No. 1 Lincoln Christian has secured its 8th straight district championship and will look to close out the regular season with another win on Friday night at Idabel.

Lincoln (9-0, 6-0) clinched another district title last week, winning 3A-3 after a 62-0 road win at Eufaula.

The Bulldogs have outscored opponents 341-3 through six district games thus far, as Lincoln has won 49 straight district games.

Lincoln's overall win streak has also reached 37 in-a-row, which is the second-longest active streak in Oklahoma.

The Bulldogs are looking to three-peat in Class 3A, as the playoffs will start next week and Lincoln will host 1st and 2nd round games.

But first, Lincoln takes a long road trip to finish the regular season.

"We want to be able to handle the long road trip, continue to play with great effort and physicality, and continue our high level of efficiency on offense," said Lincoln head coach Jerry Ricke.

"We expect these things week in and week out, and this week will be no different. Our guys know that we have a tough road game against a really good Idabel team. They know they will need to be locked in and ready to go, both of which I expect us to do."

They'll take on an Idabel team that's 5-4 on the year and has clinched a playoff spot with a current 4-2 record in 3A-3.

The Warriors opened with two losses to start the year, falling 35-20 to Valliant and 49-12 to Broken Bow.

Idabel rebounded with a 47-33 win over Ashdown (AR) to close out non-district play before falling 50-31 to Holland Hall in the first district game.

The Warriors then ripped off four straight wins, beating Stigler 28-7, Muldrow 23-14, Locust Grove 54-0 and Eufaula 34-19.

Last week, Idabel lost 55-53 in overtime at Checotah in a thrilling, high-scoring district affair.

"We practiced really well this week. Our guys understand what time of year it is and that we need to function in all that we do at a high level," Ricke said. "We have a very high standard for everything that we do, and that includes practice."

"I really like the attention to detail and the physicality of our practices. Our guys have been locked in and I think what you see on the field is a result of that."

The Bulldogs are 5-0 all-time against Idabel, including last year's top-ten, rain-soaked regular season finale at Lincoln, which saw the Bulldogs roll 48-0.

Last year, Lincoln ran for 356 yards as a team and faced just one third down all night, averaging 10.8 yards per rush to the tune of 18 first downs.

The Bulldogs also held Idabel to just 39 total yards and forced the Warriors into 0-of-9 on third down, as well as to just five first downs and 1.3 yards per rush.

Lincoln won in the second round of the playoffs in 2014 and 2015 over Idabel.

The Bulldogs have scored 48 or more in four of the five all-time matchups against Idabel, including outscoring the Warriors 218-27 over the last four matchups.

Lincoln has won 35 straight regular season games. The Bulldogs are 87-4 since the start of 2019 and 98-6 since the start of the 2018 season.

No. 1 Lincoln Christian @ Idabel

Friday, Nov. 7 — 7 p.m.

Warrior Stadium — Idabel, OK

6th meeting in all-time series — Lincoln leads 5-0

WATCH HERE

OFFENSIVE PREVIEW

Lincoln's passing attack continued to fire on all cylinders last week in the big win at Eufaula, led by senior quarterback Carter Ricke.

Ricke was 14-of-16 for 323 yards and five scores, as the leader of the explosive offensive attack continued his ridiculously good stretch in district play.

The senior has 1,484 passing yards in six district games this year and has thrown 25 touchdowns to just one interception.

On the season, Ricke has 1,936 yards on 74% passing. He's thrown 29 touchdowns to just four interceptions.

The senior has also been a threat with his legs, as well, running for 257 yards and five touchdowns on 11.7 yards per carry. 

His top passing target, senior Hudson Farris, has continued his strong senior season, as well.

Farris had another big game last week, as the speedster caught just four passes, but had 123 yards and a touchdown.

The senior has come alive over the last month, totaling 469 yards in his last four games on just 16 catches, good for six touchdowns.

Farris leads the team with 30 grabs for 678 yards and seven touchdowns through nine games on the year.

The tandem of running backs in junior Braeden Baker and sophomore CJ Wright continue to be incredibly difficult for opposing defenses, as they help a Bulldog running game that averages 274 yards per game on the ground.

Baker leads Lincoln with 720 yards and 16 touchdowns on 10.7 yards per carry through nine games. He also has 15 catches for 165 yards and four touchdowns as receiver.

Baker had just six touches last week, but totaled 95 yards and had two touchdowns in Lincoln's win at Eufaula.

Wright has been a big play machine, as the lightning fast sophomore has 516 yards rushing and five scores on 13.9 yards per carry. He's been a huge weapon in the passing game, as well, totaling 20 catches for 265 yards and six touchdowns.

