Top-ranked Lincoln heads back on the road for the first of two away games to close out the 2025 regular season, as the Bulldogs look to remain perfect and win their 8th consecutive district title.

Lincoln (8-0) will face Eufaula for the first of the two tests tonight, as the Bulldogs look to continue their dominant play in district 3A-3.

The Bulldogs have won all five games with ease, outscoring opponents 279-3 thus far.

Lincoln won last week 56-0 over Checotah on senior night, a victory that pushed the Bulldogs overall win streak to 36 straight games.

It also was the 57th consecutive home win for Lincoln, as well as the 48th straight win in district play, with both streaks dating back at least eight years.

As Lincoln stares down another district title and playoff run aimed at capturing the program's 3rd consecutive state championship, head coach Jerry Ricke and his group are focused on consistency.

"We value consistency in our effort, our attitudes, our toughness, and the way we approach practice," he said. "We have a high standard in these areas and we expect to keep those standards from Monday to Saturday, whether we are at home or on the road."

And on the road the Bulldogs will go, as Lincoln's final two road trips are a over a combined 4 and half hours away, totaling almost 600 miles round trip.

"We try to keep everything as uniform as possible for our pregame for road trips," Ricke said. "We have a travel template that we use, and I think it has worked pretty well." 

"The main thing is that our kids stay focused and are mentally prepared as we arrive at Eufaula. I think that our players really like the hour to an hour and a half road trips because they can get a little nap in on the bus. That seems to get them refreshed and ready to go."

The Bulldogs have seemingly gotten stronger as the weeks go by in district play, as Lincoln has not allowed a touchdown or punted in seven weeks.

That has continued this week, as Lincoln can sense the time of year that is arriving.

"We have had a really good week of practice, maybe one of our best ones," Ricke said. "I know our guys get a little more excited as the weather cools down and we get closer to the postseason."

"It would have been easy to let the rain, wind, or cold affect our Tuesday and Wednesday practices, but I didn't see that affect us in any way. Our guys were locked in, and that is due to our seniors and junior leadership. 

Eufaula is 2-6 on the year and 2-3 in district play, with a 48-6 win over Locust Grove and a 49-42 victory over Stigler.

It will be the third meeting all-time between the two programs, following last year's 62-7 win at Lincoln.

The other win was in the second round of the 2008 playoffs, where Lincoln won 58-26.

The Bulldogs have also won 34-straight regular season games in-a-row.

Lincoln is 86-4 since 2018 and 97-6 since the start of 2018.

No. 1 Lincoln Christian @ Eufaula

Friday, Oct. 31 — 7 p.m.

Paul Bell Stadium - Eufaula, OK

3rd meeting in all-time series — Lincoln leads 2-0

WATCH HERE

OFFENSIVE PREVIEW

Another week, another impressive showing by the Lincoln offense in last week's 56-0 win over Checotah.

Lincoln ran just 38 plays in last week's win but gained 483 yards behind another strong performance from senior quarterback Carter Ricke.

The senior was 12-of-16 for 240 yards and four touchdowns. He also broke loose on a 60-yard touchdown run in his final home regular season game as a Bulldog.

Ricke has completed 72% of passes this year for 1,613 yards and 24 touchdowns to just four picks. The senior also has 257 rushing yards and five touchdowns on the ground, averaging 11.7 yards per carry.

His top target, senior receiver Hudson Farris, also had a big senior night showing last week.

Farris had six grabs for 134 yards and two touchdowns, as the passing attack continues to create big plays.

Farris leads the team with 26 catches, 555 yards and six touchdowns in 2025.

The 1-2 punch at running back, consisting of junior Braeden Baker and sophomore CJ Wright, continued to show out, as well.

Baker had four carries for 77 yards and two scores vs. Checotah, while Wright had a 60-yard TD catch in the win.

Baker leads the team with 675 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns on the ground, averaging 10.7 yards per rush. The junior also has 15 catches for 165 yards and four scores receiving.

