1,371 days.

Three years, nine months, two days.

When Lincoln Christian takes the field on Thursday night to kickoff the 2026 high school football season in Oklahoma, that's how long it'll have been since the Bulldogs last lost.

They'll do so as the three-time defending state champs in Class 3A.

And with one of the five-best winning streaks in state history.

But they do so with a lot of new.

A new class, as the Bulldogs drop down to 2A-1, which is where Lincoln sits enrollment wise without the success multiplier previously applied by the OSSAA.

They do so with new faces in key spots, as previous contributors are gone to either graduation or other departures that went elsewhere.

But they also do so with confidence.

A confidence that comes from stability. 

A confidence that comes from consistency.

And a confidence that seems unshakable because it's rooted in something special.

A DECADE OF GREATNESS

Head coach Jerry Ricke enters his 10th year as head coach at Lincoln Christian.

His resume is laughably good, with a 108-13 career record, including a 103-6 mark across the last eight seasons.

He's led the Bulldogs to four state championships and has two more runners-up in his nine years.

Lincoln has been to the state semifinals eight straight times.

And with all those accolades, impressive records, gold balls and more, including an ongoing 42-game win streak, sometimes it takes Ricke and his staff slowing down in the spring to appreciate the run they've been on.

"Sometimes you don't reflect enough in the moment and it takes an offseason for you to kind of enjoy the special times you had, especially having a group with my son, Carter, as a quarterback."

Last December's state title was not only special due to his son's excellence in leading the Bulldogs to another gold ball, but it culminated the first "lifer" football class and it ended in perfect style. 

"That grade was the first team to play first grade football and finish all the way through," said Ricke. 

"I remember being out here on the quads, you know, on the grass field out there, practicing, you know, with eight guys on the field, and we did it for 12 years. A lot of those kids were here all 12 years, so it was a special moment."

Ultimately, Ricke sees familiar faces he's watch grow up through the elementary program develop into contributors for his team.

And recently, that means playing a role in capturing the programs third, fourth and fifth gold balls.

"Sometimes you don't take time to enjoy that, but this year I think our players, our coaches, and myself, I think we really enjoyed and embraced what we did and what we were able to accomplish," said Ricke.

"It's a special time, and the senior class that is gone now accomplished some really special things."

A CLASS FOR THE AGES

As one senior class exits, another enters.

And this one has not only been heralded for a long time, but has made significant contributions to Lincoln's historic recent run.

The class is 42-0 during its high school career, but their dominance stretches back to all the way to elementary days, as well.

"They've been a great class we've targeted since they were in third grade, probably," said Ricke.

Throughout elementary football, the senior class lost just two games from first to sixth grade, and continued that on when they entered school ball.

"They had a lot of success in INFC and carried that momentum into middle school, where they never lost a game there," said Ricke. "An now they're 42-0 as high school football players. That's pretty special."

Seniors like Lincoln Torres and Rain Ragland have played significant roles in all three state titles, bursting onto the scene as dominant freshman that looked and played the part.

Then you have players like Colt Monsey, who saw the success of his classmates Torres and Ragland, and pushed himself to develop into a dominant sophomore and junior.

Add into that players like Parker Rogers, who always displayed the physical attributes and talent, but struggled with injuries throughout his early high school years.

Rogers had a breakout junior season, dominating from a linebacker spot and eventually earning a scholarship to play in college at Navy.

This class has withstood many things, mostly teammates leaving for other schools or stepping away from football throughout their junior high and high school careers.

And, still, to see what they've accomplished is incredible in its own right.

But.

There is definitely a but.

"But also, they're still hungry to prove more and that there's more in the tank," said Ricke. "They are ready to show they aren't done yet as a senior class."

It fits with something Ricke's talked about for a long time, that a senior class is defined by what they accomplish when it's "their" year.

"I've said it for every senior class, they're remembered for what they do the year they graduate," said Ricke. "So this year, 2026, those seniors will be remembered for this year."

But if you ask Ricke, he's more than confident in this group leading the way with all of the expectations and more.

"And so they feel some pressure with that, but that's a good pressure, and that's a good thing to have, given the situation we're in," said Ricke.

THE ROAD LESS TRAVELED

A 42-game win streak is, obviously, impressive.

But to do it the way Lincoln has is what makes the streak special.

In non-district action over the past three seasons, Lincoln has played:

• Perennial Class 2A power Vian
• Two-time state champ Holland Hall on a 24 game win streak to open the 2023 season
• Perennial 2A/3A power Jones
• Perennial 3A power Heritage Hall (twice)
• 10-time Arkansas power Shiloh Christian, who won the 2025 Class 6A title (three times)

Ricke and his team have not shied away from competition, which is not always the case with other programs.

But there is a method to the madness, and it's not about keeping the streak alive.

"Yeah, it's a challenge. But we made it a challenge," said Ricke. "It's a challenging schedule for a reason. We want our kids to have adversity, to have to overcome things, and to go out and find out where we are."

