It's playoff time.

No. 1 Lincoln continues its quest for a three-peat tonight, as the Bulldogs look to move on step closer when they host Jay in the opening round of the Class 3A playoffs.

Lincoln (10-0) is currently on a 38-game win streak after going undefeated and taking the 2023 and 2024 state titles in Class 3A.

The Bulldogs have rolled in 2025, allowing just 42 total points defensively, while averaging 54 points on offense.

Lincoln has also won 57 straight home games, as the Bulldogs return to Willie George Field at Dennis Byrd Stadium for the first time in three weeks.

"I'm really hoping that we have a great atmosphere here in the first round as we get started in the playoffs," said Lincoln head coach Jerry Ricke after last week's 62-0 win at Idabel.

Lincoln won its 8th straight district title in dominant fashion, outscoring opponents 397-3 across the seven games.

The Bulldogs will face a familiar opponent in the opening round tonight, as Jay comes to town for the second straight season.

Lincoln started fast and cruised to victory last year in the opening round, scoring seven touchdowns in the game's opening 14 minutes.

The Bulldogs won 62-8 before finishing off the season with three more wins to go 14-0.

Lincoln is 4-1 all-time against Jay, as last year's meeting was the first since 2017.

This year's Jay team snuck into the playoffs with a dramatic 20-18 win at Vinita to clinch the final playoff spot in 3A-4.

Jay is 3-7 on the year but went 3-4 in district play to make the postseason.

Lincoln has won eight straight playoff games and is 22-4 in the postseason since the start of the 2018 season.

The Bulldogs are 88-4 since 2019 and 99-6 since the beginning of the 2018 season.

When asked about flipping a switch for the playoffs last week, Ricke spoke about his team always being in that mindset and ready for the task at hand.

"We pretty much keep that switch flipped on all of the time," he said. "I know I say this a lot, but that stems from the consistency of effort and detail that we practice with. I do, however, expect our intensity and motivation to ratchet up as we get going here in the playoffs."

Lincoln will be looking for its 8th straight state semifinal trip, as well.

Jay @ No. 1 Lincoln Christian

Friday, Nov. 14 — 7 p.m.

Willie George Field at Dennis Byrd Stadium

6th meeting in all-time series — Lincoln leads 4-1

WATCH HERE

OFFENSIVE PREVIEW

The Bulldogs continue to roll offensively and Lincoln expects that to continue as the chapter turns to the playoffs.

Lincoln finished the regular season averaging 506 yards per game, capped off by a 349 yard rushing performance as a team in last week's win at Idabel.

The Bulldogs average 11.6 yards per play and have punted just once since Sept. 12.

The offense is led by senior quarterback Carter Ricke, who has been phenomenal in 2025.

Ricke has completed 72% of passes, totaling 2,125 yards and 33 touchdowns through the air, while throwing just four interceptions.

The athletic quarterback has also been a weapon on the ground, as Ricke had his third touchdown run of 60+ yards last week.

Ricke has 334 yards and six touchdowns, averaging 14.5 yards per carry through 10 games.

Last week, Ricke had four passing TDs and a 77-yard rushing TD.

In last year's opening round win at home against Jay, Ricke was 14-of-15 for 253 yards and six touchdowns.

His top two backfield mates, junior Braeden Baker and sophomore CJ Wright, were both outstanding for Lincoln in the regular season.

Baker leads the Bulldogs with 819 yards rushing, including 11.4 yards per carry.

He has an impressive 18 touchdowns on the ground, along with 215 yards and five scores as a pass catcher.

In last week's win at Idabel, Baker had five carries for 99 yards and two scores.

Last year vs. Jay, Baker had five touches for 95 yards and a touchdown.

Wright has averaged 15.1 yards per carry in 10 games, totaling 619 rushing yards and six scores on the ground.

The sophomore has also been a huge weapon in the passing game, catching 24 passes for 279 yards and seven touchdowns.

Last week, Wright had four carries for 103 yards and two total TDs.

In last year's win over Jay, Wright had three touches for 47 yards, two of which went for scores.

Ricke's top target at receiver is senior Hudson Farris, who has had a stellar final season at Lincoln thus far,

Farris has a team-high 36 catches for 772 yards and 10 touchdowns. He averages 21.4 yards per catch.

The speedster has averaged 97 yards per game across his last six games, scoring all 10 touchdowns since early October.

Lincoln has been dominant on the ground, averaging 278 yards per game and 10.9 yards per carry behind the experienced offensive line of juniors Lincoln Torres, Colt Monsey and Kaden Claybrook, along with seniors TH Harrell and Carson Elix.

The Bulldogs' first team has faced just 30 third down opportunities across the 10 regular season games.

They will look to continue their impressive success against a Jay team allowing 31 points per game.

Jay is led by senior safety Armando Newcomb (6-2, 160), senior middle linebacker Gabe Shrum (5-11, 190) and senior defensive end Zane Henderson (6-foot, 220).

DEFENSIVE PREVIEW

The Bulldogs have been arguably more dominant on defense, as Lincoln has completely overwhelmed every opponent since mid-September en route to another district championship.

Expect that to ramp up this week, as Lincoln continues to look stronger by the week defensively.

The Bulldogs have allowed just one touchdown and nine points total to in-state and Class 3A competition this year.

Lincoln has held opponents to a combined 951 yards in the nine games outside of the 41-33 win at Shiloh Christian in September — good for an average of just 105 yards per game allowed.

The Bulldogs have also allowed opponents to just a 22% conversion rate on 3rd down, as Lincoln's foes are just 27-of-120 on the year.

Sophomore Isaac Beisel continues to lead Lincoln from his linebacker spot with a team-high 59 tackles. He has also added eight tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, a fumble recovery and an interception.

Fellow linebackers, senior Connor Rowlett and junior Parker Rogers, have been great for Lincoln, as well.

Rogers has 32 total tackles, including four for loss, along with two interceptions and five pass break ups.

Rowlett has 28 tackles on the year, including seven for loss, along with a sack.

The defensive line is where the Bulldogs are most dominant, thanks to Torres, Monsey and fellow junior Rain Ragland.

Torres has an impressive 41 tackles, including a team-high 13 for loss and a team-high five sacks.

Monsey has 29 tackles, including 10 for loss, along with two sacks and two fumble recoveries.

Ragland has 17 tackles, including six tackles for loss, as well as as sack and a forced fumble.

The Bulldogs have also got great play in the secondary, led by Baker, Farris and sophomore Caleb Peterson.

Baker has 25 tackles, along with three for loss, two pass break ups and a forced fumble.

Farris has 20 tackles and a sack, while Peterson also has 25 stops but has contributed in pass defense in a big way.

Peterson has a team-high six pass break ups and a team-high four interceptions.

Seniors Gabe Huntsinger (safety), Logan Kelly and Ethan Uyetake, along with Claybrook, have also provided some great depth for Lincoln defensively.

Newcomb leads the way for a Jay team that averages just 13.5 points per game in 2025.

He has a team-high nine touchdowns, along with 561 yards in just eight games, good for 6.4 per carry.

Junior running back Michael Rogers is Jay's leading rusher with 710 yards and four touchdowns on 5.2 per attempt.

Photos by Lee Talley