Some rivalries are just meant for Homecoming week, and this is one of them. The Battle of Champaign took center stage as Allen Park hosted Lincoln Park for their Homecoming game. The rivalry was in full force from the coin toss as Lincoln Park players didn’t want to shake hands with Allen Park, and that set off the line of events that eventually led to a 41-22 Allen Park victory.
Lincoln Park
All-American
No, no, no, I’m not calling anyone an All-American, but if you’ve watched the CW show All American, you’ll know the star of that show was Spencer James, and the star of the show for the Railsplitters was junior Tristan James.
James rushed for 113 yards on 23 carries. He led the way on the field and looked like an absolute unit for the Railsplitters, and since he’s only a junior, he will be a guy to watch.
QB Mismatch
If you could take a snap at the quarterback position for the Railsplitters, you probably did. The Railsplitters used multiple quarterbacks, and you know our thoughts: if you have more than one quarterback, you have none. It looked like the Railsplitters were trying to run a quarterback competition in the fifth game of the year.
The use of four different players under center harmed them more than it helped, and if we’re being honest, it looked like they were at their best with Lee Hall-Thomas Jr. under center. He led the team in passing, going 4-for-5 for 27 yards, and he also rushed for the team’s first touchdown on a 21-yard run in the first quarter.
Allen Park
Homecoming
Last year, Allen Park lost on their Homecoming to Woodhaven. This year, they didn’t want to have a repeat performance, and that they didn’t. Coming off a big win over Woodhaven last week, the Jaguars turned their attention to rival Lincoln Park.
While the game started slow for the Jaguars, they turned up the heat in the second half as they scored 21 points and kept the opposing Railsplitters off the board until late in the fourth quarter.
Sky’s the Limit
The sky is the limit for the Jaguars and for quarterback Easton Danosky. While Danosky didn’t have his best game, he did enough to help his team win. Danosky finished the night completing 14 of his 18 passes for 201 yards and two touchdowns, and he also rushed for a score in the game.
Another player who stood out was two-way star Cooper Obrycki. Obrycki scored twice in the win. One was on a 2-yard touchdown run, and the other was on a 29-yard punt return. He finished the night with 57 yards on 8 carries.
If Danosky and Obrycki can keep up the performances they had against Lincoln Park, and Danosky continues doing what he’s been doing all season, the Jaguars will be in the hunt for the league title. If they keep their heads on straight and don’t make any stupid mistakes that could cost them between now and Week 9, they have a real chance. The only thing they might need is a third player to step up consistently, and that might be Owen Lacey, who scored a touchdown and had a two-point conversion in the game.
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Bear’s Final Take
This goes for all of you players: don’t do stupid things to win you stupid prizes. Before the game even started, the refs were on point and alerted to Lincoln Park for unsportsmanlike penalties. The Railsplitters’ captains didn’t shake hands with the Jaguars’ captains, which cost them 15 yards on the opening kickoff, and it just kept going, eventually leading to Tristan James being ejected from the contest. That will hurt the Railsplitters next week, as he will also be out of that game.
For the Jaguars, it’s as simple as controlling your own destiny. You are now 4-1, with your lone loss coming in Week 1. You have a path to make it an interesting end to the season, and with the team you have, it could be a matter of just keeping your heads on straight and avoiding small, dumb mistakes that could get someone ejected before you match up with Carlson at the end of the season.