After a week off, Lincoln football returns to Willie George Field at Dennis Byrd Stadium tonight.

No. 1 Lincoln (2-1) hosts No. 6 Tahlequah Sequoyah (3-0) in the district opener at 7 p.m., as the Bulldogs look to get back on track after the program's first loss since 2022 two weeks ago.

Lincoln fell at home in the final non-district game to Arkansas power Shiloh Christian in a 41-14 loss.

And as many would guess, the Bulldogs are hungry to get back to their winning ways.

"We are excited to get back on the field," said Lincoln head coach Jerry Ricke. "Our team is relatively young and so a lot of our guys are excited to get back out there and prove themselves. And because its homecoming, it has made the week even more exciting."

The Bulldogs had won 44 straight games, the 5th longest streak in Oklahoma history before the Shiloh loss.

But with many new starters and some key contributors and leaders injured, the Bulldogs insanely tough non-district schedule ended with the first loss many can remember.

The bye week came at a perfect time, as Ricke and his bunch were able to get back to work, get healthy and get ready for the most important part of the season — district play. 

"It allowed us to refocus, and to work on ourselves. It also helped us have extra time to prepare for a good Tahlequah Seqouyah team," said Ricke. "We were also able to use that time to get some guys healthy."

Part of that is just focusing on themselves and slow down some, as defensive coordinator Jeff Comfort was happy to be able to do some teaching during the two weeks of practice.

"We were able to fix mistakes from the first three weeks and pause to correct and go into more detail because we weren't planning for an opponent," said Comfort. "Our kids responded well and were eager to get better."

The Bulldogs have won 50 straight district games, dating back to Sept. 2018. Lincoln has also won nine straight district championships.

Lincoln is also 59-1 at home since Sept. 2017.

The Bulldogs have won 38 of the last 39 regular season games and is 76-2 in the regular season since the Sept. 2018 district loss.

Lincoln is 94-5 since the beginning of the 2019 season and 105-7 since the opening of the 2018 season.

This will be the 8th meeting all-time between the two programs, as Lincoln leads the series 6-1.

The Bulldogs won the first five matchups by an average score of 42-14.

Sequoyah's lone win came in 2017 and before the recent loss to Shiloh a couple of weeks ago, was the last home loss for Lincoln.

The Indians are 26-12 since the start of the 2026 season after a 1-18 stretch in 2021-22.

Sequoyah has opened the 2026 season with three big victories, winning at Pawnee 56-24, at Prairie Grove (AR) 42-18 and most recently in its home opener, a 42-6 win over Eufaula.

"Tahlequah Seqouyah is a very experienced team," said Ricke. "We have to make sure that we take care of the football, eliminate penalties, and be really good on special teams."

Kickoff is at 7 p.m. with homecoming festivities beginning at 6:30 p.m.

No. 6 Sequoyah Tahlequah @ No. 1 Lincoln Christian

Friday, Sept. 25  — 7 p.m.

Willie George Field at Dennis Byrd Stadium — Tulsa, OK

8th meeting in all-time series — Lincoln leads 6-1

WATCH HERE

OFFENSIVE PREVIEW

The Lincoln offense will look to get back on track this week as district play begins in its home stadium.

The Bulldogs continue to feature many newcomers to the 2026 offense and coupled with the extremely tough non-district state, are hoping district play is when Lincoln will kick it into gear.

Sophomore quarterback Major Brooks has played very well against a trio of tough opponents in his first three starts.

Brooks has completed 65% of passes for 590 yards and four touchdowns to just two interceptions.

"I was really happy with the progress that Major Brooks has made," said Ricke. "Not only as a quarterback, but as a leader. He is really starting to understand our offense in its entirety, and that has helped him lead those guys."

Brooks has also been a threat with his legs, as he's rushed for 62 yards and a score through three games.

His top target is junior Caleb Peterson, who had a career night in the Bulldogs' last game vs. Shiloh.

Peterson exploded for 11 catches, 133 yards and two scores.

The speedster has 20 grabs for 291 yards and four touchdowns through three games.

Brooks' other two targets include sophomore Kade Wilson, who had three catches for 26 yards vs. Shiloh. Wilson has nine grabs for 137 yards on the season.

