Lincoln will return home this week, as the No. 1 Bulldogs look to continue playing well when they host Locust Grove on Friday night.

The Bulldogs (5-0, 2-0) dominated Holland Hall on the road last Friday, winning 55-0 and extending the win streak to 19 games.

It was Lincoln's second win in district 3A-3, as the Bulldogs have outscored their two opponents 104-7. Lincoln beat Sitgler 49-7 two weeks ago.

The Bulldogs have won 38 straight district games, dating back to 2018.

Locust Grove (3-2, 1-1) won last week over Eufaula 59-41. The Pirates lost their district opener at Checotah 68-42 two weeks ago.

The Pirates beat Dewey 50-23 and Salina 52-34 in non-district to start the season 2-0 before losing 75-42 to Adair on Sept. 13.

Lincoln has won four straight over Locust Grove, outscoring the Pirates 240-41 during that span.

The Bulldogs are 6-3 all-time against the Pirates.

Off the heels of a 14-0 season that ended in Lincoln's third state championship last year, the Bulldogs have picked right up where they left off in 2024.

Lincoln opened the season with a 56-0 rout at then-ranked Victory Christian. The Bulldogs followed that up with a huge road win at No. 2 Heritage Hall, coming from down double-digits at half to beat the Chargers 28-20.

The Bulldogs won their home opener a week later, beating No. 2 Shiloh Christian (Ark.) 38-14 in dominating fashion, before Lincoln had bye week, followed by the win over Stigler.

OFFENSE

Lincoln continues to roll offensively, as the Bulldogs racked up 541 yards in last week's win over Holland Hall.

The Bulldogs are averaging 45 points per game and have only punted four times in five games.

Carter Ricke continues his stellar season, as the junior was 14-of-18 for 187 yards and four touchdowns in last week's win.

"He is getting better every week," said Ricke. "He has been really accurate for us and is getting more comfortable and gaining confidence."

Ricke has completed 73% of his passes this year, throwing for 1,001 yards and 14 touchdowns to just four interceptions.

"His decision making is improving and doing a great job overall of managing the flow of the offense," Ricke said. "He has also really improved in the red zone since the Heritage Hall game."

His top target, senior receiver Kylan Schultheis, had another great game for the Bulldogs with five catches for 54 yards. Schultheis has caught a touchdown in every game this season.

He has 18 grabs for 336 yards and five scores on the year.

Senior Jack Milligan also had a great game catching the football, as the senior broke out for four catches, 55 yards and two touchdowns.

The Bulldog rushing attack continued to be a highlight, once again, as the three-headed monster was on display for another week.

Sophomore Braeden Baker had a touchdown and 82 yards on nine attempts, as he continues to be a force in the running game for Lincoln.

"He has a great ability to break tackles and he can use a stiff arm on you," Ricke said. "He is running really hard for us."

Baker has 266 yards and four touchdowns rushing on the year, averaging 7.2 yards per carry. He also has six catches for 131 yards and a score as a receiver.

Freshman CJ Wright leads the Bulldogs in rushing, as the youngster had another big game.

Wright led the Bulldogs with 90 yards rushing on seven carries, including another touchdown. The speedster has 296 yards and three touchdowns on just 26 carries this season. He has also caught seven passes for 95 yards and a score as a weapon in the passing game.

Senior Dawson Fullingim continues to be a force in the ground game for Lincoln, as he carried five times for 44 yards last week, but added two catches for 20 yards and a touchdown.

Fullingim has 194 yards and two touchdowns on 5.9 yards per carry in 2024. He has also added six catches for 127 yards, three of which have been touchdowns.

"We have three really good backs and they can all do different things to help us be successful," said Ricke.

Locust Grove's 3-3-5 defense will be led by middle linebacker Thomas Lee and outside linebacker Justin Forman, both seniors.

"They are both good linebackers and leaders on their defense," said Ricke.

The Pirates also have experienced starters in junior free safety Cayson King, junior corner Alex Bridges and sophomore defensive end Jace Witt.

"They have a good safety that can make plays," Ricke said. "They play the run and pass well on defense and can be very aggressive at times."

Locust Grove is allowing 48 points per game halfway through the season.

DEFENSE

The Lincoln defense continued to dominate last week, as the Bulldogs shutout Holland Hall and allowed just 70 yards total.

Holland Hall had just 44 rushing yards on 26 attempts. The Dutch were just 5-of-8 passing for 26 yards and had only four first downs.

Lincoln's first-team defense has allowed just two touchdowns since the opening half in the win over Heritage Hall.

The front seven has been strong, including the play of linebackers Mason Torres, Creed Nail, Connor Rowlett and Micah Kruse.

"I'm really proud of Creed Nail and Connor Rowlett," said Ricke. "We made some adjustments and both of them took it in stride and kept playing hard. Creed has done a good job for us and the group has made a lot of plays."

Nail had a fumble recovery last week and is second on the team with 27 tackles. Rowlett has 19 stops and 1.5 sacks in 2024.

Senior Mason Torres continues his strong play, leading Lincoln with 42 tackles on the year. He also has four interceptions and a forced fumble.

"Mason has played well and has done a good job leading that unit," Ricke said. "Our linebackers are ready to play every week. Coach (Lamar) Baker does a great job with that group."

Locust Grove is averaging 49 points per game coming into Friday night, as the offense presents many challenges for defenses, including junior quarterback Titan Hix.

Hix has thrown for 1,537 yards in five games, along with 15 touchdowns to just three interceptions.

"It starts with their quarterback," Ricke. "He is one of the state leaders in passing. He throws a really accurate deep ball, makes good decisions and can run. We have to get pressure on him."

Hix also has carried 118 times for 748 yards and a whopping 17 touchdowns in five games.

"They have scored a lot of points on offense and they can really make some big plays offensively down the field," Ricke said.

Hicks top targets will be freshman Jett Stevens and junior Xander Messer.

Messer has 36 catches for 603 yards and five touchdowns, while Stevens has caught 29 balls for 471 yards and six scores.

"They have a good tight end and good receivers," Ricke said. 

Lincoln has allowed just 168 yards in two district games, along with only seven first downs in eight quarters.