Wright has 501 yards on just 38 carries, averaging 13.9 per attempt as a rusher. The speedster also has 20 catches for 265 yards and six touchdowns as a receiver.

The Bulldogs will look to continue sharpening things up as they wind down district play and prepare for the playoffs.

"Offensively, we are just trying to eliminate our penalties and some of our mistakes, like dropped passes, missed blocks, and taking care of the football," Ricke said. 

They'll have to do that against a Eufaula defense consisting of 10 upperclassmen, including eight seniors.

"They have a great group of both inside and outside linebackers that have made it tough on opposing teams," Ricke said. "They mix their coverages between man and zone and have timely blitzes. They are a well-coached team that plays with a lot of pride and grit."

Eufaula is led by junior safety Koltyn Lane (5-10, 155), senior linebacker Luke Hodgins (6-1, 220) and senior defensive tackle Simeon Hill (6-0, 330).

Lincoln is averaging 274 rushing yards per game and 10.8 yards per attempt on the ground behind a dominant offensive line.

The Bulldogs put up 495 yards per game and are averaging 11.6 yards per play on the season.

The first team offense has faced just 27 third downs and has had 458 yards or more in all but one game.

In last year's win over Eufaula, Lincoln averaged 9.6 yards per play and led 42-0 at halftime.

Baker and Wright combined for 15 touches, 179 yards and five touchdowns in the win.

DEFENSIVE PREVIEW

The Bulldogs continue to play dominating defense, as Lincoln had another shutout last week.

Lincoln has allowed just 42 points on the year through eight games, as they continue to push opponents back and are forcing more turnovers as of late.

"Defensively, we are emphasizing creating more turnovers," said Ricke. "We know that the turnover margin is a huge factor as we get to this part of the season."

Lincoln has forced three turnovers in each of the last two wins, as well as multiple turnovers in its last three games.

The Bulldogs are led defensively by sophomore linebacker Isaac Beisel and junior defensive linemen Lincoln Torres and Colt Monsey.

Beisel leads the team with 46 tackles. He has five tackles for loss, as well as a fumble recovery.

Torres and Monsey have been dominant up front, wrecking opposing run and pass games almost every week.

Torres has 32 total tackles — 11 of this for loss — along with four sacks, while Monsey has 25 tackles, nine for loss, along with two sacks and a fumble recovery.

The other two linebackers, senior Connor Rowlett and junior Parker Rogers, have also been great for Lincoln in 2025.

Rowlett has 23 tackles, including six for loss, as well as a sack, while Rogers has 26 stops on the year, including four for loss, along with two interceptions and a defensive TD.

Lincoln's secondary has played tremendously, as well, led by Farris. Baker nd sophomore Caleb Peterson.

Farris has 19 tackles on the year, along with a sack, while Baker has 22 tackles, three for loss, and a forced bumble.

Peterson has been great at corner, totaling 24 tackles, along with a team-high six pass break ups and four interceptions.

The Bulldogs have allowed just 780 total yards in seven games outside of Lincoln's shootout 41-33 win at Shiloh Christian on Sept. 12.

The Bulldogs have also held opponents to just 22-of-98 on 3rd downs this season — just a 22% conversion rate.

They'll look to keep that going this week against as strong ground game from Eufaula, led by running back Peter Lee.

Lee leads the Ironheads with 984 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns in just seven games. He averages 140 yards per game on the ground.

"Eufaula has a very good running back, Peter Lee, who has been very productive throughout the season," Ricke said. "They have a good offensive line, capable receivers, and a quarterback who manages the game effectively."

Lane is Eufaula's starter at quarterback, as he's totaled 1,168 yards on the year and has accounted for eight total touchdowns.

In last year's win over the Ironheads, Lincoln had four takeaways and forced six punts. The Bulldogs limited Lee to a season-low 35 yards on 17 attempts, after he came into last year's game averaging over 170 yards per game.



Photos by Lee Talley