The Bulldogs have also won 50 straight district games, dating back to 2017, as well as 59 straight home games.

But when Ricke and his group can challenge themselves, they will.

Next week, when the 2026 season opens, Lincoln will face their toughest non-district slate yet.

A trip to defending 2A-1 state champ (now in Class 3A) Jones, followed by another trip to Heritage Hall before hosting Shiloh Christian before entering district play at the end of September.

"We put a ton of stress on them in practice, in summer pride," said defensive coordinator Jeff Comfort. "We are creating our own adversity for them."

"There's a rhyme and reason behind it all. But they have to be ready to go. We've got three really tough opponents and really good coaching staffs in Jones, Heritage Hall, and Shiloh. They all have really good players. It's going to be a tough challenge, but it's what our kids want. They want to show up and play in the big games."

Not to mention last week's scrimmage with fellow Class 2A favorite Washington and defending Class 4A state champion Tuttle.

It's all by design, as Lincoln has become accustomed to big games and big moments, ultimately reaping the benefits of the experience later on.

"We tell them that you're going to have good plays and good situations, but you're also going  have mistakes. Let's learn from the mistakes. Let's not let it affect us too long and grow from it," said Ricke.

"That's what the first three games will bring. We know the schedule is set to challenge us and make our kids understand that we want to put them in situations that are gonna make them better. And we feel like these first three opportunities are really gonna do that."

THE STANDARD IS THE STANDARD

The secret to Lincoln's success can be defined in many different ways, but Ricke quickly gives credit to those before him and those around him.

Ricke, who took over for longtime Lincoln head coach Darren Melton, has taken what he's learned and built off of the foundation, as opposed to rebuilding a new one.

"I took over for Coach Melton, who is a legend in Oklahoma high school football. And he coached under Allen Trimble, who is the legend in Oklahoma high school football."

"So a lot of the things that we do, that I still continue to do, were stuff that we got when Darren was at Jenks and it's kind of the way we've done things," he said. "Our culture has been kind of set that way and we really haven't strayed far from it."

Ricke has also been here since the early Lincoln days, so not only has he built the football culture, but he's had a big hand in developing the entire culture of the school, which goes hand-in hand with what people see on Friday nights.

"I have felt a big responsibility to Darren and to our school, to our founder, Pastor Willie George, and obviously now to Whit George and his wife, Heather," said Ricke. "It's a responsibility to all these people that built this school. We built it with an idea that we're going to do things with excellence and with Godly character."

But when the helmets strap on, Lincoln honors the program's excellence by playing to the highest level, at the fastest speed and with great effort and discipline.

"At the end of the day, when we're playing a football game, we're gonna get after people," said Ricke.

The success of the program specifically is often represented by Ricke, but he is fast to heap praise on his staff, of which the majority are former Lincoln players.

"It's been fun to have the success we've had," Ricke said. "I look at the coaches that we've had and the continuity there. It's been a blessing having Coach (Jeff) Comfort with me all nine years. He's done a fantastic job calling the defense the last three years."

"Coach (Zac) Fullingim is a guy that played for us and then my son, Chase (Ricke), has come back and was a player that's been through our program. There are a bunch of guys, Coach (Jimmy) Landers, the is the same way and played in our program. All of our coaches, Coach (Stephon) Walsh, Coach (AB) Stokes, Coach (Paul) Kempf, all these guys are big parts of our program."

The group collectively pushes one another to not only be the best coach they can be for the program, but to honor what has been established with each day.

"They mean a lot to me and they're the ones that help push me and make me better," said Ricke. "But at the end of the day, we're just trying to do right by the culture that we've established and making that the focus each and every day."

THE SECRET IS NO SECRET

People ask all the time.

What is the secret to Lincoln's success?

No doubt a lot of answers have been given throughout the years.

But the truth is actually pretty simple.

It's centered around not worrying about the end result or a streak or the outside noise.

But simply being right where your feet are, playing the next play and focusing on what you can do today to get better.

"I wasn't really worried about a streak or winning all these games yesterday or the other morning at practice," said Ricke. "I was worried about the right side of our kickoff team running down the field at 100%. And that's the things that make us, I think, what we are. We care about every little detail."

Don't get the head coach wrong.

He's enjoyed every minute of his tenure, not only as a head coach, but during his time at Lincoln.

The wins. The accolades. The championships. The memories. The joy of coaching his sons with former players and then coaching with his sons.

But what makes Ricke great — what makes Lincoln great — is the commitment to the little things and controlling what you can control.

Today.

"It's been fun and I enjoy it, but I don't really keep track of records that much," said Ricke. "I've got some things, some plaques laying around that my wife keeps telling me, 'you should put these on the wall' and maybe I'll do that one of these days. But for now, our goal is just to try to get better every day and see what the next day brings."