No. 1 Lincoln Christian will be on the road again this Friday, as the Bulldogs travel to No. 6 Checotah, looking to remain undefeated in 2024.

Lincoln (7-0, 4-0) had no problem at Muldrow last week, rolling in a 48-0 win.

It was the third shutout of the season for the Bulldog defense, while the offense scored 48 or more for the 5th time in seven games.

Lincoln has won 21 straight games, dating back to last year's 14-0 state title season. The Bulldogs have also won 40 district games in a row, dating back to 2018.

The Bulldogs beat Locust Grove 63-20 two weeks ago at home. Lincoln also won 55-0 at Holland Hall and 49-7 over Stigler at home in district play.

Lincoln opened the season by beating Victory Christian 56-0 on the road.

The Bulldogs followed that up with a big road win at No. 2 Heritage Hall, coming from down double-digits at half to beat the Chargers 28-20.

Lincoln won its home opener a week later, beating No. 2 Shiloh Christian (Ark.) 38-14 in dominating fashion.

Checotah (5-2, 3-1) lost a heartbreaker at Holland Hall last week, falling 33-32, coming up just a yard short as time expired.

It was the Wildcats' first loss since early September, as Checotah had ripped off four straight wins.

The Wildcats beat Stigler 31-6 the week prior. Checotah also won at Muldrow 48-45 and beat Locust Grove 68-42 in district play.

Checotah won its final non-district game 53-13 at Dewey. The Wildcats lost 60-49 against Seminole on Sept. 6 and beat Okmulgee 49-0 in the season opener.

Lincoln has won all seven games in the series, which dates back to 2015.

The Bulldogs first win was a 56-7 victory in the playoffs and Lincoln has beaten Checotah by at least 34 points in all six matchups since.

Kickoff on Friday in Checotah is at 7 p.m.

OFFENSIVE PREVIEW

The Bulldogs continued to be very efficient on offense in another big performance last week.

Lincoln ran just 32 plays in the win over Muldrow, but totaled 308 yards on offense and scored on six of eight possessions in the 1st half.

Junior quarterback Carter Ricke was just 6-of-9 passing but threw for 172 yards and two scores.

Ricke has completed 82-of-111 (74%) passes this year for 1,592 yards. He has 21 touchdown throws and six interceptions.

Braeden Baker continued to play a big role for Lincoln on offense last week, as the sophomore had three touches for 79 yards, all of which went for scores. 

Baker has 355 rushing yards on the year, averaging 7.4 yards per carry to go along with eight touchdowns. He has also caught 10 passes for 223 yards and two scores.

Senior receiver Jack Milligan had two catches for 61 yards and a touchdown. He has come on in recent weeks and now sits with 16 catches for 255 yards and four scores on the year.

Freshman CJ Wright leads the Bulldogs in rushing, as he's totaled 432 yards on just 36 carries this season, good for six touchdowns. Wright has also caught 10 passes for 212 yards and three scores.

Senior Dawson Fullingim continues to be a leader on both sides of the ball, as well as the ground game, as he led Lincoln in rushing in the win over Muldrow with 40 yards.

Fullingim has 275 yards and three scores on the ground this season, averaging 7.1 yards per attempt. He has also been a big weapon in the passing game, as the senior has caught seven passes for 150 yards an three touchdowns.

Senior receiver Kylan Schultheis has continued his very strong senior season, as he had two grabs for 32 yards in the win over Muldrow. It was the first time in seven games he didn't score.

Nonetheless, Schultheis has been incredible down the field and in catch and run situations for Lincoln, catching 28 passes for 553 yards and seven scores on the year.

Checotah is led defensively by senior safety Elijah Thomas, who is rated by many as the top player in the state of Oklahoma. The 6-foot-1, 183 lb. athlete is committed to OU has been a Checotah Wildcat for many years.

He has 30 tackles, five for loss, to go along with two interceptions, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery.

Senior linebacker Dylan Robinson is another key player for the Wildcats on defense. He has 44 tackles, four for loss, along with a sack and a forced fumble through seven games.

Lincoln continues to be balanced, as the Bulldogs average 236 passing yards and 223 rushing yards per game.

"We've done a great job of being balanced on offense," said Lincoln head coach Jerry Ricke. "We have to continue doing that and be ready to make adjustments in-game."

DEFENSIVE PREVIEW

Lincoln has not let up defensively, as the starting defense has not allowed a point in district play.

The Bulldogs had another shutout Friday at Muldrow, allowing just 48 first half yards and holding the opponent to 0-of-9 on 3rd down.

Senior Creed Nail and Mason Torres continued to lead the way defensively for Lincoln in the win.

Nail led the way for the defense with six tackles, two of them for loss. Torres and Colt Monsey each had four stops and one tackle for loss.

Micah Kruse and Baker had three tackles apiece defensively.

The Bulldogs held Muldrow to just 1-of-12 on 3rd down and 0-of-4 on 4th down.

Muldrow had just 44 rushing yards on 26 attempts as a team. Lincoln also held Collins in check passing, as he was just 5-of-15 for 44 yards on the night.

When Checotah has the ball, Lincoln  will have to stop Thomas, who is even more of a weapon on offense, as the senior has had a fast start to the season.

"We have to find a way to stop him or slow him down," said Ricke. "We have to be sound covering him and make sure we are aware of the other guys they have on offense."

He has 37 catches for 995 yards and 15 touchdowns, averaging 25.8 yards per catch and 136.4 yards per game.

"We have to be really sound in the secondary," said Ricke. "A 50-50 ball for him is like an 80-20 ball."

Thomas has also run 31 times for 286 yards and six TDs.

The Wildcats have a freshman quarterback in Cole Rolland. The youngster is 94-of-143 (66%) for 1,619 yards in seven games. He has thrown for 20 touchdowns to just four picks.

"He has played well," Ricke said. "He's progressed with each week and has a lot of poise for a freshman."

He also has 124 yards and two touchdowns rushing.

Jayden Ellen is the Wildcats' top runner, already topping the 1,000 yard mark this season.

Ellen has carried just 123 times but for 1,104 yards and 17 touchdowns. He averages nine yards per attempt.

He has also caught two touchdowns as a receiver.

Lincoln has been great against the run this season, thanks to the depth of the defensive line.

"Our ability to rotate multiple players up front and keep guys fresh has been big," said Ricke. "Our performance up front has a great impact on our success defensively."

Checotah also features a big weapon at tight end/receiver in Brian Love, a 6-foot-6, 220 lb. Senior.

Love has caught just eight passes this season, but has 169 yards and three touchdowns.

Checotah averages 231 passing yards and 240 rushing yards per game. The Wildcats average 47 points per game offensively.