'Railers vs Midgets' might sound like a wrestling match, or carnival attraction, or even the set-up to a joke.

But this is Illinois, and there are plenty unique high school nicknames.

Lincoln will travel to Freeburg Friday night for the Railers' final game of the 2018 season.

Freeburg, at 6-2 heading into Friday, is going to the playoffs as Cahokia Conference champions.

Lincoln, at 2-6 heading into Friday night, is going home.

Which is why the more interesting story for Friday is the team names.

All Lincoln fans know the lore of the Railsplitters. Right?

Abraham Lincoln surveyed the town, christened the town, and is Lincoln's namesake. One of his many jobs was to split trees into rails for fences. Hence the Railsplitters.

Freeburg's lore, it's just as well known in the Metro East.

According to Freeburg High School's website, a sports writer nicknamed the school the Midgets back in 1934 after Freeburg put a basketball team on the court without a player over five-feet 10-inches.

The name stuck.

“Many Illinois communities have great traditions and unique stories in regard to their mascots that they take great pride in,” Matt Troha with the Illinois High School Association said.

And believe it or not, the Midgets is not Illinois' most unique.

“Illinois does seem to have more than most. Many of our schools have deep roots, so I think that plays a big part,” Troha said. “It seems less likely that a brand new high school is going to call itself the Marcos (as in Polo HS), or the Cornjerkers (from Hoopeston), or the Appleknockers (from Cobden).”

There are also the Wooden Shoes in Teutopolis, the Orphans and Annies in Centralia, and the Pretzels in both New Berlin and Freeport.

In the Apollo Conference alone there are the Railers in Lincoln, the Tornadoes in Taylorville, the Flaming Hearts in Effingham, and the Green Wave in Mattoon.

“Illinois’ unique nicknames seem to get some national attention from time-to-time. Randomly, a national outlet will highlight unique high school nicknames or hold an online contest crowning the best one, and Illinois almost always has representation,” Troha said. “USA Today did a high school nickname contest in 2013 and the Centralia Orphans got 25 million votes to win the national title.”

The Lincoln Railsplitters will take on the Freeburg Midgets Friday night at Freeburg High School, kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.