Glenn to be back: Lincoln senior happy to change his mind and play football
LINCOLN — Whenever Lincoln plays its final football game, it will likely be the last time Colbie Glenn removes his jersey and football pads.
But with the high probability that it will be a playoff game after the Railsplitters secured their fifth win, for the first time since 1985 with a 41-28 Central State Eight Conference win over Jacksonville on Friday, Glenn almost missed the biggest football moment in decades.
“It’s an unreal feeling. We haven’t been here since our parents were born,” Glenn said on Friday. “We haven’t experienced this. To make history is just a great feeling.”
Regretting the decision
Glenn initially decided that the 4-5 season in 2022 would be his final football campaign. The senior center fielder and closing pitcher on the Railers’ baseball team wanted to focus on that sport. He already plans to play baseball at Lincoln Land Community College after high school.
“I just missed it, I missed everything, I missed being with the boys — winning and the losses, as a team,” Glenn said after Lincoln qualified for its first postseason berth since 1984. “This is the best team win that we’ve had any year I’ve been here.”
Lincoln coach Matt Silkowski remembers the excitement he felt when he found out Glenn was changing his mind.
“It made us better overnight,” Silkowski said. “When I got that text message from him, that he’s ready, ‘It’s time for me to come back,’ obviously my whole mood changed instantly.
“He gave us that piece that we were missing. We needed a little more strength on the perimeter of our defense and we didn’t really know where that was going to come from. As soon as he said he was going to come back, we instantly knew what position he was going to play (outside linebacker and wide receiver). He just made us that much better.”
Glenn has 12 carries for 76 yards and four catches for 68 yards. Defensively, he has 44 tackles — six for losses — and an interception.
Adding to the talent pool
Lincoln doesn’t have a large football program, with 40 players on its varsity roster. Every player counts.
“Numbers-wise, it definitely helped that I came out,” Glenn said. “They had a plan before I came out, and I think they would’ve been fine either way. I think I helped contribute; I give it everything I have.”
Silkowski said Glenn provides more than just his on-field production.
“I really, really like Colbie; he’s been such a great leader for our program this year the way he’s been playing, practicing and conducting himself as a teammate,” Silkowski said. “We’re so happy to have him back out this year.”
Though five wins don’t guarantee a spot in the Illinois High School Association football playoffs, Steve Soucie, one of the state’s foremost experts in high school football and the IHSA playoff system and who heads up fridaynightdrive.com, a high school football vertical for the Shaw Media Group, confirmed over text message on Sunday that his early indications are few — if any — 5-4 qualifiers would not advance to the playoffs.
Glenn knows the town will forever remember the 2023 Railers.
“Last week, the class from 1973 that won the Big 12 Conference came back and they were 60, 70 years old and it shows that we’ll forever be in Lincoln history,” Glenn said.
In baseball, Glenn batted .394 (50-for-127), had an on-base percentage of .473 and posted an on-base plus slugging percentage of 1.142 as a junior. Almost half of his hits (24) went for extra bases with 17 doubles, three triples and four home runs. He also finished with 25 RBIs. In 38 1/3 innings pitched, he was 3-2 with six saves. He fanned 44 and walked 18 and finished with an ERA of 1.83 for the 21-13 Railers.
Contact Ryan Mahan: 788-1546, ryan.mahan@sj-r.com, Twitter.com/RyanMahanSJR.
This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: Lincoln's Glenn makes U-turn to play football for Railers
