|
 The roll of
Thursday’s storm, however, will be replaced by the roar of the
faithful Friday night at Handlin Field as the team opens the 2014
football season.
Senior nose
tackle Eric Sutton said the game plan is simple.
“Each player,
just punch ‘em in the mouth,” Sutton said as he walked off the
practice field. “Knock ‘em down on the ground. If they try and get
back up, put them back on the ground again.”
The Railers
will need that toughness.
Not because
Springfield Southeast High School is an overwhelming opponent, but
because the Railers are limping a bit.
Senior leadership
“I think we
counted, potentially, 12 starting positions out of 22 that are going
to be out this week,” Lincoln head coach Andy McDonald said.
McDonald said
some starters are nursing old injuries, some are sitting the bench
for disciplinary reasons, and some do not have the IHSA mandated 12
practices needed to take the field Friday night.
One of the
players ready for the Friday night lights is junior quarter back
Garrett Aeilts.
Aeilts played a
back-up role last season, but said he’s ready to be done with
practice and go after some guys in different colored jerseys.
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“There’s always
those butterflies,” Aeilts said after Thursday’s last preparation.
“Not so much butterflies, as excitement. It’s going to be a rush
coming out there Friday night under the lights.”
It will be
under those lights that the Railers will get the first good look at
their opponent.
Southeast High
School has a new football coach this year, and senior linebacker
Chris Duong said that makes gaming-planning a bit more difficult.
“All we know is
that they’re going to run the spread offense,” Duong said. “We’re
not quite sure what else.”
“They typically
are going to have some good athletes and good quickness,” coach
McDonald added. “They’ve got some tough kids and, I’ve heard, some
pretty good numbers.”
Southeast won
three games in 2013, the Railers did not win any last year.
The two teams
will kick off of Handlin Field at 7 p.m.
[© 2014 Thomson Reuters. All rights
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