The 3A-3 district title will be on the line tomorrow night when No. 1 Lincoln hosts No. 7 Idabel in a huge game to close out the regular season.

Lincoln (9-0, 6-0) has won 23 straight games and has a 42-game district win streak, dating back to 2018.

The Bulldogs have also won 44 in a row at Dennis Byrd Stadium, but will face the biggest challenge since a 38-14 win at home on Sept .13.

Idabel (7-2, 5-1) has been ranked in Class 3A for most of the season, as the Warriors boast a roster full of talent.

The Warriors have won four straight after a surprising 29-28 loss at Stigler on Oct. 4.

Idabel has beaten Muldrow (47-24), won at Locust Grove (54-33) and Eufaula (37-27) and beaten Cheotah (38-23) over the last month.

The Warriors opened district play with a dominant 41-7 win over Holland Hall. Idabel won over Valliant (51-13) and Ashdown (AR) (41-0) in non-district play, sandwiching a loss at Broken Bow (42-21).

Lincoln has had no issues in its six district wins. The Bulldogs beat Eufaula 62-7 last Friday, after cruising to a 68-12 win at Checotah the week prior.

The Bulldogs also won 48-0 at Muldrow over fall break, a week after beating Locust Grove 63-20 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, before Lincoln returned home for the win over Shiloh Christian.

The program's haven't met since 2019, when Lincoln won 55-0. Prior to that, the only two matchups in the series were consecutive years in the second round of the playoffs.

Lincoln won 21-16 over Idabel in 2014 before beating the Warriors 64-14 a year later.

The Bulldogs have had a workmanlike approach in district play, as the Bulldogs have looked focused and locked in each week, despite usually being heavy favorites.

"Culture is everything in our program," said head coach Jerry Ricke. "We have a saying that 'how you do anything is how you do everything.' I think this is so true with a football team. We are constantly preaching about the little things and how details matter."

"Our culture has been established to take one day at a time, one game at a time and this approach has helped us in our consistency over the years."

The Bulldogs have a chance to win their 7th straight district title on Friday, which is the first goal of many in what has been an impressive 2024 season already.

"The district championship is one of the first goals that we have as a team," Ricke said. "These opportunities are huge and we are fortunate to have the chance to play for another district title this week."

"I expect our guys to come out this week with great energy knowing that we are playing Idabel for a chance to be district champions. We know it will be hard fought and we are going to have to go out and earn it."

Senior night festivities start at 6:25 on Friday, with kickoff to follow at 7 p.m.

OFFENSIVE PREVIEW

The Bulldogs had another efficient offensive performance last Friday in the win over Eufaula.

Lincoln averaged 8.5 yards per carry as as team and junior quarterback Carter Ricke was outstanding again, going 14-of-21 for 230 yards and two scores via the air.

Ricke has been tremendous in his first year as a starter on offense, completing 74% of passes for 2,035 yards and 29 scores.

Senior receivers Kylan Schultheis and Jack Milligan continued to play well. Schultheis had six catches for 92 yards and a score, while Milligan hauled in three passes for 88 yards in the win. 

Schultheis leads the team with 36 grabs for 664 yards and nine touchdowns. Milligan has really come on as of late, as the senior has 26 catches for 435 yards and seven scores.

The Bulldogs continue to be a physical, balanced offense that leans on the run game, as well.

Lincoln is averaging 234 yards per game on the ground, as the Bulldogs use a trifecta of rushers to put pressure on the defense.

Sophomore Braeden Baker has been extremely consistent and leads the team with 557 rushing yards on 63 attempts. He has scored 12 times on the ground in nine games.

Freshman CJ Wright continues to get more comfortable each week and is a threat to score every time he touches the ball. Wright has racked up 540 yards on just 49 carries to go along with seven touchdowns.

Senior Dawson Fullingim does it all for Lincoln and has been very effective in the run game, as well. He has 46 carries for 378 yards and six touchdowns as a rusher.

All three have played huge parts in the passing game, as well.

Wright has 12 grabs for 284 yards and five touchdowns, while Baker has caught 11 passes for 230 yards and two scores.