Lincoln has also several youngsters step up in the passing game recently, as well.

Sophomore Brayden McMullen had two catches for 83 yards and two touchdowns in last week's win, while freshman Kade Wilson caught another touchdown of his own — his second in as many weeks.

Sophomore speedster Caleb Peterson has had a solid season thus far when given opportunities, totaling 148 yards and a touchdown as a receiver.

The Bulldogs will have to do that against an Idabel defense led by three seniors.

The Warriors are led defensively by safety Mack Dixon (5-8, 165), linebacker Quince Pond (6-1, 225) and defensive end Chris Bledsoe (6-2, 210).

Idabel allows 29 points per game and allowed just 40 points in four games in October until giving up 55 at Checotah last week.

Lincoln averages 10.7 yards per rush as a team, as well as 11.8 yards per play.

"Offensively, we go into every game trying to control the line of scrimmage, and we'll try to do this against Idabel as well. We use the run to set up a lot of our passing game, so it will be important that we do just that," said Ricke.

The Bulldogs have not punted since a week three win at Shiloh Christian on Sept. 12.

Lincoln averages 53 points and 495 yards of total offense per game.

The first-team offense has faced just 28 third downs through nine games.

DEFENSIVE PREVIEW

To say the Lincoln defense has been dominant in 2025 — especially district play — would be an understatement.

The Bulldogs have allowed just nine points outside of the mid-September shootout at Shiloh Christian and have six shutouts in nine games.

Last week, Lincoln allowed just 42 total yards in the 62-0 win at Eufuala, continuing the Bulldog's dominant stretch.

Lincoln has allowed just 822 yards outside of the Shiloh game — only an average of 102 per game.

The Bulldogs continue to get off the field on third down and force punts, as Lincoln has forced opponents into just 24-of-109 (22%) on the year.

Sophomore linebacker Isaac Beisel leads the team defensively with 51 tackles. He has six tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks and a fumble recovery.

Fellow linebackers, junior Parker Rogers and senior Connor Rowlett, have also been strong for Lincoln.

Rogers has 28 tackles, four for loss, along with two interceptions —one for a TD — and four pass break ups.

Rowlett has 24 tackles, six for loss, and a sack on the year.

Up front, the Bulldogs have been dominant in the run game and rushing the passer.

Juniors Lincoln Torres, Colt Monsey and Rain Ragland lead the way for Lincoln, as the trio has put up impressive numbers.

Torres has 35 tackles on the year, including 11 of those for loss. He has four sacks to lead the Bulldogs.

Monsey has 27 tackles, including nine for loss, as well as two sacks and two fumble recoveries. 

Ragland has 16 tackles in just four games, including six for loss, a sack and a forced fumble. 

The secondary has been led by Farris, Baker and Peterson.

Farris has 19 tackles, two for loss, and a sack from his corner spot, while Baker has 23 tackles, three for loss, along with a forced fumble and two pass break ups.

Peterson has manned the other corner spot with 24 tackles, as well as a team-high six pass break ups and four interceptions — one for a TD.

Senior safety Gabe Huntsinger, along with senior defensive lineman Ethan Uyetake and Logan Kelley, have also played key roles for Lincoln on defense. 

Huntsinger has 19 tackles, two for loss, while Uyetake and Kelley each have 17 tackles on the year, with nine tackles for loss combined up front.

Dixon plays quarterback for Idabel and has had a solid season thus far. He's totaled 1,677 yards on 52% passing, throwing for 23 touchdowns to nine interceptions.

He is also a threat as a runner, leading the Warriors with 670 rushing yards and five scores on 6.4 yards per rush.

"Defensively, we have to make sure that we contain their quarterback, both as a runner and passer. He has some great skill guys around him so we'll have to make sure we are sound in our fronts and coverages," said Ricke.

Pond and senior Jashawn Dixon are the top weapons at running back for Idabel.

Pond has 320 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 5.4 yards per carry, while Dixon has 394 yards and three touchdowns on 6.2 yards per carry.

Senior Beny Mthethwa is the Warriors' top receiving weapon, leading Idabel with 842 yards and eight touchdowns on 21.6 yards per catch.

Junior wideout Jordyn Lewis has also been ah huge weapon for Idabel in the passing game, totaling 531 yards and a team-high 11 touchdowns on just 24 catches through nine games.

"Our defensive secondary will have to play well," Ricke said. "They have a really good quarterback who throws well on the run, and they have a couple of really good receivers. It will help if our defensive line can put pressure on their quarterback and get him off his mark."

Idabel averages 33 points per game as team. 

The Bulldogs have not allowed a touchdown in almost two months — dating back to Sept. 12.



Photos by Lee Talley