No. 1 Lincoln Christian closed out the regular season in a big way last Friday, as the Bulldogs rolled at home in a 58-12 win over Roland.

Lincoln (9-1, 7-0) finished the district slate perfectly, as the Bulldogs continued to dominate on both sides of the football.

The Bulldogs had 558 total yards of offense in the win, while holding Roland to less than 100 yards and only 2.6 yards per play.

After taking an early 14-0 lead in the games first four minutes, Roland answered with a 7-play, 78-yard scoring drive.

The score made it 14-6 with 4:07 remaining in the opening quarter. 

But the Bulldogs wouldn't let the Rangers hang around, as Lincoln scored five more touchdowns in the next eight minutes of game time and led 51-6 at halftime.

"I thought we did a good job of staying level-headed and just playing the next play," said Lincoln head coach Jerry Ricke. "You have to give credit to Roland for making some nice plays, but also our guys for responding the way we did."

The Bulldogs ran for 413 yards as a team, averaging over 13 yards per attempt behind an offensive line that has continued to improve all season long.

"That group is probably the most improved unit on the team, and we had to," said Ricke. "We knew we had a long way to go at the start of the season, and these guys just kept trusting their training and believed in each other."

"We still feel like we can get better here in the postseason. These guys continue to show up hungry to learn and grow."

Meanwhile, the Lincoln defense made it a long night on the Roland offense, thanks to the welcome return of senior defensive lineman Lincoln Torres.

Torres returned two weeks ago but had not played defense until week 10 after being injured in the season opening win at Jones.

He made his presence felt, finishing the night in limited action with three tackles for loss and two sacks.

"He really brings a spark to our entire defense," said Ricke. "He is dominant at his position, but he also frees up some of our other guys. He made a bunch of plays last night in limited action. It is great to have him back."

The win wrapped up the program's 9th straight district title and was the program's 57th consecutive district victory.

The Bulldogs now head into the postseason with two home games before making the final run at what would be Lincoln's 4th straight gold ball in December. 

"It something we talk about all the time," said Ricke. "What you do in district play determines, in part, your postseason."

"We have put ourselves in the best possible position, as a district champion, and so our guys want to take advantage of that. Playing at home is one of the huge benefits of taking care of your business in district play."

Lincoln opened the game with a lightning fast scoring drive, as Max Madrid scored on the game's second play.

Madrid's 2-yard score came after a 55-yard scamper on the first play from scrimmage.

The Bulldogs second scoring drive was also rather fast, as Lincoln needed just four plays to go 36 yards.

Sophomore quarterback Major Brooks found junior Isaac Beisel leaking out of the backfield or a 7-yard touchdown, his first of the season, to make it 14-0.

Madrid scored his second touchdown of he night flowing some great blocking down the home sideline with 2:15 to go in the 1st quarter, as the 48-yard run made it 21-6.

Brooks found junior Caleb Peterson across the middle on the final play of the first quarter, as the receiver broke two tackles on his way into the end zone.

The 25-yard touchdown made it 28-6.

Brooks tossed his third touchdown of the night on the next drive, which was another extremely quick possession for Lincoln.

This time, the quarterback found senior tight end Colt Monsey down the visitor's sideline on a short throw, and the athletic big man did the rest, weaving his way back across the field for a 56-yard score.

Ricke praised Monsey and Beisel for what they do for the Lincoln offense not only as blockers, but as capable playmakers in the passing game. 

"Those two guys are both dominant point-of-attack blockers and a huge part of our run game," said Ricke. "It is fun to get them the ball in different ways, and it also stresses the defense. They are both really good after the catch as well."

After the long pass play made it 35-6 early in the 2nd quarter, Lincoln wasn't done yet.

Torres put pressure on Roland quarterback Bubba Owens in the end zone on the first play of the ensuing drive.

The big senior tackled Owens in the end zone for one of his two sacks, resulting in a safety with 8:56 to go in the half.

Two plays later, Madrid scored for the third time on the night, racing in from 33 yards away to make it 44-6.

Lincoln scored after forcing another three-and-out, needing just two plays to extend the lead again.

This time, senior Nate Johnston broke loose for 51-yards to get inside the Roland 10-yard line, before finishing it off on the next play with a 7-yard TD run to make it 51-6.

The Bulldogs final touchdown came in the 4th quarter, as backup quarterback Harrison Moore capped off an 8-play, 45-yard drive with a 3-yard touchdown run.

Brooks threw for 115 yards in the win, while Moore was 6-of-7 passing for 30 yards and also ran three times for 29 yards.

Madrid had seven carries for 180 yards to lead the rushing attack, while Johnston finished with 60 yards on three attempts.

Kolden Pratt had five attempts for 53 yards, while seven different Bulldogs caught a pass, led by senior receiver Nathan Shaughnessy, who had four grabs for 23 yards.

The Bulldogs had 20 first downs and scored nine touchdowns on just 48 total plays.

Lincoln held Roland to just 3-of-11 on 3rd down and 23 rushing yards on 16 attempts.

The Bulldogs will host Claremore Sequoyah on Friday in the opening round of the playoffs, with another home game in the second round against the winner of Chandler vs. Chisolm looming possible.

"We are relatively healthy, and our guys are excited about this opportunity," said Ricke. "We have a lot of guys with the experience of a playoff run, and what it takes to do that."

"I think the thing that they would all say we stress is taking it one game at a time. Our guys are completely focused on Claremore Sequoyah and getting prepared to play them." 



Photos by Lee Talley