Class 3A playoff preview: Lincoln Christian determined to complete final step after falling short twice
By Christian Potts
Lincoln Christian photo by Sadie Rucker
The private school scene in Tulsa has taken control in recent years in Class 3A, with Holland Hall ultimately defeating Lincoln Christian in each of the previous two state championship games.
But with the Dutch losing a number of key pieces from those runs, Lincoln Christian seems poised to make that final step this year. That's why it looks like the Bulldogs have been a team on a mission, because they most certainly seem to be.
Lincoln is one of the top teams to watch - perhaps THE top team - in a 3A bracket with a mix of squads and backgrounds from across the state. The Bulldogs begin their run toward hopeful gold against visiting Bristow as the playoffs start Friday night.
Lincoln was tested early by a challenging non-district schedule.
It included an opening win against the Dutch, as well as decisive victories against 2A powers Jones and Vian. But the Bulldogs dropped a wild game, 42-35, to Arkansas powerhouse Shiloh Christian in their fourth game.
Some of their numbers have been wild since.
In six games in District 3A-3 play, Lincoln scored 40 touchdowns and allowed two. That's a 280-14 scoring margin. That's two total times an opponent has reached the end zone against the Bulldogs since mid-September.
They look primed for a big run.
Here are some more storylines from the 3A bracket:
Metro Means Business
While Holland Hall and Lincoln Christian have topped this class the previous two years, a third private school from Tulsa knows a thing or two about gridiron success as well. Tulsa Metro Christian has won two state championships, both recently in 2019 and 2020.
But those came in Class 2A, and the Patriots now are up a division in 3A. So far, though, it hasn't been a problem as it's not Holland Hall or Lincoln Christian, or anyone else for that matter, but Metro Christian standing alone as the only unbeaten 3A squad heading into the postseason.
Metro rolled to that 10-0 record and a dominating District 3A-1 championship, with the Patriots winning every district contest by at least 29 points. Senior quarterback Kirk Francis is one of the most productive signal-callers in Oklahoma, passing for 2,691 yards with 38 touchdowns and just four interceptions.
His Patriots start their postseason run against a 6-4 Pauls Valley squad that won four in a row before a defeat to Lone Grove in Week 10.
Tiebreaker Shakeups
Both District 3A-3 and 3A-4 had multiple tiebreakers to decide playoff positioning, creating some intriguing first-round matchups.
Take the scenario for 3A-4 district champion Verdigris. The Cardinals rolled to a 9-1 record behind a stout defense that allowed more than 15 points only twice.
But right off the bat, they'll have to face Berryhill, which got the short end on tiebreaker points of a three-way tie for second place in 3A-3, making the Chiefs officially the fourth seed.
The Chiefs, however, are about as impressive as any 5-4 squad in Oklahoma, with all the defeats coming to playoff teams. Perhaps as strong as any of their wins was one of those defeats, with the Chiefs giving Lincoln Christian far and away their toughest test against an Oklahoma school, losing just 14-7 in Week 5.
Stigler wound up with the No. 2 seed from 3A-3 and hosts defending state champion Holland Hall in the first round, while No. 3 seed Muldrow comes to Tulsa to face 3A-4 runner-up, Cascia Hall. That's despite Muldrow winning at Stigler last month.
Bristow lost a tiebreaker with the Dutch for third place in 3A-4, so the Pirates are the No. 4 seed despite having a head-to-head win against district champion Verdigris.
Chargers Continue The Tradition
Heritage Hall has long been a powerhouse in Oklahoma City, with great talents like Wes Welker, Sterling Shepard and Barry Sanders Jr. once roaming the hallways and racing for touchdowns for the Chargers.
This year's version suffered an early defeat to defending Class 4A state champion Clinton. But then the Chargers really got it rolling, winning their last eight contests behind the play of multiple threats on offense.
Senior running back River Faulkner has been the closer, finding the end zone 18 times, and junior Andy Bass has gotten better and better at quarterback as the season has progressed, leading an offense averaging 47 points per game in eight contests since the Clinton loss.
Their road through the bracket starts with a visit from Anadarko. With a win, they would be home again against either Stigler or Tulsa Holland Hall.
A Second Defending Champ
Holland Hall isn't the only defending champion in this year's 3A bracket. Marlow, which defeated Washington, 17-13, in last year's Class 2A championship game, moved up to 3A in this year's Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association configuration.
The Outlaws battled to a 7-3 overall record and a third-place finish in District 3A-2, showing their mettle against the larger-school competition.
And Marlow has the element of revenge on its side in the first round of the playoffs with a trip to Perkins-Tryon. The two teams met during the non-district schedule, with P-T scoring a 34-21 victory at Marlow.
