High school football fall camp preview: Lincoln Christian has its sights set on 3rd straight 3A state title

Lincoln Christian has won back-to-back 3A state titles and is riding a school record 28-game winning streak. That's the longest in school history. Now the Bulldogs have their sights set on a third straight gold ball.

"This is a new season, and everything has to be earned. And I tell our seniors that."

Jerry Ricke is preparing for his ninth season as head coach at Lincoln Christian. During his tenure, the Bulldogs have won three state titles in five championship game appearances in the last six years. But this year's team isn't resting on that past success.

"Our kids are pretty veteran, so they know not to get too far ahead. They take each day as a new opportunity, and that's what we've done. We'll worry about those things later, but let's get better today," says Ricke.

Even though the Bulldogs are riding that 28-game winning streak, which is the third-longest active streak in the state, their focus is squarely on that third straight state title. And they know they will have a huge target on their backs all season.

"There's a responsibility to having that target, knowing that people are gunning for you. And people are working for you and probably have us in their mind as they practice every day," says head coach Jerry Ricke.

"I like the challenge. Everybody comes out knowing they've got to play good if they want a chance to beat us. So it's definitely a good thing, gets us better overall," says quarterback Carter Ricke.

The Bulldogs return a lot of veteran leadership on the offensive side of the ball, including quarterback Carter Ricke.

"Having that experience, knowing what it takes each day to get better and to train yourself for that moment, I think he understands that well," says Jerry.

For Jerry and Carter, who are also father and son, this is one last chance to take the field as head coach and player.

"Football's been good to our family. This program has been good to our family. It's really fun one more time to go out with Carter one more year and do this with him and our entire family," says Jerry.

"Looking for that third state title with him, that's something that I've been looking forward to my whole life. I always look forward to being on a high school field on a Friday night. I'm excited to see what we can do," says Carter.

The Bulldogs are deep in the trenches on both sides of the ball, returning five starters on the offensive line and a defensive front that had 17 sacks last season. 

"That's where games are won or lost. Most coaches will tell you that. It's not just coach speak, it's the truth. The guys up front on offensive line, the guys up front on defensive line make a huge difference. We've got some good experience there. They know how to make the calls, they know how to make the checks, and they're a tough group of guys, and it's nice to have some of those guys leading the way," says head coach Jerry Ricke.

The Bulldogs open the season on August 29th when they host Victory Christian.