Lincoln Christian Team Preview

Get 25% off your subscription by entering Knight25 in the coupon code area. Enjoy! Stay tuned to Prep Redzone Oklahoma every day as we release more individual team previews as we get closer to the start of the 2021 football season. In case you missed it, you can check out our Preseason Rankings <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2021/06/2021-preseason-rankings/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">RIGHT HERE</a>. Overview (Class 3A Preseason Ranking: #3) After winning their 2nd State Championship in school history in 2019, the Lincoln Christian Bulldogs nearly ran it back for a 3rd state title in 2020 but ended up falling flat in the championship game against Holland Hall. Heading into last year the questions surrounding the team were mainly centered around the quarterback position since it was the first season in many years that the Bulldogs ran out onto the field without Chase Ricke taking the snaps from under center. However, it was quickly visible that the man who would end up stepping in at the position in 2020 was more than capable of keeping the train on the tracks and might even be a little more physically gifted than Ricke himself. While they do lose a few key players from last year’s squad such as [player_tooltip player_id="38543" first="Kolbe" last="Katsis"], Lincoln Christian looks to be primed for another deep playoff run in 2021 as they return a total of 12 starters from 2020’s team, which includes 6 guys on each side of the ball. <hr /> 2020 Results (12-1 Record - Lost in 3A State Championship) Aug. 28 - Beat Beggs 36-8 Sept. 11 - Game with Vian canceled Sept. 18 - Beat Jones 35-21 Sept. 25 - Beat Pryor 61-22 Sept. 25 - Game against Sequoyah canceled Oct. 2 - Beat Locust Grove 61-6 Oct. 9 - Beat Westville 61-0 Oct. 15 - Beat Seminole 42-13 Oct. 23 - Beat Checotah 63-6 Oct. 30 - Beat Daniel Webster 58-0 Nov. 6 - Beat Stigler 26-7 1st Round - Bye 2nd Round - Beat Tulsa Central 61-12 Quarterfinals - Beat Anadarko 63-20 Semifinals - Beat Heritage Hall 35-27 State Championship - Lost to Holland Hall 35-7 <hr /> Players To Watch [player_tooltip player_id="52787" first="Max" last="Brown"] - 2022 Quarterback While he had to battle for the starting spot at the beginning of the 2020 season, it did not take long to realize that [player_tooltip player_id="52787" first="Max" last="Brown"] was not only the guy for the job at his own school but also that he had the potential to be one of the better Quarterbacks in Oklahoma’s 2022 class. Brown’s combination of size, athleticism, and pure throwing ability can really only be matched in the class by 2 or 3 other QBs. He already holds a handful of division 1 offers and we expect that number to grow as he becomes the engine that makes this Bulldog offense go rather than just being a piece of the puzzle as he was to begin last season. [player_tooltip player_id="110744" first="Caden" last="Ricke"] - 2024 Offensive Lineman If the last name looks familiar here it is because [player_tooltip player_id="110744" first="Caden" last="Ricke"] is in fact the younger brother of former Lincoln QB Chase Ricke. Caden started at center for Lincoln Christian as a Freshman in 2020 and was constantly driving dudes into the ground right off the snap before they could even make much ground on the play. In the run game, Caden is fairly advanced for his age when you see where his hands go on each play and notice how he is almost always anchored at the point of attack and is rarely caught off balance. With both Ricke, fellow 2024 Offensive Lineman [player_tooltip player_id="154216" first="David" last="Smithwick"], and others anchoring the front lines, Lincoln Christian looks to be set up for success at the position this year and for many more to come. [player_tooltip player_id="155258" first="Easton" last="Rogers"] - 2023 Running Back [player_tooltip player_id="155258" first="Easton" last="Rogers"] is another player that has the Lincoln Christian coaching staff very excited. After turning on his Sophomore game film it is easy to see why. Rogers is a North-South runner who possesses good speed and size for the position and is at his best when he can use his open-field vision to weave through a little bit of traffic before catching defenders sleeping and turning on the jets. However, it is also evident that Rogers has improved his game over the offseason to diversify his skill set. While he is mostly still true to his one-cut and go style once he’s through the hole, Rogers has not been shy to lower his shoulder and roll through arm tackles when necessary this spring and summer. If Lincoln Christian can rely on Rogers to keep defenses honest in the run game, there’s not much that will slow down or hold this offense back in 2021. More Names [player_tooltip player_id="157518" first="Cam" last="Dooley"] - 2023 Wide Receiver [player_tooltip player_id="154216" first="David" last="Smithwick"] - 2024 Offensive Lineman Isaac Autaubo - 2023 Offensive/Defensive Lineman <hr /> Notable To put it simply, the Lincoln Christian football program has been on top of its game over the last decade or so. Since winning their first state title in 2009, they have taken home 8 district titles, including 3 in a row from 2014-2016 and from 2018-2020. Additionally, they have been to 3 state championship games in that same span and took home their second gold ball in 2019. They nearly repeated as the top team in 3A in 2020 as they went undefeated through the regular season and first few rounds of the playoffs, but they would ultimately run into a stacked and determined Holland Hall team in the State Championship who would give the Bulldogs all they could handle and then some. <hr /> 2021 Schedule/Games To Watch Aug. 27 - Beggs - While this game may have had a little more hype heading into last season with 2021 #1 prospect [player_tooltip player_id="38486" first="Kendal" last="Daniels"] still uncommitted and searching for a school to call home, this will still be one of the better week 1 matchups among the lower classes in Oklahoma. After thrashing Beggs 36-8 to start off the 2020 season, expect the Demons to come out fired up and motivated come this year. Look for Beggs’ backfield duo of [player_tooltip player_id="38669" first="CJ" last="Brown"] and [player_tooltip player_id="110739" first="Red" last="Martel"] to strike early and often in what has the star power to be a shootout to start the season if both offenses can get in a rhythm early. Sept. 3 - AT Jones - Speaking of star power, there may not be a better QB battle across the entire state in 2021 than we’ll get to see in this early September matchup between Lincoln Christian and Jones. In fact, it would not be surprising if this is the only regular-season game outside of maybe a couple of 6A matchups that features two starting QBs with Division 1 offers as [player_tooltip player_id="38671" first="Carson" last="May"] has recently committed to Iowa, and [player_tooltip player_id="52787" first="Max" last="Brown"] has been slowly collecting offers as the summer has progressed. Outside of the QBs however, both teams also return a large majority of their starters from a season ago, so there should be no shortage of fireworks when [player_tooltip player_id="52787" first="Max" last="Brown"] and Co. travel to Jones. Sept. 10 - Vian Sept. 24 - AT Tahlequah Sequoyah Oct. 1 - Locust Grove Oct. 8 - AT Westville Oct. 14 - AT Seminole Oct. 22 - Checotah Oct. 29 - AT Webster Nov. 5 - Stigler <hr /> Championship History 2 State Championships 2019 - Beat Plainview 42-21 2009 - Beat Kingfisher 35-0