Senior Colt Monsey is also a weapon for Brooks at tight end, after hauling in three passes for 31 yards in the loss to Shiloh.

Monsey has just five catches but for 94 yards through three games.

The Bulldogs ground attack was better against Shiloh after being slowed in the previous game three weeks ago vs. Heritage Hall.

Lincoln's top back is sophomore Max Madrid, who had 18 rushes for 75 yards in the Shiloh game.

Madrid has 200 yards and two touchdowns through three games. He's also been a weapon as a pass catcher, as well, with four grabs for 66 yards.

The Bulldogs hope to be sharp coming off the ball, which includes executing in the red area, which Lincoln typically does very well.

"I would like to see us execute in all areas and see us execute in the red zone," said Ricke.

Lincoln averages 359 yards per game in a balanced attack — 162 on the ground and 197 through the air.

The Bulldogs average 19 first downs per game and eight explosive plays (20+ yards) through three games.

Sequoyah is led defensively by three juniors, a defensive end Carson Leep (6-foot-1, 208 lbs.), middle linebacker Ridge Blackbear (6-foot, 210) and free safety Shaystin Watie (5-foot-9, 169).

Leep leads the team with 28 tackles through three games, along with two sacks and two fumble recoveries.

Blackbear has 24 tackles and a fumble recovery, while Watie has 17 tackles.

DEFENSIVE PREVIEW

As hungry as the offense is to get back out there after the rare loss, the same could be argued for the Lincoln defense.

The Bulldogs will get their shot tonight when an explosive Sequoyah offense comes to town.

Lincoln has faced three high-level offenses through three weeks and will have another challenge on its hands in the district opener.

"They have a really good quarterback and running back and fast receivers. Their offensive and defensive lines are big and physical. They have good depth and play very sound football," said Ricke.

The Bulldogs allowed just 13 points in the season opening win at Jones, followed by just 19 points on the road in a win at Heritage Hall.

But Lincoln ran out of gas at home against Shiloh a couple of weeks ago, something they are ready to prove was just an off night.

"I just want to see us compete and be relentless every single snap. Our guys are ready to go and are excited to get back out there," said Comfort.

The week break for Lincoln was good for the defense, as well, as the Bulldogs were able to focus on the technique and fundamentals that the program's dominant unit was built on.

"I thought we did a good job of getting back to the basics; Tackling, Running to the football, and playing with physicality," said Ricke.

The Bulldogs are led by junior linebacker Isaac Beisel, who has a team-high 26 tackles and two tackles for loss.

Senior linebacker Parker Rogers has 19 tackles and a forced fumble, while junior linebacker Braxton McGinnis has come on and has 18 stops, as well.

Senior Colt Monsey has been outstanding with 10 tackles through three games, but a team-high six tackles for loss and four sacks.

His running mate, senior Rain Ragland, has just eight tackles and a fumble recovery, but constantly eats up double and triple teams in the middle.

Junior safety Maverick Rea has 15 tackles and had a pick vs. Shiloh, while Madrid also has 13 tackles on the year.

Peterson leads a secondary that is improving with each week, as he has 16 tackles and an interception through three games.

Senior Eli Summerlin has 11 tackles, while fellow corner junior Cayden Mathruin has a team-high three interceptions and seven tackles.

The Bulldogs have forced six turnovers in three games and have allowed just 177 passing yards per game on an average of 28 attempts per contest.

Lincoln is limiting opponents to 42% on third dow and just 5.3 yards per play.

The Bulldogs will have their hands full with a Sequoyah offense that averages 458 yards per game and 46 points per game.

"We need to match their physicality, and get them off-balanced. It should be a great game," said Ricke.

The Indians are led by senior quarterback Crayton Sapp, who has completed 64% of passes for 655 yards and eight touchdowns through three games.

His top target is Watie, who has just four catches, but two of which are scores, to go along with 193 yards.

Blackbear is the focal point of the offense, as the junior has 390 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns on 8.9 yards per carry early in the season. He also has seven catches for 95 yards and two scores as a pass catcher.

"We have to do a good job of stopping the run and limiting their vertical shots. They do a great job of getting the ball to their best players in situations they can be successful," said Comfort. "We're going to have to have great eye discipline and handle their eye candy."

Photos by Lee Talley