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Durbin, Long
combine for 5 touchdowns in 33-20 Railer win over Eisenhower
[September 27, 2025]
DECATUR – It’s not how you start, it’s how you finish.
The adage seemed applicable to the Railer football squad in its game
Friday at Eisenhower. Lincoln fell behind early when Panther
quarterback Garryon Henderson ran for a 75-yard touchdown three
minutes into the contest, but the Railers dominated in time of
possession the remainder of the game in earning their first win of
the season, 33-20.
Head Coach Matt Silkowski
“I’m really happy. I’m really proud of our players,” Railer head
coach Matt Silkowski said. “We had a good week of practice and we
executed the game plan really well.”
Last week against U-High, the Pioneers took the opening kickoff to
the end zone to jump out to an early advantage over Lincoln 17
seconds into the game. It didn’t happen as quickly this week, but
three minutes into the game, the Railers again were looking up at a
6-0 deficit thanks to an early touchdown by their opponents.
To add to the rollercoaster of emotion, the Panthers had the first
possession of the game, but Railer defender Leland Jackson
intercepted an Eisenhower pass near the goal line to thwart the
early drive by the Panthers. Lincoln followed that with a sustained
drive downfield, picking up five first downs in the process. But the
Railers had the ball taken away by the Panthers on the Eisenhower
23-yard line. Two plays later, Henderson took off on his 75-yard
scamper to the end zone to give Eisenhower an early 6-0 lead.
“We were in a position to make a play, and we just didn’t make it,”
Silkowski said. And that’s just a lot of credit to that kid
[Henderson]. We saw on film that, if we allowed him to get loose, he
had the ability to do that. And he did.”
Jacob Long
Lincoln chewed up the remaining time in the first quarter with
another sustained drive, and the Railers maintained possession
entering the second quarter. On the first play of the period, with
assistance from several Railers who kept the pile of players moving
toward the goal line, Jacob Long scored on an 18-yard touchdown run.
Lucas Melton hit the extra point, and Lincoln took at 7-6 lead.
Eisenhower couldn’t move the ball on its next possession and punted.
The Railers then went 3-and-out and punted, but Lincoln’s Paxton
Lora was downfield and recovered the ball at the 4-yard line when
Eisenhower didn’t handle the punt. Three plays later, Seth Durbin
powered the ball into the end zone to widen the Railer lead. Melton
hit the extra point to give Lincoln a 14-6 lead.
[to top of second column] |
The Panthers clawed their way a bit closer before halftime as
Henderson again displayed his speed and agility on a 68-yard
scramble to the end zone for his second touchdown of the game,
making the score 14-12 in favor of Lincoln at intermission.
The Railers drove the ball downfield to open the second half. Facing
a 4th-and-2 situation from the Panther 13-yard line, the Railers
drew Eisenhower offsides to keep the drive alive. A short time
later, Jacob Long took the ball from the 19-yard line and cut into
the end zone for another Railer touchdown to give Lincoln a 20-12
lead.
Just one minute into the fourth quarter, Seth Durbin notched another
touchdown for the Railers, this time from 2 yards out. Lucas Melton
hit the PAT to make the score 27-12.
On the ensuing kickoff, the Railer defense had good downfield
coverage and forced a fumble. Freshman Quinten Mead came up with the
loose ball to give Lincoln possession at the Eisenhower 25-yard
line.
Durbin added another touchdown run for the Railers to extend the
lead to 33-12. Henderson threw for another Panther touchdown midway
through the quarter, but it wasn’t enough as Lincoln earned its
first win of the season by defeating Eisenhower 33-20.
According to unofficial statistics, Durbin led Lincoln with 160 net
yards rushing and three touchdowns on 26 carries. Long averaged 9.2
yards per carry, compiling 101 net yards on 11 carries and adding
two touchdowns. Melton chipped in with 86 yards on 14 carries.
Lincoln picked up 21 first downs compared to 11 for the host school.
The Railers compiled 341 yards on offense while Eisenhower amassed
319 yards, 244 of which were gained by Henderson.
With the Railer offense seeming to find some rhythm against
Eisenhower, Silkowski said Lincoln will have to play sound defense
to compete with Macarthur in the next game for the Railers.
“We’ve just got to be better at tackling really good athletes in
space,” he said. “Macarthur likes to have the quarterback just catch
the ball and run outside in what we’ve seen so far.
“It’s going to be something we need to work on next week, and keep
on working on open field tackling.”
The Railers travel to Decatur again for the contest against the
Generals on October 3. Lincoln then returns home October 10 for a 7
PM game against Glenwood on senior night.
[Loyd Kirby]
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