Staying on top is Lincoln’s
goal for the season

Joe Mason
For the Times

Kevin Chilton knows what it’s like to be extremely tired.
He knows how it feels to desperately want a swig of water, and he has experienced the pain of trying to catch that quick breath.
The Abraham Lincoln High School running back had plenty of reason to be tired after leading his football team to victory last week.
Chilton, a senior, rushed for 139 yards and scored all three of his team’s touchdowns to help the Railsplitters nip Jules Mastbaum Tech, 19-12, in a Public League intradivisional game on Aug. 31.
"We knew Kevin was a good player, but he’s definitely a game-day player," said Lincoln coach Gene Kelly. "He played great today. We had a nice effort from everyone, but he was the guy who led us today. He played well."
Last year, when the Railsplitters narrowly missed clinching the playoff spot in the Public League Blue Division, Chilton was a starter, but he was more of a linebacker.
He did see some time in the Railsplitters’ backfield, but with a talented group of senior ball-carriers, his times to shine were few and far between.
But that didn’t bother him.
Missing the playoffs did.
But the one saving grace, at least for Chilton, is that he has a final season to change that.
"I was disappointed last year," said Chilton, who also notched seven tackles during the win over Mastbaum. "I think we made way too many mistakes, we weren’t focused, and we lost games because we made bad decisions.
"I reminded the guys today," Chilton continued. "This was our first game, and I didn’t want to see us get off to a slow start. I really wanted to win."
The Railsplitters jumped on the Panthers, scoring midway through the first quarter on Chilton’s first touchdown, a 10-yard scamper.
But Mastbaum recovered, cutting the lead to 7-6 late in the first quarter, and moved ahead 12-7 midway through the second stanza.
The team played a scoreless third quarter, but in the final quarter Chilton found pay dirt twice, once on a 5-yard run on the third play of the quarter and then on a 25-yard gallop with under four minutes to play.
The long touchdown run provided the Railsplitters with the victory and also represented Chilton’s most productive day as a running back.
"I scored two touchdowns last year, but they were in different games," Chilton said. "This was definitely my best game. Today was great, I think it was my best game ever."
Chilton hopes the success continues.
With the win, the Railsplitters have a victory over a White Division opponent, but the team still has two weeks before its Blue Division schedule begins.
The team that wins the division earns a berth in the Public League playoffs, and Chilton believes his squad has the potential to play some important games come November.
"This is our year, we have a lot of seniors," Chilton said. "We need to win this year. We need to stop making mistakes and play smart. If we do that, I think we could be one of the best teams in the league." ••
Joe Mason can be reached at joemason70@hotmail.com