Lincoln Christian Practice Report

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em><strong>Get 25% off your subscription by entering Knight25 in the coupon code area. Enjoy!</strong></em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Lincoln Christian came into this season as the number one team in Class 3A and after three games, the Bulldogs have certainly backed up that position with dominant wins over two-time champion Holland Hall and a pair of ranked teams in Class 2A with Jones and Vian. The average score in the first three weeks has been 49-6 but the first real test for the Bulldogs could come this week. Lincoln Christian is hitting the road for the third time in four weeks and this time, they're headed out of state to Arkansas to face off with private school powerhouse Shiloh Christian on Friday night. It's the first time in over a decade that Lincoln Christian has traveled out of state for a game and coincidentally, the last time was against Shiloh Christian.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Lincoln Christian once again has one of the top offenses in Class 3A and they've had a completely balanced attack on that side of the ball. The Bulldogs brought back nearly everyone on that side of the ball but they did have to replace star quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='375967' first='Max' last='Brown'], who is now a freshman at Florida. Despite losing a playmaker in Brown, the Bulldogs haven't missed a step on the offensive side of the ball and they'll need that offense to be clicking against a Shiloh team that can put up some points.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>But don't be surprised if the Bulldogs are dominant from start to finish on Friday night and we don't end up seeing a shootout. Lincoln Christian's defense has been just as special as the offense over the first three weeks of the season. And they've played some teams that had some spectacular playmakers on the offensive side of the ball. They shut out Vian last week despite the Wolverines having one of the best running backs in the state. The defense will be tested against a Shiloh offense that put up 70+ points last week against Victory Christian in Tulsa. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>With a start like the Bulldogs are off to so far, it's hard to see anybody in Class 3A slowing down Lincoln on their way to a fourth consecutive state championship game. Lincoln has also been dominant over the last several seasons in the regular season and it looks like that won't be changing either. We knew that this team had a chance to be special but after the first three games, they look like the big favorites in Class 3A. We'll learn even more about them with their showdown in Arkansas on Friday night. Below, we take a look at four standouts for the Bulldogs early on in the season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:separator {"className":"is-style-wide"} --> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide"/> <!-- /wp:separator --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"id":"block_6320c3896b980","name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["157518"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"u003c!u002du002d wp:paragraph u002du002du003ernrnu003cstrongu003eStats: 14 Catches | 320 Yards | 4 Touchdowns u003c/strongu003ernrnu003c!u002du002d /wp:paragraph u002du002du003e u003c!u002du002d wp:paragraph u002du002du003ernrnArguably the biggest playmaker on the Lincoln Christian offense has been senior wide receiver [player_tooltip player_id='157518' first='Cam' last='Dooley']. He had an incredibly explosive game against Jones in week one when he caught seven passes for over 200 yards and three touchdowns. He's the leading wide receiver on the offense and when it comes to being a prospect, you have to consider his recruiting stock on the rise after the offseason he had and the production he's had early on this season. Dooley is one of the more consistent wide receivers in the state's 2023 class and he should be recruited as such. We've seen Dooley quite a bit over the last 18 months and it seems like he's always making catch after catch and you rarely see the ball hit the turf. As the Bulldogs have been breaking in a new QB, Dooley's presence at WR has helped.rnrnu003c!u002du002d /wp:paragraph u002du002du003e","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"align":"","mode":"preview","anchor":"acf-block-68a5812531f84"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"id":"block_6320c3a76b981","name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["268323"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"u003c!u002du002d wp:paragraph u002du002du003ernrnu003cstrongu003eStats: 21 Carries | 181 Yards | 5 Touchdowns u003c/strongu003ernrnu003c!u002du002d /wp:paragraph u002du002du003e u003c!u002du002d wp:paragraph u002du002du003ernrnWhile Lincoln Christian's passing attack is usually the part of the offense that is dangerous, they've shown over the last few years that they can win games with the ground game and this year is no different. Senior running back [player_tooltip player_id='268323' first='John' last='Washington'] has emerged as a big play waiting to happen in limited action throughout the first three games. He leads the team in rushing with just under 200 yards and five touchdowns on the ground. Like Dooley, we got to see Washington quite a bit throughout the offseason while he played with Sooner 7. And while he does have the ability to be a wide receiver, Lincoln is using him in the backfield and they have several guys back there that can make plays for them at the position. The Bulldogs are incredibly deep on the offensive side of the ball and that certainly helps their first year starter at quarterback.rnrnu003c!u002du002d /wp:paragraph u002du002du003e","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"align":"","mode":"preview","anchor":"acf-block-68a5812531fc6"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"id":"block_6320c3bf6b982","name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["127357"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"u003c!u002du002d wp:paragraph u002du002du003ernrnu003cstrongu003eStats: 44-55 | 846 Yards | 10 Touchdownsu003c/strongu003ernrnu003c!u002du002d /wp:paragraph u002du002du003e u003c!u002du002d wp:paragraph u002du002du003ernrnWith nearly everyone back on the offensive side of the ball, the only question mark coming into this season was around the quarterback position and junior QB [player_tooltip player_id='127357' first='Luke' last='Milligan']. While we saw Milligan a few times last year as a sophomore and throughout the offseason playing 7v7, it is a little different when you're QB1 on a Friday night. Milligan has quickly answered any questions about that quarterback position with his incredibly efficiency through the first three weeks of the season. Milligan has thrown for nearly 850 yards and ten touchdowns with just one interception. He's completing 80 percent of his passes so far this season. And as we've mentioned a few times with some of the other standouts, Milligan definitely benefits from having a deep and experienced receiver group.rnrnu003c!u002du002d /wp:paragraph u002du002du003e","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"align":"","mode":"preview","anchor":"acf-block-68a5812531ff9"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"id":"block_6320c3d96b983","name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["276646"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"u003c!u002du002d wp:paragraph u002du002du003ernrnu003cstrongu003eStats: 10 Tackles | 4 Tackles For Lossu003c/strongu003ernrnu003c!u002du002d /wp:paragraph u002du002du003e u003c!u002du002d wp:paragraph u002du002du003ernrnWhile the Lincoln Christian offense gets a lot of pub and headlines (including this article) as we mentioned, the defense has been just as special through the first three weeks of the season. Leading the way is senior linebacker [player_tooltip player_id='276646' first='Tyler' last='Johnson']. The 2023 linebacker is one that we liked coming into this season and so far, he's backing up why with his production on the field. Johnson is tied for the lead on the team in tackles and tackles for loss. And with all three games being blowouts, like several other players, he hasn't had to play all four quarters. What's really impressive is how well Johnson and the Lincoln defense played against Vian's rushing attack. We're looking forward to seeing how Johnson does against a Shiloh offense that just put up 70+ points on the scoreboard.rnrnu003c!u002du002d /wp:paragraph u002du002du003e","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"align":"","mode":"preview","anchor":"acf-block-68a5812532029"} /-->