Railsplitters win a thriller 31-28 over Collinsville

[September 30, 2019]  Saturday night at Handlin Field was part two of the Lincoln versus Collinsville football game, and as Bob Verderber put it eloquently with a huge smile across his face after the game, “It took 25 hours to win this game.” 

The game was a rollercoaster ride the entire time, complete with suspenseful moments that had fans on the edge of their seats, moments intense enough to make one nauseous, and finally, exhilarating moments that literally had fans flying off the bleachers in excitement. 

This one was an instant classic. A Railer win under dark blue skies as a sea of “Red Railer” fans converged on the field after the thrilling victory. The fans’ targets were those exhausted “Railer Green” players who kicked in their after-afterburners and celebrated in a huddle with Railer Nation. Everyone was jumping up and down ecstatically. The last one to approach the group was a very beat up but grinning Kameron Whiteman, the senior wide receiver who joined the team late this season because he decided kind of last minute to play football. Whiteman had not played the game since junior high, but he has a passion for football and on this night that passion was loud and clear. 

With 3.2 seconds left on the game clock and the Railers down 28-24 to the Collinsville Kahoks, Whiteman let everybody know he just didn’t come to play, he came to win. 

A tremendous pass under pressure by Lincoln quarterback Dreyden Pozsgai spiraled thru the air with Whiteman as its intended target and this was just the first breathtaking moment. Whiteman leaped into the air and snagged the pass, making an amazing catch and holding on to the ball as he carefully hit the ground with both feet inbounds by no more than six inches, scoring a touchdown in the middle of the end zone. It was picture perfect. A beautiful breathtaking catch. Alex Bogdanic followed that up with a perfect kick for the extra point and Lincoln was up 31-28 with that 3.2 seconds on the game clock.

As the Railers celebrated on the sidelines and scrambled to hit the field again, the coaches yelled, “It’s not over! Let’s go!” 

In the final 3.2 seconds Lincoln would have to kickoff the ball three times to Collinsville. On the first kick Lincoln was hit with a kicked out of bounds penalty, although it appeared the Collinsville player touched the ball first. Lincoln’s second setback was an offsides penalty. Finally on the third kick, Kyler Williams picked up the ball and ran with it until he slipped and fell. That was the end of the ballgame. 

Lincoln 31 Collinsville 28.

A great game won by the home team and newcomer Kameron Whiteman was at the center of it all. Whiteman scored two touchdowns on Saturday night to help Lincoln to its first win of the 2019 season.  

 

After a good night’s sleep, Whiteman offered his collected thoughts on Sunday morning. “I decided to come out for football since I regretted not playing years before and I did not want to regret it down the road,” said Whiteman. As for those final moments of the game, he said, “During the last drive I knew our offense was going to push down the field and get us that touchdown. We came up short too many times this season and I just had the feeling that there was going to be a big play made on that drive. Dreyden was outstanding last night, he trusted me throughout that whole game even after I missed my first catch. He was putting the ball only where I could make a play on it.” 

And what a play Whiteman made with 3.2 seconds left in the game. It’s going to be hard to ever top that one. 

Lincoln Head Coach Matt Silkowski was tired after the win but incredibly proud of this team. “I’m so dang happy and proud of our kids,” he said. “That school has eleven hundred more kids than we do and for our guys to come out and go blow to blow with those guys for forty-eight minutes in the past two days just really shows the resiliency of our kids.

"I am so happy for them. You know, I love ‘em.

"I think that this could be what our season needed. We ended this game the right way. There is so much emotion obviously involved tonight. I am just really happy with these guys.

"We were so banged up and we’ve gone through a lot of adversity this week with injuries and some other issues. We just overcame things and I am so proud of how these guys responded.

"I thought we did a really good job of taking care of the football. We only had one turnover tonight and that was on that kickoff there. We protected the football.

"I am just so happy and proud of our guys for doing the little things right tonight. We played the game the right way and that’s what I am most proud of,” concluded Silkowski. 

The 25-hour affair 

With a 7-7 tie between the teams in the first quarter on Friday night, the game was postponed to Saturday night at 6 p.m. at Handlin Field.

On Friday night senior Alex Bogdanic had scored a touchdown and kicked the extra point for a 7-0 Lincoln lead.

Senior Kyler Williams of Collinsville answered quickly with a touchdown and the extra point by freshman kicker Andrew Chi tied the game 7-7.

Then the lightning strikes off in the distance halted the game. After much discussion between the athletic directors, the game was called off until Saturday. 

On Saturday night Lincoln jumped in the lead again on a 35-yard touchdown pass from Pozsgai to Jayden Graham with 18.2 seconds showing on the second quarter clock. Bogdanic kicked the Railers to a 14-7 lead. 

In the third quarter Kyler Williams ran for a 21-yard touchdown on the handoff from quarterback Jake Holten and it was Collinsville scoring with 6:33 on the clock. The extra point was no good and Lincoln held on to a shoestring 14-13 lead. 

With 4:19 remaining in the third quarter, Collinsville regained the lead. Gabe Miller had a 5-yard touchdown run for the Kahoks and the 2-point conversion by Collinsville made it a 21-14 ballgame.

