Abraham Lincoln’s 21 new starters watched the championship banner from last season get flipped over the end zone gate next to the one from 2013 before the season opener on Sept. 4.
They proceeded to show they are a threat to add a third.
The Railspitters football team overcame a slow start to turn back rival Erasmus Hall’s veteran squad 21–14 last Friday night in Coney Island. The game was a rematch of last year’s Public School Athletic League City Conference final and an early statement from a Lincoln squad perceived to be a step behind Erasmus and Grand Street because of its youth.
“It shows that Lincoln is back,” said senior quarterback Jordan Hannah. “We are always going to be here.”
It was Hannah, who saw time at running back last season, who ensured that was the case. He was stellar in his first varsity start under center after not playing quarterback since his youth football days. Hannah went 12 of 18 passing for 114 yards and a touchdown and ran for 92 more yards on 18 carries. More importantly, he didn’t turn the ball over.
“He was our best player coming back,” said Lincoln coach Shawn O’Connor. “He was our only starter on the team so we said, ‘Why not put him at quarterback?’ ”
Lincoln trailed 6–0 after a two-yard touchdown from Erasmus Hall quarterback Aaron Grant at the 7:20 mark of the first quarter. The Railsplitters scored 24-straight points after that, starting with an Axel Pembele 26-yard field goal to make it 6–3 early in the second quarter. The play came after a fake punt attempt by Erasmus failed and gave Lincoln the ball at the Dutchmen’s 37-yard line.
The Railsplitters caught another break when a roughing-the-kicker penalty on Erasmus kept Lincoln’s first touchdown drive alive. Corey Wright capped the 14-play, 58-yard drive with his first of two one-yard scoring runs. It put Lincoln up 10–6 with 1:50 to go before halftime.
The Coney Island club sealed the win with a screen pass from Hannah to Kevin Medy that went 57-yards for a score to make it 24–6 early in the fourth. Medy had seven catches for 109 yards overall.
“I think we got a long way to go, but I am glad that they responded after that first touchdown,” O’Connor said.
While Lincoln found its rhythm, Erasmus couldn’t get in sync for several reasons after its early score.
The biggest was the Lincoln front four of Romello Martin, Jeavon Lessey, Shaquille Banton, and Ricky Foirde controlling the line of scrimmage. Lincoln stopped the Dutchmen from breaking free to the outside. Daniel Hyman recovered a fumble to end Erasmus’s first drive of the third quarter and linebacker Moses Dupree added an interception.
“We worked on tackling and worked on containment so they don’t get outside and affect us,” Dupre said.
What Erasmus was affected by the most was around a dozen players dealing with muscle cramps. Coach Danny Landberg’s team has more guys than usual playing both ways. Players having to constantly come out of the game against a good Lincoln defense quickly halted any momentum before it could build.
“The injuries left me scrabbling for who to put in next,” Landberg said. “We had three running backs cramp out.”
Grant was pressured by the Lincoln defense and struggled at times, missing a few chances for big plays. He completed eight of 20 passes for 101 yards and ran for 41 yards on the ground. Dejouree Addison added a five-yard touchdown run and a two-point conversion in the fourth.
It wasn’t enough to derail Lincoln’s quest for an opening-day win to prove that the names have changed but the winning will continue.
“It’s a statement win because has have 32 seniors that graduated and nobody thought that we could do it,” Dupre said. “We showed we could do it. It doesn’t matter. We know how to win.”
