 Yet, no matter what kind of season a team has, the end always comes
too soon.Tonight marks that too-soon moment for the Lincoln
Railer football team.
Lincoln takes on Olympia in their season finale at Handlin Field.
Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.
For Railer coach Andy McDonald and his players, the season went
by too fast.
"Once we start the games, it just flies by," said McDonald.
"There's so much time and hours of preparation. It's conditioning,
the weight room, all that. You get so excited for the season to
start. And then -- boom, it's gone. It's hard to believe we're at
this point right now."
The night will have added emotion, as it will be the final game
in a Railer uniform for Lincoln's seniors.
It's a group that will hold a special place in McDonald's heart
as a group that persevered through a challenge of playing with only
roughly 30 players on the varsity roster each week.
"They are a very special group, because they've shown such great
leadership and pride in our team, our program," said McDonald.
"Being a small group, they've taken the bull by the horns. They've
known those guys are going to be on the field most of the game.
"I've been really proud of their leadership and the positive
attitude that they've shown, week after week. We've had no
discipline problems all year. I give credit for that to those guys.
It's their leadership."
McDonald has elected not to talk much about the finality of the
game this week in practice, in an attempt to keep his team focused.
"We've talked about being focused, about going out, doing our
jobs. We've tried to talk to them the way we have all year," said
McDonald. "I think they realize, the seniors especially, that it's
going to be an emotional time. It's a big game they're going to
remember for a long time. We want them to have great memories of
Lincoln football, and part of that is finishing the season strong."
Opponent Olympia mirrors Railers
McDonald said what he's seen of Olympia tells him that there are
some similarities between the two programs.
Both schools prefer to run the ball, behind physical offensive
lines.
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"I expect that we'll match up with them athletically," said
McDonald. "I think we're pretty similar. They've shown on the
film we've watched that they like to run the ball and be
physical upfront. We have to come out and be ready, physical and
ready to stop the run."
Olympia enters the game with a record of 1-7. Lincoln enters with
a 2-6 record.
With the exception of Rochester -- which is ranked No. 1 in this
week's Illinois Associated Press Class 4A poll -- the matchup versus
Olympia marks the only time all season that the Railers have had a
higher enrollment than their opponent. Olympia's enrollment is 569,
compared with Lincoln at 841.
The last supper
This week doesn't only mark the final football game, but also the
final Thursday evening meal that the team enjoys.
Every week, the Lincoln Railer football boosters cook a meal for
the team at Immanuel Lutheran Church, which is adjacent to the LCHS
parking lot. McDonald also has brought in a motivational speaker
each week.
McDonald expressed his appreciation for the weekly volunteer
effort to feed his players.
"It's been tremendous. Our booster club does so much for it,"
said McDonald. "We need more people involved in the booster club, so
it's not the same people always doing it. We're so thankful for them
taking time out of their own evenings to support these kids.
"We've brought in some speakers some this year. It's good to eat,
have some fellowship and fun, and get a good message from speaker.
And we can always count on a good meal."
[By JUSTIN TIERNEY]
Justin
Tierney's Railer football reports
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