Fullingim has also been a great weapon out of the backfield, catching just eight passes for 202 yards and three touchdowns.

Idabel will lean on its stars defensively, as senior safety Matrail Lopez, an Oklahoma State commit, leads the way.

Lopez has 47 tackles on the year, five of which are for loss. He leads the team with four interceptions and has broken up 10 passes from his secondary spot.

Fellow senior defensive lineman Markee Townsend is a presence up front for the Warriors.

Townsend has 55 tackles on the year, eight for loss. He also has seven sacks and two interceptions.

Junior outside linebacker Quince Pond is another standout player for Idabel defensively. He has 69 tackles, eight for loss, as well as five sacks, two fumble recoveries and four pass breakups.

The Warriors are allowing 22 points per game defensively. 

The Bulldogs have been perfectly balanced on offense to date, as Lincoln has 2,097 passing yards and 2,097 rushing yards in nine games.

DEFENSIVE PREVIEW

The dominant Lincoln defense will have one of its toughest tests this Friday, as the Warriors boast some impressive talent on offense. 

But as it has been all season, Idabel will have its hands full with a defense that allows less than nine points per game

Lincoln allowed just 80 yards rushing on 38 attempts in lasts week's win over Eufaula, while also holding the Ironheads to just 5-of-15 on 3rd down.

The Bulldogs forced six punts, held Eufuala to just a 42% completion rate passing and kept the Ironheads' leading rusher to just 35 yards on 17 carries. 

The starting unit has allowed just one touchdown in district play and only three touchdowns since halftime of the Bulldogs' second game of the season.

"We hang our hat on being a relentless, physical defense," said Lincoln defensive coordinator Jeff 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 this week and I'm proud of how we bring that day in practice."

Senior linebacker Mason Torres leads the way for the Bulldog defense. He has 56 tackles, two sacks, a forced fumble and a team-high five interceptions. 

Fellow linebackers Connor Rowlett, Creed Nail and Micah Kruse have also been outstanding for Lincoln.

Nail has 48 tackles, eight for loss, a forced fumble and two fumble recoveries.

Rowlett has 28 tackles on the season, to go along with 2.5 sacks. Kruse has 20 tackles, including 10 solo stops, as well as two sacks and a fumble recovery.

The defensive line has been equally as impressive, as Fullingim, Colt Monsey and sophomores Rain Ragland and Lincoln Torres continually create chaos in opposing backfields.

Fullingim has 26 tackles on the year, including eight for loss. Money has 19 tackles, along with three sacks and a forced fumble.

"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."

Ragland leads the team with six sacks, to go along with 24 tackles and a forced fumble. Lincoln Torres has 22 tackles, two sacks and a forced fumble on the year.

Lincoln's secondary has been outstanding, as well, led by Schultheis, Baker, Brett Kaste and Hudson Farris.

Kaste has a knack for the ball, as he picked off two passes last week in the win over Eufaula. He has 16 tackles on the year, along with a fumble recovery and a forced fumble.

Schultheis has 19 tackles on the season, along with two picks, seven passes defended and a fumble recovery.

"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."

Baker has been impressive on defense, as he has 32 tackles to lead the secondary. Farris has 14 tackles in the nine games, along with a forced fumble and fumble recovery.

Parker Rodgers has also come back from injury to help the Bulldogs in the back end and had an interception that was almost returned for a touchdown in last week's win.

They'll have to stop an athletic offense, led by quarterback Anthony Clay, Lopez and running back Ravian Larry.

Clay has passed for 915 yards and 14 touchdowns with six interceptions this season.

Larry, a Utah State commit, is the top rusher for Idabel, totaling for 665 yards and 11 touchdowns on 6.5 yards per carry in nine games.

Lopez is likely the top weapon for the Warriors. The senior has 443 rushing yards and 10 scores on the ground, averaging over 10 yards per carry. He is also the top receiver, hauling in 33 passes for 539 yards and five scores.

Junior Mack Dixon is also a weapon for Idabel in both facets. He has 43 carries for 279 yards and four scores rushing, while also catching 13 passes for 231 yards and three scores as a receiver.