No. 1 Lincoln had no problem in its district opener Thursday night, as the Bulldogs dominated Stigler on the road, moving to 4-0 on the year and pushing the win streak to 32.

The Bulldogs racked up 486 yards of offense, while holding Stigler to just 62 total yards in a dominant first half performance.

Lincoln scored six first half touchdowns, thanks in part to a big night from senior quarterback Carter Ricke and the passing game.

Ricke was 15-of-17 for 247 yards and four touchdowns in the first half. His top target, junior receiver Brett Kaste, had a career night, hauling in four passes for 145 yards and two scores.

"We are continuing to develop the chemistry between Carter and all his receivers," said Lincoln head coach Jerry Ricke. "The more chances we get at those live game reps, the better the connections seem to be going."

Meanwhile, the Bulldogs bottled up a Stigler rushing attack that was averaging 168 yards per game on the ground.

Lincoln held the Panthers to just 36 yards on 22 attempts. The Bulldogs had 10 tackles for loss, as the front seven was in the backfield seemingly all night.

"Those guys up front play with an attitude and passion every Friday night," said Ricke. "A lot of that stems from the practice field. What we see in practice every day is a bunch of guys that take extreme pride in doing their job — stopping the run, pressuring the quarterback, and creating negative plays. We continue to create depth on the defensive line, and that has helped in our improvement."

After a week off to get refocused and healthy following a dramatic and thrilling win at 6A Arkansas-power Shiloh Christian, Lincoln looked locked-in and ready to play on a quiet Thursday night right from the jump.

"These guys really enjoy the opportunity to play this game together," Ricke said. "Our upperclassmen are a very tight-knit group, and I think you see that play out on the field. I think the focus they play with comes from the demands we place on them in practice."

"We have periods in practice that require extreme focus, and I'm proud that our guys carry that onto the field with them."

Junior running back Braeden Baker also had a big night for Lincoln, as his strong start to the season continues.

Baker had just two carries, but both went for scores. He crushed into the end zone on a 66-yard run and an 18-yard scamper.

The junior also had three catches for 37 yards and a touchdown, highlighting a part of what makes Lincoln so potent offensively — balance in the run and pass game.

"We are really blessed to have a bunch of really good skill guys," Ricke said. "They are good at executing the offense, and they all have playmaking ability. We have built a lot of our pass game, RPO's and screen game around our speed at the skill positions. I think that lends itself to big plays. It's also important to note that our O-line does a great job of giving Carter and those guys the time to execute."

Lincoln held Stigler to just four first downs in the game and 1-of-9 on 3rd down.

The Bulldogs ran just 42 plays, averaging 11.5 yards per play.

Lincoln wasted no time getting started, as the Bulldogs took the opening kick, marched right down the field and scored.

Ricke completed two passes to senior receiver Hudson Farris for nine and 12 yards, setting Lincoln up inside the Stigler 15.

Two plays later, Ricke found Baker wide open on screen down the Lincoln sideline, where the junior scored easily.

Lincoln led 7-0 with 9:59 to go in the 1st.

Stigler's opening drive was its best of the night, as the Panthers picked up two first downs and moved it out near midfield.

But the Lincoln defense held, forcing the first of seven punts on the night to get the ball back to the offense.

The Bulldogs responded immediately, as Ricke found Kaste for 12 yards on first down before Baker broke loose again.

The junior followed great blocking up front from the offensive line, as well as a final block from Kaste on the edge, and hit it into high gear.

The 66-yard run made it 14-0 with 6:33 remaining in the 1st.

Lincoln forced a quick 3-and-out to get the ball back, where Kaste would make his first big play of the night.

Ricke found Baker for 11 yards on a screen before the senior ran for a 12-yard gain and another first down.

Then, Ricke found Kaste wide open behind the defense on a post route and the junior did the rest, outrunning the Stigler defense for a 57-yard score.

The touchdown made it 21-0 with 3:36 left in the 1st.

The Bulldogs forced another 3-and-out to get off the field and set up another Kaste score.

On the first play of the ensuing drive, Ricke rolled to his left and dropped a beautiful pass over the outstretched Stigler defensive back's arm, allowing Kaste to do what he does best — catch and run.

The junior raced into the end zone for another long score, this time a 61-yarder to make it 28-0 at the end of the 1st quarter.

"I was really proud of the precision and timing of the pass game last night. I thought Brett Kaste stepped up in a big way with a couple of those long touchdown receptions," said Ricke.

Another 3-and-out after Lincoln made the Stigler offense go backwards got the ball back to Ricke and co. for another score.

Lincoln needed just five plays to go 37 yards this time, capped off by another Baker score — an 18-yard run, converting on 4th and short.

The Bulldogs led 35-0 with 8:04 to go in the opening half.

Stigler continued to go nowhere, as the Panthers had to punt after three plays again.

Lincoln would do things a little differently this time, as the Bulldogs went on a 7-play, 61-yard scoring drive that spanned 2:46 — all via the air.

Ricke completed passes of 11 yards to sophomore standout CJ Wright, 17 yards to Farris and 15 yards to Kaste, moving Lincoln inside the Panthers '20.

The senior found sophomore Caleb Peterson for 12 yards to move inside the 5-yard line before throwing his fourth TD of the night.

Ricke rolled left again and found senior tight end Logan Kelley all alone in the end zone for a 4-yard score, as the lead stretched to 42-0 with 3:20 to go in the half.

The Bulldogs were able to keep Stigler out of the end zone to close out the 1st and half and for the entirety of the 2nd half, thanks to big contributions from some depth pieces defensively.

"We are always trying to add depth," Ricke said. "It is amazing how much a high-schooler can develop just within a single year. We see guys like that every year. Our coaches do a great job of identifying some of these guys and then giving them opportunities to prove themselves in practice."

Senior Ethan Uyetake is one, as the former linebacker moved to defensive end and made his presence felt in the 2nd half, finishing with five tackles, three for loss, and a sack.

"Also, a lot of these guys give our starters a great look in practice, and that helps them develop as well. I think you see that in guys like Ethan Uyetake, who we made a position change this week, and he went out there last night and had an outstanding game at defensive end."

Sophomore Isaac Beisel, the leading tackler for Lincoln, had four stops, while freshman Colt Conroy and junior Colt Monsey also each had four tackles (two for loss) from the defensive line.

Farris had three stops, two for loss, and a sack on a corner blitz. Peterson knocked down two passes, while sophomore Brayden McMullen, junior Parker Rogers and senior Liam Anderson each broke up a pass, as well.

Lincoln's lone score of the 2nd half came early in the 4th quarter, when McMullen, who entered at quarterback, found senior running back Gabe Huntsinger on a screen pass.

Huntsigner made some moves and cut back across the field, racing 51-yards for the score to make it 49-0.

McMullen was 4-of-5 for 63 yards passing. Farris had four catches for 40 yards in the win. Peterson also caught four passes for 24 yards.

Lincoln was 4-of-6 on 3rd down and 1-of-2 on 4th down on the night.

It was the Bulldogs 9th win over Stigler in as many tries.

The Bulldogs will be back at home next week to host No. 3 Holland Hall, looking to extend the win streak to 33 games.

Lincoln has also won 44-straight district games and has a 53-game home win streak at Dennis Byrd Stadium and Willie George Field.


Photos by Lee Talley