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 And while winning might not be Lincoln head
football coach Jared Shaner's main enjoyment, there's no doubt that
a Railer win tonight in their Central State 8 Conference contest at
Jacksonville would help cure the feeling of exasperation he's been
plagued with this season.
"It's just so frustrating to continue to make
the same mistakes," Shaner said. "You know, they're just basic
things that we've got to keep going back and working on -- basic
handoff drills and taking care of the football and that type of
stuff."
Jacksonville comes into the game 3-3 overall
and 2-3 in the CS8. With perennial powerhouse Sacred Heart-Griffin
in their sights next week, Jacksonville needs victories against
Lincoln this week and Centralia in three weeks to reach five
victories and become eligible for the IHSA postseason playoffs.
Quarterback Nick Lonergan leads the offense
with 1,670 yards passing and 449 yards rushing. In addition, the
6-foot junior has passed for nine touchdowns and run for nine more.
"They're a good football team," Shaner said of
Jacksonville. "They throw the ball really well and they run the ball
really well. They're definitely not one-dimensional."
For the Railers' offense, Lincoln quarterback
Stephen Duncan was removed from last week's game against Springfield
Lanphier following a hard hit. Under the guidance of his
replacement, sophomore James Leisinger, Lincoln's offense didn't
seem to miss a beat.
Duncan finished the night 7 for 11 with 72
yards, while Leisinger completed 3 of 6 passes for 51 yards.
Shaner said Duncan will return to action this week,
but Leisinger might see some playing time as well.
"Stephen will be ready to go," Shaner said.
"His neck was a little sore earlier in the week, but overall he's
fine; he'll be ready to go.
"We've been giving Leisinger a few snaps this
week as well, and we'll maybe try to work him in just a little bit
to save a little wear and tear on Stephen. They'll both be ready to
go on Friday."
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While casual observers might scoff at the
Railers' record this season, success in building a football program
is not measured solely by victories. And while Shaner, his coaches
and the players would love nothing more than to break into the win
column this week, a disappointing won-lost mark is not the only
measure of achievement.
"I look back on the last few years and I've
felt like we've improved every year," Shaner said. "This year,
obviously, we're not going to improve wins-and-losses-wise, but
hopefully we've improved in some other ways.
"There's other things besides wins and losses
in building a program. It's having kids with character, quality
kids. And we're definitely on the right track with all those
things."
For those unable to make the trip to
Jacksonville, Lincoln Daily News will simulcast the WLCN-FM 96.3 broadcast of the game, beginning at 6:45 p.m.
[By LOYD KIRBY]
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