Triad overpowers Lincoln 28-0, knocks Railers from postseason
consideration
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[October 22, 2022]
[October 21, 2022] Troy – A season filled with optimism ended in
disappointment as the LCHS football team fell to Triad High School
28-0, ending the Railers’ aspirations of making the postseason for
the first time since 1984.
Lincoln played well but was outsized by a Triad team that moved its
season record to 7-2 with the victory and will advance to the IHSA
playoffs.
“I thought we played tough,” Lincoln coach Matt Silkowski said
following the game. “Obviously, you want to score points, but I
thought we had two drives sputter down in their end on our opening
drive and to start the third quarter. But we had a turnover and they
made a nice play on 4th and 3.”
Lincoln deferred after winning the coin toss, and it appeared to be
a good sign for the Railers as Triad bobbled the opening kickoff.
The Knights recovered the ball at their own 21-yard line but could
not return the ball due to Lincoln’s downfield coverage.
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2022/Oct/22/images/ads/current/lincoln_Printers_sda_FOOTBALL_2022.png)
However, the good vibes from Lincoln’s initial kickoff coverage
slowly eroded away, as Triad opened its first drive of the game with
a 16-yard run. The Knights continued moving the ball downfield and
broke into the scoring column with 7:34 remaining in the first
quarter when senior running back Jason Randoll ran the ball 11 yards
to the end zone on a 3rd-and-five situation to give the Knights a
6-0.
That would be all the scoring Triad would need, but the Knights
added two more touchdowns in the second quarter to take a 21-0
halftime lead. The Railers continued to compete and never gave up,
but Lincoln was ultimately outmatched by the bigger Knights team.
Given that Lincoln played the game with a depleted roster, With an
enrollment of 1157.5 according to the IHSA web site, Triad was able
to outmuscle the Railers over four quarters en route to a 28-0 win.
Lincoln had a few opportunities to pull closer but could not
capitalize. With the 3:40 remaining the second quarter and Triad
leading 14-0, the Railers took possession following a missed field
goal attempt by Triad. After Lincoln got a first down but could not
advance the ball further, the Railers punted to Triad with 2:01
remaining in the first half. The Lincoln defense could not hold, and
the Knights added a touchdown with 44 seconds remaining in the
quarter on a 25-yard touchdown pass. The PAT give Ttiad at 21-0 lead
at the half.
The teams played a scoreless third quarter, with opportunities for
Lincoln to get back into the game but unable to do so. At one point,
the Railers had Triad in a long first down situation due to a
penalty, but Triad managed to make the necessary yardage to keep its
drive alive and frustrate Lincoln.
“They were [in a] 1st-and-35 [situation],” Silkowski said. “They ran
a quarterback read play, and they just gashed us on it. It was a
good play by them and a bad play by us defensively.
“We were at the point where we know it’s going to be tough to come
back and win the game just because of how depleted we were. We’ve
got to be better than that.”
As time continued to be erased from the clock, so too did the
Railers playoff hopes. Triad added another touchdown in the fourth
quarter for the final 28-0 margin of victory.
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2022/Oct/22/images/ads/current/culligan_sda_FAIR_2022.png)
“Offensively, we needed to make some plays, and we weren’t able to
do that,” Silkowski said. “We kind of knew it was going to be hard
to sustain drives against them just given how beat up we were. We
just needed to make some big plays and we didn’t make enough of
them.”
![](../images/102222PIX/Darren%20Stevens_small.jpg)
Darren Stevens
Lincoln quarterback Darren Stevens completed 9 of 19 passes for 58
yards.
![](../images/102222PIX/Paytan%20Bunner_small.jpg)
Paytan Bunner
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![](../images/102222PIX/Ki_on%20Carson_small.jpg)
Ki'on Carson
Paytan Bunner led the Railers with 46 yards rushing as Ki’on Carson
added 26. Carson also led LCHS with 36 receiving yards.
![](../images/102222PIX/Isaac%20Decker_small.jpg)
Isaac Decker
![](../images/102222PIX/Colbie%20Glenn_small.jpg)
Colbie Glenn
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2022/Oct/22/images/ads/current/friendshipmanor_sda_FOOTBALL_2022.png)
![](../images/102222PIX/Jaden%20Leadley_small.jpg)
Jaden Leadley
Defensively, Isaac Decker tallied 16 tackles for Lincoln with Colbie
Glenn and Jaden Leadley added 8 apiece.
Although the outcome wasn’t what the team, its coaches or its fans
hoped for, Silkowski said he was proud of the Railers’ effort.
“Given how down we were, I still think we played well and we gave
them our best shot,” he said. “I think the score could’ve been a
little closer than the scoreboard showed if we’d finished those two
drives, but we played with good effort all night. I’m proud of
them.”
Lincoln ends the season with a 4-5 overall record. While the loss
ends the Railer football season, it also ends the seniors’ time with
the LCHS the football program. Congratulations and thank you to
Lincoln seniors Peyton Bennett (cheerleader), Isaac Decker (RB/DB),
Braydon Denney (OL/DL), Jerod Fults (RB/DL), Sebastian Hill (OL/DL),
Payton Johnson (RB/LB), Chloe Johnston (manager), Jaden Leadley
(TE/LB), David Morrow (OL/DL), Hattie Mourning (cheerleader), Ryan
O'Donoghue (OL/DL), Noah Rachall (OL/DL), Nicco Sundeen (OL/DL) and
Taylor Winebrinner (cheerleader) for dedicating their time and
sharing their talents during the football season.
Next season will include games closer to Lincoln as Railer football
is scheduled to open play in making its return to the Central State
8 conference on August 25 at Springfield Lanphier.
[Loyd Kirby]
Note: all statistics in this story are unofficial. Photo
credits: Steve Klemm.
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