Another chapter in one of the state's best rivalries will unfold tomorrow night, as No. 1 Lincoln Christian and No. 3 Heritage Hall will battle again for a trip to the Class 3A state championship on the line.

The two teams will meet for the 3rd straight season in the playoffs, as well as for the 5th time in 24 months, as Lincoln looks to advance to the title game for the 3rd straight year.

The Bulldogs (12-0) have won 40 straight games, as well as seven in-a-row over Heritage Hall.

Lincoln pulled away from Heritage Hall in week 1 this season, breaking open a 7-6 game in the 2nd quarter to score 28 unanswered on Sept. 5.

"This game is obviously much more important than the week 1 game because the loser goes home and the winner gets to play in the state championship," Lincoln head coach Jerry Ricke said. "You'll see that both teams have definitely improved, and neither team wants their season to end on Friday night. It will definitely be a battle."

The Bulldogs also came back from down 14-0 in last year's Class 3A semifinal to win 42-14 and eventually win the program's 2nd straight state championship.

Heritage Hall (11-1) has ripped off 10 straight wins since the early season loss at Lincoln, including a 52-34 win over Seminole in the opening round and a 49-17 win over Inola in the quarterfinals two weeks ago.

Lincoln rolled 55-0 over Kingfisher two weeks ago in the quarterfinals, which followed a 56-0 win over Jay in the opening round.

Both teams were off last week, as the scheduling gave Classes 2A-4A an off week before the state title games next weekend.

Ricke and his group had more time to fine tune things for the big game ahead, albeit against an familiar opponent that they know so well.

"I think the extra time allowed us to really dial in on a game plan on both sides of the ball," Ricke said. "You have more time to try new things out of different formations and so forth. I reminded our kids that Heritage Hall had more time as well, so we need to be prepared for some possible new stuff."

It also allowed Ricke and his team an opportunity to slow down and enjoy the moment with the rare off week in the playoffs.

"The fact that we had no game on the Thanksgiving weekend was very relaxing and made that time with family a little more meaningful," he said. "It was fun to watch a lot of football this last weekend, including some great high school football games."

The Bulldogs have not gotten off to the fastest of starts over the last couple of years, as Lincoln also came from behind to win the 2023 state championship over Heritage Hall, as well.

Ricke hopes his team can value the football, as well as be aggressive on defense, in hopes to getting off to a faster start.

"I think that turnovers always play a huge part in these games," he said. "We need to take care of the ball, especially early, because we have had some turnovers against them to have led to some slow starts by us and allowed them to get out to good starts."

The Bulldogs have been able to run the football tremendously in the last two wins over the Chargers, totaling 413 in last year's semifinal win and 321 yards earlier this season.

Controlling the line of scrimmage and establishing the ground game could again prove to be the difference in Friday night's matchup.

"I feel like these games always come down to who can run the ball and who can stop the run," Ricke said. "This will be a key indicator of who gets off to a good start and ultimately will probably determine who will win the game."

Many of Lincoln's key contributors or starters on both sides of the ball have played in all four of these previous matchups since December 2023, which should be more than helpful on Friday night.

"We have a lot of guys who have played important roles in a lot of these games over the last three years," Ricke said. "I think experience definitely helps in both the preparation and the execution in these games. I am looking for those experienced players to help lead our team on Friday night."

Lincoln leads the all-time series 7-3 and has won all seven since 2019. The two teams have met in the playoffs in all but one of the last eight seasons — with each game coming in the semifinals or championship.

At least one of the two program's has played for the state championship in each season since 2017.

Lincoln is 24-4 in the playoff since the start of 2018 and has won 10 consecutive playoff games.

The Bulldogs 40-game win streak is the second longest active streak in Oklahoma and tied for the 7th longest in state history.

During the 40-game streak, Lincoln has won 35 of those contests by double-digits and has 15 shutouts during that stretch.

No. 3 Heritage Hall vs. No. 1 Lincoln Christian

Friday, Dec. 5 — 7 p.m.

Hafer Field - Bristow, OK

11th meeting in all-time series — Lincoln leads 7-3

WATCH HERE

OFFENSIVE PREVIEW

The Bulldogs bring into Friday's contest one of the best offenses in the state, averaging 54 points and 504 yards per game.

Lincoln has scored 49 or more in each of its last nine games and averages 11.8 yards per play on offense. 

