Milestone moments in Lincoln High School athletics

Special Report: Renewal at Western Wayne Schools

This article is a part of a series of special reports, where Western Wayne News is looking past social media chatter to explore the state of Western Wayne Schools, why its student body has decreased over the past decade, and how the district is faring generally.

In addition to looking at education data and school finances, we’re talking with educators, students, families, coaches and community members to understand more about the heart and spirit of the place that so many of our readers hold so near and dear.

Read other articles in the series:

• Enrollment, finances, facilities: Perspectives on a path forward
• Western Wayne Schools milestones, 2008-present
• Between concern and commitment: Parents share mixed perspectives
• WWS Athletics ‘diminished but healing’
• Milestone moments in Lincoln High School athletics

WWS isn’t the only Wayne County district facing enrollment and funding challenges, and future series will explore those as well. We also know this is a story that’s still being written by the WWS community, and we expect to continue our reporting on it beyond this series. If you’d like to share your own perspective or experiences, please get in touch. 

This timeline traces some milestone moments in Lincoln High School athletics.

• 1962: Tri-Eastern Conference is formed with Cambridge City High School as one of five charter members alongside Centerville, Knightstown, Liberty and Union City. The conference later expands to nine schools, with Lincoln becoming the smallest member school.
• 1964: Cambridge City wins TEC championships in boys basketball and football.
• 1965: Cambridge City High School officially becomes Lincoln High School.
• 1966-1969: Lincoln baseball captures four TEC championships in a five-year span, winning conference titles in 1966, 1968 and 1969 while football also shares the 1966 TEC title.
• 1970: The boys cross country program wins its first TEC championship.
• 1973-1990: Boys basketball becomes a steady county contender, winning Wayne County Tournament titles in 1973, 1979, 1984, 1987 and 1990. The team also claims TEC championships in 1987 and 1994.
• 1980-1986: Lincoln athletics experience one of the school’s strongest stretches across multiple sports. Boys tennis wins four TEC titles and a sectional, volleyball wins conference titles in 1982, 1983 and 1985, girls basketball wins six TEC crowns and multiple county titles, and boys golf captures six straight conference championships from 1981-1985.
• 1983: Girls basketball wins a sectional championship during one of the program’s dominant eras in the TEC.
• 1986: Baseball wins both a TEC championship and sectional title. Girls basketball also adds another TEC title.
• 1991-2001: Volleyball and girls tennis emerge as flagship programs. Volleyball wins sectional titles in 1991 and 1996 before adding another TEC title in 2001, while girls tennis dominates with conference, sectional and regional championships throughout the late 1990s and early 2000s.
• 1993-1994: Baseball wins back-to-back TEC championships, with the 1994 team also claiming a sectional title. Boys basketball wins the 1994 TEC championship as well.
• 1995-2005: Girls basketball remains one of Lincoln’s strongest programs, winning multiple TEC championships, county tournament titles and sectional championships in 2004 and 2005.
• 1997-2001: Girls tennis reaches its peak, winning five consecutive sectional titles and back-to-back regional championships in 1999 and 2000 while also dominating the TEC standings.
• 2003: Phil Renforth begins his tenure as head football coach, a position he would hold for 19 seasons.
• 2004-2009: Several Lincoln programs achieve postseason success. Softball wins sectional titles in 2004, 2005 and 2007, volleyball adds a 2006 sectional title, girls basketball wins a 2004 sectional, and boys track captures the program’s only sectional championship in 2009.
• 2007-2008: Lincoln enjoys another broad athletic surge. Girls basketball, volleyball, girls tennis and girls track all win TEC championships during this period.
• 2010: Baseball captures its most recent TEC championship.
• 2012-2019: Softball becomes the school’s most consistently successful postseason program, winning TEC titles in 2012, 2014 and 2018 along with multiple sectional championships. The 2019 team wins both a sectional and regional championship.
• 2014-2019: Girls basketball wins TEC titles in 2014 and 2016, including a 2016 sectional championship under coach Rob Bills. Boys cross country also wins TEC championships in 2018 and 2019.
• 2016: Coach Rob Bills steps down after leading girls basketball to a sectional championship. Veteran coaches John Lewellen, Bills and Garry Laymon all retire within roughly a 12-year span, marking major turnover for the program.
• 2021: Softball wins another sectional championship while girls tennis shares a TEC title. Football coach Phil Renforth resigns after 19 seasons and a 54-134 career record.
• 2022: Danny Capps is hired as head football coach. Volleyball wins a sectional championship and girls tennis shares another TEC title.
• 2023: Coach Danny Capps resigns after two seasons and a 1-17 record. Lincoln cancels games against Hagerstown and Winchester during the season because of low player numbers, but school officials decide to continue the football program.
• 2023: Longtime volleyball coach Greg Seidner retires after 33 seasons and 566 wins. Assistant coach Don Crum takes over the program.
• 2024: Jeremy Bane is hired as head football coach and leads the Eagles through the 2024 and 2025 seasons while maintaining a full varsity schedule despite roster challenges.
• 2025: Softball wins its eighth sectional championship but is forced to forfeit its regional game because the team does not have enough eligible players to field a lineup. The following season, Lincoln is unable to field a softball team because of low participation numbers.
• 2026: Football coach Jeremy Bane resigns after two seasons and a 1-19 record. Lincoln begins searching for another head coach while working to sustain the program.
• Present day: Several Lincoln programs continue rebuilding efforts amid enrollment and participation challenges. Baseball coach Jeff Gwin is in his third season after replacing nine graduated players with eight freshmen, girls basketball coach Scott Speheger is rebuilding with returning players and incoming freshmen, and athletic director/head boys basketball coach Rodney Klein is entering his 16th year leading the basketball program and 30th season overall as a varsity coach.