By Troy Hayes
MaxPreps.com
Lincoln High School has long been known for its basketball tradition, with coaches such as Neil Alexander, Loren Wallace and Duncan Reid helping the school to nearly 1,600 victories in 95 years.
The same cannot be said for its football program.
The Railsplitters have not only had trouble establishing a tradition, wins of any kind have long been tough to come by on the football field.
Lincoln has managed just three winning seasons in the past 33 years. The Railers went 9-1 in 1975, 9-2 in 1984 and 5-4 in 1985, but otherwise they have 54 wins in the other 30 seasons.
They haven’t put together three wins in a row since 1984, but that could change this week. With a 35-28 win over Springfield Southeast two weeks ago, followed by a 35-21 upset of Chatham Glenwood last week, the Railers have a chance at a hat trick when they face 0-6 Springfield Lanphier this Friday.
Injured Flyer Recovering
East St. Louis junior linebacker Demond Hunt Jr. continues to show signs of improvement after suffering a serious head injury during the Flyers’ 65-12 win against Collinsville last Friday.
Hunt remains in serious condition in the Intensive Care Unit at Cardinal Glennon Hospital in St. Louis, but could be moved out of ICU soon, his father, Demond Hunt Sr. told the Belleville News-Democrat.
"Demond had a real good day (Tuesday) and we're hoping that he'll be moved out of ICU as soon as a bed opens up," Hunt Sr. told News-Democrat writer Dean Criddle. "He has an unevenness in one of his eyes, but the doctors tell us that that should clear up with time."
Hunt, a 5-foot-11, 190-pound linebacker, was injured late in the second quarter. He was taken to Anderson Hospital in Maryville, then airlifted to Cardinal Glennon, where he has been in intensive care since early Saturday morning.
Rivalry Ending
Friday night will be the 83rd and final regular season meeting between Carlinville and Gillespie. The longtime rivalry began in 1927 and saw one postseason meeting between the two.
Gillespie will leave the South Central West Conference and join the Prairie State next season. Carlinville owns a 50-29-3 edge over Gillespie.
Fall Baseball
Tanner Bushue has long been a terror on the mound for South Central High School. He’s been playing for the Cougars since he was a freshman and this year, his last at the school, he’s kicked his game up a notch.
Bushue gave up just one earned run this fall. He struck out 112 batters in 45 1/3 innings, including 19 in seven innings in his last start. He gave up just 10 hits overall.
The Cougars went 18-3-1 this fall and won the Midland Trail Conference tournament.
Volleyball
Chatham Glenwood’s Hannah Werth set the state’s all-time kills record during a match with Springfield Lanphier this week.
Werth’s 15 kills pushed her total to 1,703, surpassing Morton’s Allison McGlaughlin, who had 1,697 from 2004-2007. Werth, a senior who has played at the varsity level since her freshman year, has 287 kills this season.
“She’s at the top,” coach Larry Sample told the Springfield Journal Register’s Robert Burns when asked about Werth’s place among players he’s coached.
“We’re even having her set this year, and she’s picked it up like she’s been doing it forever. Like in baseball, she’s a five-tool player.”
According to the Illinois High School Association, Werth’s 699 kills in 2007 was the second-best of all-time. Darien Hinsdale South’s Amy Pauly holds the record of 717, set in 2003.
Soccer
A week after knocking the St. Louis Post-Dispatch’s No.1-ranked high school, CBC, Edwardsville took a shot at the new top-ranked team, St. Louis University High.
But Edwardsville (9-3) couldn’t find the same magic it did in its 2-1 win over CBC, one of Missouri’s top soccer clubs. SLU-High topped Edwardsville 6-0.
Games You Can’t Miss
Stark County (6-0) at Princeville (6-0): Both are undefeated and both have earned it.
MacArthur (6-0) at Normal (5-1): Generals thought they were a year away from being really good.
Mahomet-Seymour (6-0) at Bloomington Central Catholic (6-0): Mahomet’s Brewer may be most complete player in state.
Tuscola (5-1) at Maroa-Forsyth (5-1): This was THE game last year. This year, it’s still pretty big.
Troy Hayes covers central and southern Illinois for MaxPreps. He may be reached at sportsgopher@yahoo.com
