It was cold. It was windy. It was pouring rain.

But that didn't matter one bit.

With the district 3A-3 title on the line Friday night at Dennis Byrd Stadium, No. 1 Lincoln dominated No. 7 Idabel in a 48-0 shutout.

The Bulldogs (10-0, 7-0) won their 7th straight district title and extended their win streak to 24 games.

It was also the 43rd straight district win for Lincoln and pushed the home win streak to 45 in a row for the Bulldogs.

"We talked about this being a district championship from our 1st team meeting all the way up to right before we ran out for the game," said Lincoln head coach Jerry Ricke. "Our guys knew the importance of this game and prepared at a high level all week. We were excited to have the opportunity to play with the pressure of a district championship on the line."

It was an unusual night, as not only did it rain for the majority of the game, but it came down hard and was blowing sideways for a large part of the night.

But that was no problem for Lincoln.

"I thought we handled the conditions very well," said Bulldogs head coach Jerry Ricke. "We have a very effective power run game that we knew we could rely on. Defensively, our guys were able to pin their ears back against the run because the conditions were not conducive to throwing the ball."

Lincoln held Idabel to just 39 total yards of offense on the rainy night, as the Warriors averaged less than a yard per rush and completed just 2-of-6 passes for 18 yards.

"I was really happy with the enthusiasm we showed up with on the defensive side of the ball," said Ricke. "I think it being a rain game excited those guys and it showed. We were extremely physical in shutting down Idabel and their really good athletes."

Lincoln held Idabel (7-3, 5-2) to 0-of-9 on 3rd down and the Warriors had just five first downs in the game. Idabel rushed 29 times for 21 total yards.

On the other side of the ball, Lincoln played to its strengths with the difficult conditions, as the Bulldogs dominated the line of scrimmage.

Lincoln ran 33 times for 356 yards in the win, as Ricke leaned on the run game and his three-headed monster at running back.

"I thought we played a very physical brand of football last night and that starts with the guys up front," Ricke said. "We really like all three of our running backs because each one of them brings something different to the table. It is nice to pair up some of our run schemes with each of the running backs."

Lincoln's only misstep of the night came on the first possession.

Freshman CJ Wright took the opening kick back 54 yards, setting up the Bulldogs at the Idabel 36.

Junior quarterback Carter Ricke connected with senior receiver Kylan Schultheis on the next play, one of only two completions on the night for Ricke.

The 18-yard gain set Lincoln up inside the Warriors' 20.

But understandably, with the rain pouring down, Lincoln sophomore Braeden Baker lost the ball on the next play and Idabel took over at its own 13.

However, as expected, the Warriors were unable to do anything with the takeaway.

Idabel went backwards on all three plays and punted back to Lincoln.

The Bulldogs needed just five plays to go 41 yards to open the scoring, as senior running back Dawson Fullingim barreled in from a yard out to go up 7-0.

The Warriors held onto the ball for over five minutes on the ensuing possession, but gained just 22 yards on 10 plays before punting it back to the Bulldogs.

The Bulldogs gashed the Warriors time and time again in the run game on the following drive, as Lincoln ran for 6+ yards on all but one play.

That play would be a 4-yard touchdown run by Fullingim to cap off the 10-play, 95-yard drive that spanned just 1:44.

Lincoln kicker Cooper Housley, who kicked very well in the rain, made it 14-0 after the extra point.

Sophomore defensive end Rain Ragland sacked Idabel quarterback Anthony Clay on the ensuing drive, forcing a 3-and-out that resulted in just a 22-yard punt.

Lincoln needed just three plays to make it 21-0, as Baker ran for 16, Ricke ran for 13 and then Baker plunged in from three yards away with 8:38 to go in the half.

Idabel picked up a first down on the following drive, but was then pushed backwards and forced to punt again.

Sophomore Colt Monsey broke through the punt protection and not only blocked the punt, but jumped on it afterwards, setting Lincoln up inside the Idabel 15.

Baker scored again just two plays later, as the sophomore plowed through the Idabel defense for an 8-yard score, making it 28-0 with 3:55 to go in the 2nd quarter.

Idabel was pushed backwards again on the ensuing drive and the 14-yard punt set Lincoln up inside the 35 for one more score before half.

Wright ran for 16 yards to get inside the 20, before Ricke found a familiar target.

The junior placed a great ball over the top of the defender, right into the arms for Schulteis in the corner of the end zone for an 18-yard score.

It was 35-0 at half.

Aside from the early fumble, it was an almost perfect half from Lincoln against a ranked opponent in less than idea conditions.

"Our team understands that details matter," said Ricke. "We realize the importance of every snap, whether that be in practice or in the games. We put them through as many adverse situations as we can to help prepare them for nights like Friday."

Lincoln pushed Idabel back on the first drive of the 3rd quarter, as the Warriors were forced to punt from their own 6-yard line.

The Bulldogs took over at the Idabel 22 and scored three plays later, as junior Hudson Farris ran it in for a 10-yard score to make it 41-0.

Lincoln's final score of the night came midway through the 4th, when senior quarterback Titan Price got loose.

The senior turned the corner down the Lincoln sideline and raced 95 yards for an untouched score.

Price led the Bulldogs with 115 yards on four carries. 

Wright had five carries for 72 yards, while Fullingim had nine rushes for 63 yards.

Baker carried seven times for 58 yards in the win.

Senior Mason Torres led the Bulldogs with six tackles, while cousin, sophomore defensive lineman Lincoln Torres had five stops, two for loss.

Senior linebacker Creed Nail and senior defensive lineman Luke McCants each had four tackles, two for loss.

The Bulldogs faced just one 3rd down all night and had 18 first downs in the win.

Lincoln will take its 10-0 record into the opening round of the playoffs, starting this Friday.

The Bulldogs will host Jay, as they look to go back-to-back as Class 3A champions.

"We take things one day at a time. Right now, our entire focus is on the Jay Bulldogs. I think our kids understand that this time of year is win or go home so I absolutely believe that all of our senses are heightened," Ricke said.

Kickoff at Lincoln on Friday is set for 7 p.m.

Photos by Lee Talley