No. 1 Lincoln Christian will travel to south Tulsa for its first district road game tomorrow night, as the Bulldogs look to extend their 18-game win streak against rival Holland Hall.
Lincoln (4-0, 1-0) beat Stigler 49-7 last week in the district opener, while Holland Hall (2-2, 0-1) lost at No. 5 Idabel 41-7 last Friday.
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.
Holland Hall lost the season opener 29-28 at No. 6 Cascia Hall. The Dutch got their first win a week later at home 49-0 over Will Rogers.
The two teams have one common opponent, as Holland Hall beat Victory Christian 39-28 at home two weeks ago, before the Dutch went on the road to start district play in Idabel.
"They have some talented kids and are always well coached," said Lincoln head coach Jerry Ricke. "They are a solid team and it's a rivalry game, so it will be a great environment."
The Dutch won back-to-back state titles in 2020 and 2021, beating Lincoln both times in the championship game.
The Bulldogs won 33-0 in the season opener at home last season and beat the Dutch 56-7 in non-district action in 2022.
Lincoln leads the series 9-5 all-time.
Holland Hall was 8-4 in 2023 and 5-6 in 2022.
OFFENSIVE PREVIEW:
Lincoln will look to continue to play balanced football offensively, as the Bulldogs have really found their rhythm in the last few weeks.
Junior quarterback Carter Ricke is coming off his best game in the win over Stigler. Ricke was 12-of-14 for 302 yards and five scores.
He is 44-of-61 (72%) for 814 yards and 10 touchdowns on the year. Ricke can also contribute as a runner, as the junior has 11 carries for 61 yards and a touchdown through four games.
His top target, senior receiver Kylan Schultheis, has had a great start to the year, as well.
Schultheis has caught a touchdown in all four games this year. The dynamic weapon has 13 catches for 282 yards and four scores on the young season.
Lincoln will continue to use a host of running backs, all presenting challenges for defenses with their different styles.
Freshman CJ Wright is the fastest of the group and leads the Bulldogs with 206 yards and two touchdowns on just 19 carries. He also has four catches for 95 yards and a touchdown receiving.
Sophomore Braeden Baker has had a solid start to the year, as well. Displaying strength and speed as a combo-back, Baker has run 28 times for 184 yards and three touchdowns in 2024. He also has five catches for 112 yards and a touchdown as a receiver.
Senior Dawson Fullingim is the bruiser for Lincoln and has been a load for opposing defenses to tackle.
Fullingim has 28 carries for 150 yards and two scores on the ground, as well as four catches for 107 yards and two touchdowns as a receiver.
Defensively, Holland Hall will lean on three seniors - one at each level - to lead the Dutch.
"They have a good scheme defensively," said Ricke. "They always have tough kids and I thought played us well in the opening game last year."
Ty Mabrey will lead the secondary for Holland Hall at strong safety, while Cole Muir mans the middle at linebacker and Luke Beeler is strong in the middle at defensive tackle for the Dutch.
"They have some good defensive linemen that are returning and we are going to have to play well up front," Ricke said.
Muir is the leader for the Dutch defensively and had 24 tackles, including 12 solo, along with six tackles for loss and a forced fumble in last week's loss at Idabel.
"He is a really good player," said Ricke. "He is the captain of their defense and has played really well so far."
Lincoln is averaging 206 yards per game rushing and 6.4 yards per carry on the year.
DEFENSIVE PREVIEW
Lincoln has been excellent on the defensive side of the ball to start 2024, picking up where the unit left off last season.
The Bulldogs are allowing just over 10 points per game as a unit, led by senior linebacker Mason Torres.
The senior has 37 total tackles to lead the team, including 18 solo stops. Torres also has four interceptions and picked off a pass in each of the first three games.
Fellow senior linebacker Creed Nail has 23 stops on the year, along with an interception.
Baker has 19 tackles at safety, while Fullingim and sophomore end Rain Ragland each have 18 tackles on the season. Fullingim also leads the team with five tackles for loss, while Ragland leads the Bulldogs with four sacks.
Lincoln is strong in the secondary, as well, as Schultheis has 11 tackles and a pick, while junior Hudson Farris has three pass deflections and a fumble recovery.
Holland Hall will be led offensively by junior quarterback Trey Burleson.
"He is a solid player and really throws the deep ball well," said Ricke.
Sophomore running back Rhett Gibson is the top ball carrier for the Dutch and is someone Lincoln will look to slow down.
"He is a really good player and we will have to tackle well," Ricke said.
Burleson's top weapons to throw to will be senior receiver Weston Brookhart and senior tight end Matthew Underwood.
Mabrey and sophomore Kayden Fredieu will also be targets for Burleson in the passing game.
"Brookhart is a fast player and has big play ability," Ricke said. "They have some weapons in the pass game including a really good tight end that we have to be aware of."
Outside of the first half against Heritage Hall, the first unit for Lincoln has allowed just two touchdowns in the other three games.
