Lincoln HS Football Hoping More Experienced Returning Players Breed Productive 2023 PSAL Season

Last year, Abraham Lincoln High School (Coney Island, Brooklyn) football got off to a tough start, but the Railsplitters were able to right the ship, as they made the PSAL Class “A” final four.

The first game of the season for the Railsplitters, who are now in the top PSAL Class “AAAA” level, pitted them against Bishop Mcnamara High School, a Maryland team who played its fifth contest at the time. So, head coach Shawn O’Connor felt that had something to do with being outmatched in their 50-6 lopsided defeat.

However, with a year more of experience under its collective belt, O’Connor believes that the returning players have benefited from last year’s up-and-down season, just by being involved in the trenches of high school football while learning. And it should show on the gridiron in 2023.

“We have a lot of returning players. We started 0-3, but we turned it around,” O’Connor explained. “A lot of the players understood that they were inexperienced, but we started to see positive results later on. We saw in-season improvements.”

O’Connor said that Lincoln’s schedule is stacked again with top-to-bottom competitive teams, and the first few tilts will give them an indication of what type of squad they are, and where it might wind up when all is said and done.

“We really have a tough start to the season,” he said. “It’s not an easy start (this year), but we’ll know where we will be by then.”

The Railsplitters (3-4, 2002), after hosting Wagner in non-league action on Friday, September 8th, will travel to Staten Island to face Tottenville to open league play. Then, Lincoln has Canarsie (last year’s runner-up), Curtis and PSAL Champs Erasmus Hall on its slate.

The Railsplitters lost 11 seniors to graduation, but there is more than enough talent and experience to field a competitive football squad, he noted.

Behind center for Lincoln will be senior Nahseem Deas, whom O’Connor said got off to a slow start, but experienced a rebirth after the first three contests.

Deas completed four of seven passes for 101 yards and a touchdown and ran for another score in a 42-6 victory over Lehman. Then, he connected on seven of nine attempts for 164 yards with three TDs and hit pay dirt on the ground three times in a 72-6 blowout win against Bayside.

“He had a rough start to the season, but he picked it up later in the season,” O’Connor said.

Another player of note is senior Christian Pilgrim, a linebacker who led the team in tackles last year.

“He’s a hard hitter. He finishes his tackles”, the Bensonhurst, Brooklyn-born coach said of Pilgrim. “He’s the quarterback out there. He kinds of reminds me of an old-school defender.”

Junior Ciyan Philbert will suit up as a running back and outside linebacker, while senior four-year starter Damian Ramirez will man the nose guard position.

Senior Chris Adegunle will play wide receiver and outside linebacker. O’Conner praised the second-year player’s work ethic.

“He was new to football (last season),” he said. “He’s been working hard in the offseason. He’s very raw, but good.”

Senior Darrell Ownes is a returning defensive end and junior Immanuel Frausto will be a two-way player on the offensive and defensive lines.

O’Connor is hopeful that his defense–in particular, the line–will be improved due to a year more gridiron action.

“Our defensive line has a lot more experience,” said O’Connor, who has been involved with the PSAL as a player and coach since he was 15 back at Lafayette High School, helping to develop players such as current New York Jets rookie running back Israel “Izzy” Abanikanda.

“Those guys (I mentioned) are going to be keys to our defense.”

— Jerry Del Priore 

Photos: Courtesy of Lincoln High School Football