With a 42-game win streak on the line, three-time defending state champions Lincoln Christian wasn't afraid to challenge itself.

And with a host of new playmakers on offense? Many pundits wondered if Thursday night would be the end of the 5th-longest win streak in state history.

The Bulldogs answered that and more, as Lincoln cruised to a 25-13 win at defending 2A-1 state champion Jones to kick off the 2026 season last night.

Lincoln ran for 297 yards as a team, played turnover free football and kept a potent Jones offense in check to open the season with a win.

The Bulldogs got big performances from both sophomore running backs, as Drake Sheffield and Max Madrid broke out in their debuts as focal points of head coach Jerry Ricke's offense.

"We have a lot of confidence in both of those young sophomores," said Ricke. "They have been with us for a long time, and we know how tough both of them are. They definitely feed off of each other, and they are very selfless young men."

Sheffield ran 16 times for 171 yards and two scores — both in the second half, while Madrid touched the ball 22 times for 156 yards and had a 26-yard TD in the first half.

"I loved the way both of them were finishing their runs, and that kind of paid off in the end there when Drake broke a couple of long TD runs," said Ricke. "I thought Braxton, Caleb, and Isaac also had some great runs as well."

The Bulldogs held highly-touted Jones sophomore quarterback Jeymon Reed to just 168 yards passing on 23 completions.

Jones possessed the ball for just over seven minutes in the entire first half, as defensive coordinator Jeff Comfort had the Longhorns frustrated for much of the game.

"I don't know if people really appreciate how well our defense played last night,"' said Ricke. "They did a great job of not giving up the big play against some great receivers and a QB with great arm strength and playmaking ability. We got some really big stops in key moments, and our guys just played so relentlessly all night."

Lincoln started the game in a big way, as junior speedster Caleb Peterson took the opening kickoff 63 yards down to the Jones 35.

After a errant snap zoomed by sophomore quarterback Major Brooks on a miscommunication, the Bulldogs were suddenly in 3rd and 26 two plays later.

But the sophomore lefty was poised, as he found Peterson over the middle for 22 yards to give Lincoln a shot on 4th down.

After a false start moved Lincoln back, Brooks made another nice play on 4th down, extending with his feet to find classmate and receiver Kade Wilson down the Bulldogs sideline for 17 yards, moving it inside the Jones 20.

Sheffield rumbled for 12 yards to move it to the 5-yard line, where two plays later Brooks lofted a ball into the corner of the end zone, where Peterson made an over the shoulder grab for the score with 7:20 to go in the quarter.

"He was well prepared for our game plan, and I thought he executed it well," said Ricke. "He made some really nice decisions and throws to help us get out of some tough down and distances early."

Brooks finished the first half 6-of-9 for 136 yards and a score and only attempted three passes in the second half as Lincoln leaned on the ground game late.

Comfort's defense forced a three-and-out on the ensuing possession, allowing the Bulldogs to get the ball back quickly.

The Bulldogs suffered four penalties in short order, finding themselves in a 2nd and 33 situation.

That's when Brooks found senior tight end Colt Monsey, who had leaked out down the Lincoln sideline for a big gain, picking up the first down and moving it out near midfield.

"I thought Major played within our system and made the plays when we needed him to. I was very proud of the way he played in a very tough environment against a great team," said Ricke.

Four plays and two penalties later, Madrid followed some great blocking and outran the Longhorns defense into the end zone for the score, putting Lincoln up 12-0 early in the 2nd.

"We talk to our team about controlling the controllables, their attitude and effort," said Ricke. "I thought they all did a great job of shaking off some mistakes and just playing the next play. I am proud of them for not making any excuses and having accountability in those spots."

Jones moved the football down inside the Lincoln 30, but the Bulldogs defense held again, forcing a turnover on downs.

Lincoln quickly moved the ball back across midfield, thanks to 40 yards rushing on five plays from Madrid and Sheffield.

Brooks then found Madrid for 38 yards on a screen play to move inside the Jones' 15, but the Bulldogs later turned it over on downs.

Jones closed the half on a 15-play, 87-yard drive that capped the final 2:50 of the first half, finished off by a 16 yard touchdown run by Reed to make it 12-7 at the break.

The teams traded punts to start the 3rd quarter before Lincoln moved it inside the Jones' 40 but failed on 4th down again.

But the Bulldogs would stand up defensively in response, once again.

Jones was threatening across midfield, but Sheffield made a great open field tackle on Reed short of the line to gain on 4th down, as Comfort's group held once more.

Two plays later, Sheffield made another big play, this time with the ball, as the tough, speedy sophomore broke loose from two tackles and raced 44 yards to the end zone, putting Lincoln up 18-6 with just over 11 minutes to go.

Jones held Lincoln on 4th down several minutes later after the Bulldogs forced another punt and the Longhorns cut into the lead late.

Reed helped lead a 5-play, 49-yard drive that took just 1:16 and made it 18-13, but the 2-point conversion failed.

Ricke leaned on his underdog offensive line the rest of the way, as Lincoln finished off the night with more bully ball, converting three first downs on a 7-play, 66 yard drive that chewed up almost four minutes.

Sheffield broke loose again, this time from 41 yards away to seal the deal for Lincoln, racing untouched to make it 25-13 with just under two minutes to go.

"After a shaky start with penalties and bad snaps, I thought our offensive line settled in and kept playing hard," said Ricke. "We have some calls and technical things to address, but you can't be dissatisfied with a group of linemen who play with physicality and tenacity. I thought our guys did very well in both of those cases."

Peterson capped off the night with an interception of Reed on the final play, as senior corner Eli Summerlin tipped the incoming pass and Peterson caught it off the tip drill for the exclamation point.

Lincoln not only fought through penalties, but the Bulldogs had to use an extensive amount of depth throughout the night due to cramping and injuries.

Yet still, Lincoln held Jones to just 4-of-11 on 3rd down and 1-of-3 on 4th down, while forcing four punts.

"We had to kind of create some of that depth on the run last night, given how hot and humid it was," said Ricke. "I was really proud of Braxton McGuiness for stepping in there and playing a ton.'

"Griffen Crawford and his brother Ollie also gave us some key reps in the second half. I thought Parker Rogers did a great job of just jumping in a bunch of different spots of offense to spell guys. I was really proud of Nate Uyetake and Josiah Faulkner for playing a ton of snaps on both sides of the ball."

Peterson had six touches for 31 yards on offense, but had the big kick return and a team high nine tackles to go along with his INT.

Rogers, Beisel and Sheffield each had seven tackles, while Maverick Rea finished with five and Colt Monsey had two sacks.

Lincoln outgained Jones 433-315 despite running just five more plays.

The Bulldogs will travel to Heritage Hall next week, where Lincoln has won eight straight in the series.

Lincoln has won 37 of the 43 games during the win streak by double figures.

The Bulldogs are 93-4 since the start of 2019 and 104-6 since the beginning of 2018.



Photos by Hunter Sheppard