With 42.2 seconds left in the third quarter, Whiteman scored his first career touchdown in a Railer uniform. He scored the touchdown on a 28-yard catch from Pozsgai. After the kick was good once again by Bogdanic, it was a brand new ballgame with the score tied 21-21.  

Lincoln took the lead in the fourth quarter on a 34-yard field goal by Bogdanic. The kick was simply outstanding and at the 5:49 mark Bogdanic gave Lincoln the 24-21 lead.  

Collinsville got right back on the scoreboard at the 4:04 mark as Holten took it upon himself to navigate through traffic and into the end zone. His 37-yard touchdown run put the Kahoks up 27-24 and after the successful kick by Chi, Collinsville was on top 28-24. 

The last four minutes of the game would be intense to say the least. Just ahead of the three-minute mark, a pass complete to Jayden Pollice would be knocked away from him and recovered by Collinsville. 

Lincoln’s stellar defense would keep the Kahoks from scoring, however. Collinsville was forced to punt the ball away deep into the Lincoln end zone. Lincoln ends up with the ball on the 20-yard line for a first and 10. Let’s go, Lincoln, buckle up those seatbelts on the rollercoaster. There is 2:08 remaining in the game now.

Hang on, folks.

A pass from Pozsgai to Pollice was good but resulted in a 10-yard penalty and put Lincoln back at their own 10-yard line. A Pozsgai to Whiteman play resulted in a second and 13. Then it was Pozsgai back to Pollice for the first down at the 31-yard line. Pozsgai to Whiteman then allowed the Railers to gain seven yards as no. 4 wisely spun out of bounds. At 1:13 Pozsgai threw the ball out of bounds to stop the clock. It would be a third down and three for the Railers at the 38-yard line.

Timeout Collinsville.

Five seconds after the game resumes, it was Pozsgai to Whiteman and the Railers advanced to the 46-yard line. With 1:03 left Pozsgai found Whiteman at the Collinsville 47-yard line. Pozsgai’s pass to Austin Prater at the Collinsville 35-yard line just kept the intensity of the game up.

Offsides by Collinsville was called and that moved the ball up five yards with 50.4 seconds remaining.

Pozsgai then ran the ball in and got close to the 10-yard line. But a personal foul against the Railers moved the ball back to the 27-yard line and Lincoln would pick it back up with a first and 10.

With about 30 seconds remaining in the game, Pozsgai was tackled and had to hurry back up to the line of scrimmage and throw the ball down to stop the clock again.

Timeout Collinsville.

Out of the timeout it would be second and 10 at the Collinsville 27-yard line. Here come the Railers.

With Pozsgai scrambling, he would be taken down from behind by a Collinsville player and that move resulted in a 15-yard penalty on the Kahoks.

Moving quickly, Lincoln was inside the 20-yard line when a Whiteman catch, as he was going out of bounds, resulted in an unsportsmanlike conduct call against Collinsville.

With 13.6 seconds remaining Collinsville was issued a 15-yard penalty. It would be first and goal at the 9-yard line for Lincoln when the mud quit flying.

Pozsgai had an incomplete with 7.6 seconds left but yet no one dressed in red or green was about to give up.

Pozsgai and Whiteman got another chance, a second date after a bad blind date kind of chance, and this time it was magical. Pozsgai fired the ball at Whiteman and it just glided through the night sky until Whiteman snared it and wouldn’t let it go. The senior who just loves the game of football kept his feet in bounds long enough for the official to signal TOUCHDOWN!

Whiteman may have fallen down, but he got back up like a spring to celebrate his 9-yard miracle catch. It was beautiful. Lincoln took the 30-28 lead and Handlin Field exploded with applause and hollering from fans in the stands and along the fences.

Bogdanic didn’t disappoint with his kick for the extra point and Lincoln was in the lead 31-28. Pure excitement.

The Railsplitters outstanding defense and superb offense on this night carried the team to a sweet victory in Week 5. 

Lincoln 31 Collinsville 28

Game note on a school record: 

Kameron Whiteman also most likely broke the school record of 9 receptions in a game. According to Coach Silkowski, the stat guy is going to watch the film again this week to do the stats. Unofficially Silkowski thinks Whiteman had 12 receptions, but he obviously wants to double-check on that.

Congrats Kameron!

Injury update on Collinsville’s Aaron Molton: 

The 6’7 senior tight end for the Kahoks had to be carried off the field Friday night on a stretcher. Word is, “He will have surgery and he will be fine. They popped his ankle back in place and it was not as bad as it looked.” This information is according to teammates on Saturday night who appreciated the thoughts. Molton’s injury looked devastating on Friday night so it’s a relief he’s going to be fine in the long run. 

What’s up with Jake Benninger?

Lincoln’s big guy was hobbling on the sidelines in street clothes Saturday night after suffering a minor injury to his leg on Friday night. A couple days rest and he is confident he will be fine. Just a lot of soreness right now. Get well soon, Jake!

Next week the Railers (1-4) travel to Mahomet-Seymour for an Apollo Conference matchup. Go Railers!

[Teena Lowery]