Class 3A Title Game Standouts

<!-- 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>Top-ranked Lincoln Christian went wire to wire this season as Class 3A's top team. The Bulldogs went 14-0 for the second straight year and capped it off with a state championship, but it wasn't easy. They survived, beating Sulphur 28-27 after Sulphur went for a two-point conversion with a little over a minute to play but came up short. Check out the full championship game highlights below.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bUCDlkYP1jw","type":"video","providerNameSlug":"youtube","responsive":true,"className":"wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bUCDlkYP1jw </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>And now, we take a look at the eight standouts from the state championship game. Both teams played outstanding football so we have standouts from both sides of this championship clash. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='602991' first='Braeden' last='Baker'] - Sophomore Running Back/Linebacker - Lincoln Christian</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Lincoln Christian sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='602991' first='Braeden' last='Baker'] was one of the best players on the field on Thursday and we are fired up for what he can be moving forward in this Bulldog offense. Baker led the team in rushing and had a touchdown on the ground but also had a pair of catches for 60 yards. That wasn't enough for Baker as the sophomore also finished with the second most tackles and an interception on defense. Coming into this season, we thought that Baker could be primed for a breakout year and he's ended up leading the team in rushing. But seeing Baker in person back in week one and then seeing him in Thursday's title game, the growth over the season is apparent and there's no doubt that he has a very bright future moving forward. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1571686' first='Brett' last='Kaste'] - Sophomore Defensive Back - Lincoln Christian</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Lincoln Christian sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='1571686' first='Brett' last='Kaste'] was another player that we put a spotlight on coming into Thursday's championship game. The sophomore has had an excellent season on the defensive side of the ball this year. He's one of the team's leaders in interceptions but on Thursday night, Kaste was incredibly valuable as an overall tackler against the Sulphur rushing attack. The sophomore would lead the team in tackles and was the only Lincoln Bulldog in double digits for tackles. The sophomore was also in on the play at the end of the game where Sulphur was looking to take the lead with a two-point conversion but with Kaste and the rest of the Lincoln defense, they got the stop that would clinch another state title. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1574394' first='Bridge' last='Barrett'] - Junior Wide Receiver/Defensive Back - Sulphur</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Sulphur junior wide receiver [player_tooltip player_id='1574394' first='Bridge' last='Barrett'] was terrific on both sides of the ball on Thursday night. First off, he made arguably the best catch of the night in between two Lincoln Christian defenders, deep in Lincoln territory. Overall, he would finish as the team's leading receiver with four catches for 64 yards but the highlight was no doubt that 38-yard reception where the Bulldogs would score two plays later to tie the game up late in the first quarter. Barrett was also another player that impacted the defensive side of the ball. Barrett would also get an interception in the fourth quarter as the Bulldogs were looking to rally and get a chance to win the game. He picked off the Lincoln quarterback and returned it 28 yards. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1101281' first='Carter' last='Ricke'] - Junior Quarterback - Lincoln Christian</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Lincoln Christian junior quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='1101281' first='Carter' last='Ricke'] got off to an incredibly hot start in Thursday's championship game. He would go 12-17 for nearly 200 yards and two touchdowns. Looking back on our notes, we believe that Ricke started the game 10-12 and had complete control of this Lincoln Christian offense. As a first year starter, Ricke has been excellent and we're looking forward to seeing what he can do next season with a year of experience under his belt. Ricke came into this season with starting experience but it was on the defensive side of the ball. This season, Ricke has been Lincoln's QB1 and let's face it, the Bulldogs are one of the best at producing quarterbacks. Ricke is the next guy up. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1571873' first='Cash' last='Matlack'] - Senior Running Back - Sulphur</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A very underrated part of the 3A championship game was how Sulphur really controlled things offensively. As a team, they would run 26 more plays on the offensive side of the ball. And while a lot of the attention was on Sulphur's standout junior running back, senior running back [player_tooltip player_id='1571873' first='Cash' last='Matlack'] also had a strong showing. Overall, he would finish with 13 carries for 91 yards and he was a steady presence in the Sulphur rushing attack. As a team, the Bulldogs would run the ball 45 times on the night and Matlack once again showed why he was a very important part of this Sulphur offense. But the Sulphur senior also forced a fumble on the defensive side of the ball. Overall, it was a great performance from Matlack. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1326371' first='Eli' last='Vinson'] - Senior Defensive Back - Sulphur</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Senior [player_tooltip player_id='1326371' first='Eli' last='Vinson'] was one of the players that we had highlighted coming into Thursday's championship game. And like we mentioned earlier in the week, we came into the season thinking that Vinson would be an impactful player as a wide receiver but he's ended up being more valuable on defense. And that's exactly how he played on Thursday night. Vinson ended up leading Sulphur in tackles with 12 on the night. He was the only Sulphur player with double digit tackles in the game. He had one tackle for a loss and he also recovered a fumble on Lincoln Christian's first possession of the game. Overall, he became very valuable as a defender but we can't forget about the impact he can have on offense as well. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1101277' first='Jack' last='Milligan'] - Senior Wide Receiver - Lincoln Christian</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Lincoln Christian senior wide receiver [player_tooltip player_id='1101277' first='Jack' last='Milligan'] had a terrific showing on Thursday night and just like his older brother Luke last season, he shined bright in the state title game. Milligan would finish as the game's leading receiver with four catches for nearly 80 yards and a touchdown. The thing that really stood out to us about Milligan this time around was his ability to just find the soft spots in the Sulphur defense and take advantage. It was also clear that he had a terrific connection with Ricke at the quarterback position because Milligan would find a way to get open and Ricke would find him. The Lincoln Christian senior capped off his career with another state championship and shined bright Thursday night. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1569774' first='Maddax' last='Mobly'] - Junior Running Back/Linebacker - Sulphur</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Sulphur came up short on the scoreboard but we'll make the argument that junior running back and linebacker [player_tooltip player_id='1569774' first='Maddax' last='Mobly'] was the best player on the field Thursday night. Mobly was just as strong in the fourth quarter as he was in the first quarter and it showed. He would finish the night with 25 carries for 133 yards and he scored all four touchdowns for the Bulldogs. The junior was also second on the team in tackles Thursday and he forced and recovered a fumble. Now, what's scary for the rest of the state is how hungry Mobly will be coming into next season. Sulphur went for the win and Mobly came up short on the two-point conversion. He will be using that as motivation all offseason and come back stronger than ever in 2025. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->