3A State – Lincoln Christian Players To Watch

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em><strong><em><strong><em><strong>Get 25% off your subscription by entering Knight25 in the coupon code area. Enjoy!</strong></em></strong></em></strong></em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Class 3A state championship game is set! #1 Lincoln Christian will square off with #3 Sulphur in Edmond on Thursday at 7PM. It'll be Bulldog VS Bulldog as Lincoln Christian looks to complete the perfect 14-0 season for the second straight year and go back to back as Class 3A state champions. In this breakdown, we're putting the spotlight on ten Lincoln Christian Bulldogs to keep an eye on Thursday night. These ten players have had terrific 2024 campaigns and will look to impact Thursday's game. Keep it locked into Prep Redzone Oklahoma for more state championship preview content!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>RELATED</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><a href="https://prepredzone.com/2024/11/2024-3a-title-game-first-look/">- 3A State Championship First Look</a></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><a href="https://prepredzone.com/2024/12/3a-state-sulphur-players-to-watch/">- Sulphur Players To Watch</a></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='602991' first='Braeden' last='Baker'] - Sophomore Running Back</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The running back position was one of the bigger question marks that we had coming into this season considering what Lincoln Christian lost to graduation. They had two running backs that combined to run for nearly 3,000 yards and 40 touchdowns. But sophomore running back [player_tooltip player_id='602991' first='Braeden' last='Baker'] has been outstanding for the Bulldogs this season and he should be coming into this week with a ton of momentum. First off, he's leading Lincoln Christian in carries, rushing yards and touchdowns with 16 scores on the year. But he might have had his best performance of the year last week in the semifinals. He had season-highs in carries (18) and yards (113) and also scored a touchdown in the win over Heritage Hall. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1571686' first='Brett' last='Kaste'] - Sophomore Defensive Back</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It's been a great first season as an impact player for sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='1571686' first='Brett' last='Kaste'] on the defensive side of the ball. Kaste is the first of several defensive players on this breakdown and we knew that Lincoln Christian was going to be strong in the front seven but there were definitely question marks surrounding their secondary coming into the year. Those question marks don't exist anymore. Kaste has had a breakout year and is second on the team in interceptions and he also feels like a player who could end up impacting both sides of the ball. Lincoln Christian hasn't used him on offense as much but it wouldn't surprise us if they do in the future. Now for this game, he is critical to their pass defense. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1101281' first='Carter' last='Ricke'] - Junior Quarterback</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Death, taxes and Lincoln Christian having strong quarterbacks. Those are the guarantees in life and junior quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='1101281' first='Carter' last='Ricke'] is the next signal caller to wait for his turn at QB1 and instantly have success. Ricke was known for his ability on defense in the secondary last season but he's taken full advantage of his first year with the keys to this offense. He's completing 75 percent of his passes and has tossed 41 touchdowns this season. And when you look at the numbers from a game by game perspective, you see that most of the time, his night is over by halftime. He's had an excellent junior season and if this game ends up being a high-scoring affair, Ricke and the Bulldogs will be ready for a shootout. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1164507' first='CJ' last='Wright'] - Freshman Running Back</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Coming into this season, we thought that freshman running back [player_tooltip player_id='1164507' first='CJ' last='Wright'] had the potential to get some playing time in the Bulldog offense. We've watched what he could do all offseason and he is already one of the fastest kids in his class. And you can see the big play potential when he gets the ball in the open field. The Bulldogs haven't overworked Wright because they also have the benefit of other options at running back. He hasn't had a game this year with double digit carries. But he's run for just shy of 700 yards and eight touchdowns. He's incredibly dynamic and has a very bright future. It's going to be fun to see what this promising freshman is able to do on the big stage of a state title game. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1571679' first='Creed' last='Nail'] - Senior Linebacker</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Senior [player_tooltip player_id='1571679' first='Creed' last='Nail'] is the first of two linebackers that have been terrific players for the Bulldogs this season. But for Nail, this wasn't a guarantee this season and he had to go out and earn it with his play on the field. Coming into this season, Nail had three years of playing in different situations but he's never been a full time starter that has produced at a high level. Coming into this season, he had 39 tackles in the last three seasons combined. This season, he's second on the team in tackles with 62 and has definitely been a breakout player for the defensive side of the ball. And slowing down Sulphur's offense is a massive key on Thursday so Nail will need to be playing at the top of his game. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='884992' first='Dawson' last='Fullingim'] - Senior Running Back/Defensive Back</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>When we look at all of the players on this breakdown, you can make the argument that senior [player_tooltip player_id='884992' first='Dawson' last='Fullingim'] is the most valuable to the Bulldogs this week. He's been so productive on both sides of the ball this season and is also coming into this week with a ton of momentum. Fullingim is the team's second-leading rusher behind Baker but he had his best offensive performance last week. He ran for over 200 yards and three touchdowns in the semifinals. This is a player that was an offensive lineman at the start of the 2023 season. Now, he's one of their top two-way weapons. Fullingim is also one of the team's leaders in tackles for loss and is near the top of the charts in sacks this season from the defensive line. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1292096' first='Kylan' last='Schultheis'] - Senior Wide Reciever/Defensive Back</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Looking back at some of our notes from this summer, we thought that senior wide receiver [player_tooltip player_id='1292096' first='Kylan' last='Schultheis'] had a chance to be one of Lincoln Christian's top receivers this season but he definitely exceeded all expectations. The Lincoln Christian senior leads the Bulldogs in receptions, yards and touchdowns and he has been absolutely dominant from the start of this season. Coming into this season, he had two career touchdown receptions. He leads the team with 14 touchdown catches this fall and has been outstanding in the Lincoln offense. And don't overlook his work on the defensive side of the ball. He's emerged as one of the better defenders in the Lincoln Christian secondary this season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1571681' first='Luke' last='McCants'] - Senior Tight End</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Whenever we write about a tight end, it's usually about them being another threat in the passing game. But senior [player_tooltip player_id='1571681' first='Luke' last='McCants'] has been more of an extension of the offensive line and that's why he's been so valuable to the Bulldogs this season. McCants has been productive as a receiver but it's his role as a blocker that has him in the spotlight on this breakdown. Lincoln Christian lost a ton of experience on the offensive line from last year's title team. This year's unit was going to be very new in a lot of areas. Despite that, the Bulldogs still have an 800-yard rusher, a 700-yard rusher and a 600-yard rusher. McCants and the rest of this new offensive line has helped pave the way for the Bulldogs to still be dangerous on the ground. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='867298' first='Mason' last='Torres'] - Senior Linebacker</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Coming into this season, we thought that senior linebacker [player_tooltip player_id='867298' first='Mason' last='Torres'] had a chance to be one of the best linebackers in Class 3A and it's hard to argue against him being that this fall. Torres comes into the state title game this week leading the Bulldogs in tackles. A rare stat as well is the fact that the senior linebacker leads the team in interceptions with five. You don't see that very often from that position. Torres really impressed us last season and then again at one of our showcase events back in April. Him becoming this dominant player on the defensive side of the ball isn't exactly a surprise to us. And he's another part of this Lincoln Christian front seven that can completely shut down an opposing offense. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1035134' first='Rain' last='Ragland'] - Sophomore Defensive Lineman</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Our final player on this breakdown is another Lincoln Christian defender and we go back to the defensive line. Sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='1035134' first='Rain' last='Ragland'] is a player that got on our radar very early in his freshman season and we're happy that we bought stock early on. This season, Ragland has been an absolute menace on the Lincoln Christian defensive line. And as we've said a few times in this breakdown, the Lincoln Christian front seven is nasty and Ragland is a big reason behind that. This year, he leads the team in sacks with ten and the next two guys on the list have ten combined between them. Ragland is going to play a big role in trying to slow down and limit what Sulphur's offense is able to do on Thursday. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->