The offense is led by senior quarterback Carter Ricke, who has been tremendous in his second season as a starter.

Ricke has completed 74% of his passes for 2,538 yards and 40 touchdowns, while throwing just four interceptions.

He has also been a threat as a runner, totaling 389 yards and six touchdowns on the ground on 14.4 yards per attempt.

Ricke was 11-of-14 for 176 yards and two scores in the quarterfinal win over Kingfisher, while also running three times for 47 yards. 

Ricke is joined in the backfield by two dynamic weapons in junior Braeden Baker and sophomore CJ Wright.

Baker leads the team in rushing with 998 yards and 23 touchdowns, averaging 11.7 yards per carry. He also has 19 catches for 244 yards and five touchdowns receiving.

Wright has run for 759 yards and eight touchdowns, averaging a ridiculous 16.9 yards per rush. He also has 27 catches for 308 yards and eight touchdowns as a receiver.

The two each had 134 total yards in the win over Kingfisher, combining for five touchdowns on just 13 touches.

Ricke's top target at receiver is senior Hudson Farris, who has been super reliable for the Lincoln offense in his final season.

Farris has a team-high 44 catches for 926 yards and 12 touchdowns, averaging 21 yards per catch.

He had five grabs for 80 yards and a score in the win over Kingfisher.

Lincoln could get Brett Kaste back soon from injury, as the junior has missed five games.

Before missing time, Kaste had 20 catches for 479 yards and five touchdowns.

Lincoln's first team offense has faced just 31 third downs in 12 games and has punted just twice since the Sept. 12 win at Shiloh Christian.

The Bulldogs average 277 yards rushing per game and 11.1 yards per rush as a team.

Heritage Hall is led defensively by junior middle linebacker Carson Phelps (6-3, 226), senior defensive end Rhett Davis (6-2, 253) and senior defensive back (6-foot, 164).

The Chargers allow just 14 points per game on the year. They have allowed 14 point or less in eight of the 12 games.

DEFENSIVE PREVIEW

The state's best defense resides at Lincoln Christian, as the Bulldogs have been incredibly dominant in 2025.

Lincoln has allowed just three points since the Sept. 12 win at Shiloh Christian, which includes eight shutouts in nine games.

The Bulldogs have allowed just 1,054 total yards in 11 games outside of the Shiloh game against Oklahoma and Class 3A teams.

That starts up front, as the trio of defensive linemen have dominated games for the Bulldogs.

Juniors Lincoln Torres, Colt Monsey and Rain Ragland have all had outstanding seasons, both making plays in the run game and disrupting things in the backfield and or passing game.

Torres has 51 tackles on the year, including a team-high 20 for loss and six sacks. 

Monsey has 34 tackles, including 10 for loss, as well as two sacks and two fumble recoveries.

Ragland has played in just seven games, but has 20 tackles, seven for loss, a sack, a forced fumble and fumble recovery.

The defensive line as a whole has over 60 tackles for loss and 13 sacks on the year and helped hold Kingfisher to just 37 yards on 29 plays in the first half two weeks ago.

At linebacker, sophomore Isaac Beisel leads the way and is the top tackler for Lincoln.

He has 68 stops on the year, along with 11 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, a fumble recovery and an interception.

Senior Connor Rowlett has been a big-time leader for Lincoln at middle linebacker, posting 32 tackles on the year. He has eight tackles for loss and a sack, as well.

Junior Parker Rogers has also been outstanding at the outside linebacker spot for Lincoln, as he's totaled 36 tackles, five for loss, along with two picks and five pass break ups.

The Bulldogs have also been excellent in the secondary, led by several familiar faces.

Baker and Wright have been standouts at safety, along with senior Gabe Huntsinger.

Baker has 26 tackles, along with a forced fumble and a pick, while Wright has 16 tackles, an interception and a fumble recovery.

Huntsinger has stepped up in the latter half of the season to play a big role, totaling 25 tackles.

Farris and sophomore Caleb Peterson have been outstanding at the two corner spots, as they have made many big plays against the run and pass.

Farris has 21 tackles and a pick, while Peterson has 28 tackles and a team-high six pass break ups and four interceptions.

Heritage Hall averages 39 points per game offensively.

The Chargers are led by Williams and junior receiver Porter England (5-10, 169) on offense. Davis will also play a key role, as will junior quarterback Teagan Lawson (6-1, 165).

Photos by Lee Talley