Lincoln Plays Its Best Football Of Year, Loses To Taylorville

[September 22, 2018]  by Benjamin Yount

LINCOLN – Lincoln head football coach Matt Silkowski looked his team in the eye Friday night and told them that they did the impossible.

“Three years ago, if you would have told anyone that you would be within 17 points of the third ranked team in the state, they would have laughed in your face,” Silkowski said.

Lincoln was actually within four points of the third ranked Taylorville Tornadoes Friday night. Twice.

But it didn't start well for Lincoln.

It took Taylorville just three plays, and 26 seconds, to score their first touchdown.

Lincoln's defense then toughed, and held the Tornadoes to just one more score in the first quarter.

Lincoln then looked to score itself.

A Brandon Sweitzer interception and a few quick passes had Lincoln knocking on the door of the end zone with the clock closing in on four minutes in left in the first half.

“We didn't quit,” junior quarterback Dreyden Pozsgei said. “We know that we can play like a team. We know that we can hang with anyone, as long as we want to.”

Sweitzer would push the ball in from the one yard line to make it a 14-6 score.

Taylorville responded with a 60 yard bomb, them a couple of quick runs to go up 22-6.

But Lincoln wasn't done.

Pozsgei drove his team down the field in the closing minute of the first half, using a combination of passes and scrambles to put the Railsplitters within striking distance.

A 17 yard pass to Noah Funk with 44 seconds left in the half brought Lincoln to withing 10 points, 22-12.

“The pass game was definitely there today,” Pozsgei said after the game.

But Lincoln wasn't done scoring.

Lincoln quarterback Dreyden Pozsgei gets ready to toss a strike Friday night.  Pozsgei would finish the game against Taylorville with 253 yards and three touchdowns.

The Railsplitters took the opening kick of the second half and drove for a score, an 11-yard touchdown pass to Jayden Graham.

“We struggled moving the ball with the run game,” Lincoln coach Matt Silkowski said. “So we decided we were just going to throw it and see what happens.”

Lincoln had it's most explosive throwing night of the season. Pozsgei finished Friday night's game with 24 completed passes, 253 yards, and three touchdowns.

“Dreyden made some really good decisions with the ball,” Silkowski said. “He made some good throws and his receivers made some good catches for him.”

Lincoln and Taylorville traded touchdowns for most of the third quarter, but Taylorville pulled away in the fourth quarter.

Taylorville would win the game 43-26.

Lincoln falls to 1-4 on the season with the loss, Taylorville improves to 5-0.

Next up for the Railsplitters will be Charleston, who has yet to win a game this season.

Coach Silkowski said his team is eying a victory, but he's not counting on anything.

“We are 1-4,” Silkowski explained. “We are not in a position to take anyone for granted. We are an underdog every week. And that's the mentality we have to play with.”

[story by Benjamin Yount; photo by Sherri Sparrow]