No. 1 Lincoln Christian returned home Friday night and did so in dominant fashion, as the Bulldogs cruised to a 62-7 win over Eufaula.

Lincoln (9-0, 6-0) raced out to a 42-0 halftime lead, as the Bulldogs were in complete control on both sides of the ball.

"We just continue to stress execution on offense and playing physically on defense. I thought our offense executed pretty well for the most part," said Lincoln head coach Jerry Ricke. "We have some things to clean up, but I really like our efficiency. Defensively, we held their running attack to only 80 yards, which was a huge factor in the game. I like how we handled our film on Saturday morning. There was plenty of coaching going on in each of the position groups. We want to continue to get better in all areas."

Lincoln won its 23rd straight game and extended its district win streak to 42 in a row.

The win was also the 44th straight win at home for Lincoln, dating back to 2017, as the Bulldogs continued their winning ways after two weeks on the road.

"We love playing at home in front of our fans," said Ricke. "It is such a great atmosphere and our guys love playing at Dennis Byrd Stadium. I thought our team was ready to go from the start and a lot of that has to do with being in our comfort zone at home."

Lincoln was dominant again on defense, allowing Eufaula to complete just 42% of passes and only 80 yards rushing on 38 attempts, as the first-team unit held another opponent scoreless.

"I think it says a lot about our preparation as a defense," said Lincoln defensive coordinator Jeff Comfort. "They are students of the game and study film so they are in tune to what the offense wants to do. They have been focused and locked in during practice which leads to discipline during the games."

The Bulldogs scored on six of their first seven possessions in the opening half and 

Lincoln ran for 187 yards as a team, averaging 8.5 yards per carry, while junior quarterback Carter Ricke was efficient again, going 14-for-21 for 230 yards through the air.

"I really like how efficient we have been," said Ricke. "I thought Carter put the ball in great spots for our receivers and they did a good job for the most part in making plays in the passing game. We need to clean up a few things, but the passing game has been very efficient. We also have been running the ball very well and I think you saw that last night as well."

Lincoln opened the game by forcing a Eufaula punt before the offense went to work.

Ricke led the Bulldogs down the field on a 9-play, 54-yard drive, spanning 3:24.

Sophomore Braeden Baker, who had three scores on the night, ran it in from 1-yard out to put Lincoln up 7-0 with 8:43 to go in the 1st.

After a 3-and-out forced by the defense gave the Bulldog offense the ball back, Lincoln quickly extended the lead.

Ricke connected with senior receiver Kylan Schultheis for a 41-yard gain to get inside of the Eufaula 25.

Freshman CJ Wright followed his blockers two plays later for a 22-yard touchdown run. The score made it 14-0 with 4:23 to go in the opening quarter.

The Lincoln defense forced another 3-and-out on the ensuing possession, as Eufaula had tons of trouble getting anything going offensively in the opening half.

"We hang our hat on being a relentless, physical defense," said Comfort. "Scheme is only as good as the effort and identity of the defense. Effort and physicality is something we can always control. That's will be extremely important as we go into next week and I'm proud of how we bring that day in practice."

The offense went right back to work, as Ricke found senior receiver Jack Milligan twice for 37 and 27 yards, moving the ball near the Eufaula goal line.

On the following play, Ricke found a wide open senior tight end Luke McCants for a 3-yard score, making it 21-0 with 2:45 remaining in the 1st.

The Ironheads put together a lengthy drive on the following possession, picking up three first downs and moving the ball inside the Lincoln 25.

However, as Eufaula quarterback Ledger Folsom was rolling towards the Lincoln sideline and lofted a pass for a receiver, Bulldog safety Brett Kaste made a great play on the ball, jumping in front of the pass for the interception to stall the drive and change possession.

It was one of two interceptions for Kaste on the night, as the Lincoln secondary continues to play at a high level.

"I have been really impressed with how the secondary has gotten better each week," said Comfort. "Overall they are a young group in age, but have played in some big games. We want to go get the football when it's in the air and they take pride in that. They have bought into playing offense while on defense and forcing mistakes."

After a 28-yard run by Wright to move it out near midfield, Lincoln was forced to punt, which is only the 5th time that's happened in nine games this season.

But the Lincoln defense stepped up again, forcing another 3-and-out, as the Eufaula passing game was under pressure and the running game was shut down by the Bulldogs' defensive line all night.

"We cannot have success without or D-Line causing havoc. They are relentless and often times demand double teams. When that happens it frees up other guys to make plays. They are unselfish and play extremely hard. They are a competitive bunch and Coach Fullingim does a great job having them ready to physically get after it each week." 

After just an 18-yard punt, Lincoln took over at the Eufaula 35 and needed just one play to make it a 4-score lead.

Baker raced 35-yards around the edge down the home sideline for another touchdown, extending the lead to 28-0 with 6:20 to go in the half.

As Eufaula picked up two first downs on the ensuing possession and had it our near midfield, Kaste stepped up again.

Folsom's pass was high and Kaste was in the perfect spot, as he hauled it in and returned it back to the Eufaula 30, setting up the Bulldogs' next score.

Wright ran for 28 yards to get inside the Ironheads' 5-yard line and then scored two plays later from 1-yard out.

The score made it 35-0 with 4:09 to go in the 2nd quarter, as the Lincoln offensive line continued to play well, despite a few injuries over the last couple of weeks.

"We have the next man-up philosophy at every position. We are fortunate to have been playing 6 offensive linemen all year so we have some depth there," Ricke said. "The good thing about it is that we should be back at full strength soon."

The defense continued its domination, forcing another quick punt to get the offense back on the field one last time.

When Lincoln took over at the Eufaula 33, Ricke completed passes to Schultheis and Hudson Farris to move the ball inside the Ironheads 15.

Two plays later, Baker followed more excellent blocking for the hat trick touchdown, a 12-yard scamper with 1:14 to go in the half.

The Bulldogs came out and moved right down the field in on the first drive in the 3rd quarter.

Ricke hit Milligan for a 24-yard gain, followed by a 29-yard run from Baker to move the ball to the Eufaula 22.

Schultheis had a 19-yard catch before Ricke found the senior on a back shoulder in the front corner of the end zone for a 2-yard touchdown.

The score made it 49-0 early in the 3rd.

Later in the 3rd, as Eufaula was driving, Lincoln's Parker Rodgers made a great play on the ball, picking off Folsom and returning it 52 yards to the Eufaula 18.

Three plays later, senior quarterback Titan Price ran it in for 10-yard score to extend the lead to 55-0.

Eufaula fumbled consecutive snaps on the following possession, the second one in the end zone.

Lincoln defensive lineman Isaac Beisel pounced on the ball, giving Lincoln another score to make it 62-0 early in the 4th.

Baker ran eight times for 96 yards to lead the Bulldogs. Wright had five carries for 54 yards.

Schultheis had six catches for 92 yards, while Milligan caught three passes for 88 yards.

Lincoln held Eufaula to 5-of-15 on 3rd down and forced six punts. The Bulldogs also held Eufuala's leading rusher, Peter Lee, who averages 170 yards per game, to just 35 yards on 17 carries.

The Bulldogs will wrap up the regular season next Friday by hosting No. 8 Idabe on senior night. Lincoln will be looking for its 7th straight district title.

Photos by Lee Talley