Washington County Enterprise-Leader
Wolves Prepare For Football
LINCOLN PLANS OPEN HOUSE, TURF DEDICATION CEREMONY
LINCOLN — A Buzz stirs while the senior Wolves prepare to kick off the 2017 football season at border rival Westville, Okla., Friday.
In a press release issued early this week, Lincoln athletic director Deon Birkes described excitement as the Lincoln Consolidated School District announces developments in partnership with the athletic department coming to completion in September. According to the press release, in May the district embarked on a facilities plan to complete the fieldhouse at the high school campus along with partnering with the Wolfpack Foundation (a 501 c3 non-profit organization) to invest in upgrading the playing surface to artificial turf on the high school field.
“To say we are excited about nearing the completion of our facilities improvements is an understatement,” Birkes said. “This has been a vision of mine along with our administration and Board of Education for a few years. Seeing the project nearing completion and the opportunity to provide additional resources to our student-athletes is very fulfilling.”
In conjunction with the announcement, a calendar of events to celebrate the accomplishments has been scheduled for the community to attend.
On Tuesday, Sept. 5, Lincoln will host an open house at the new Fieldhouse from 5 to 7 p.m.
On Friday, Sept. 8, the first football game will be played on the upgraded turf surface as the senior Wolves take on Keys, Okla.,
at 7 p.m. Prior to the game, a community tailgate event sponsored by Arvest Bank will take place at 5 p.m. A dedication ceremony will be held at halftime with a fireworks display after the game. Fireworks shows will happen after every home varsity game this season courtesy of Latco Truss.
Meanwhile, the Wolves are tuning up for Friday’s kickoff on the road at 7 p.m. at Westville’s Atkin-Langley Field. Westville lost their seasonopener by a lopsided score of 54-13 Friday at Stigler, Okla., ranked No. 6 in Oklahoma Class 3A. Stigler is an opponent the Yellowjackets have struggled against. Westville trails the All-time series 3-13. Stigler senior quarterback Bryce Turrentine completed 17 of 23 passing attempts against Westville for 251 yards and 2 touchdowns. He was intercepted once. Turrentine completed passes to four different receivers. Stigler scored four times in the second quarter.
The Wolves will test Westville’s pass defense, too.
For 2017, Lincoln junior Caleb Lloyd moves to quarterback after two seasons under his belt as starting tailback. Lloyd takes over for graduated two-time All-Conference quarterback Harrison Swayne. He’s not afraid to take a hit and not the easiest guy to bring down either.
Lloyd looked comfortable setting up in the pocket and throwing the football during Lincoln’s Meet the Wolves scrimmage Aug. 18. On the opening series, he took the offense steadily down the field, completing several passes on the drive. A long pass from midfield went for big yards inside the 10 to set up a touchdown pass by Lloyd. If the offensive line can give Lloyd time to throw, Lincoln has an array of receivers who can catch. The challenge will be, can the Wolves effectively run the football to keep defenses honest?
Against Westville Friday, Stigler gained 243 yards on the ground on 31 rushing attempts for 7.8-yards-percarry and 6 touchdowns. Lincoln will also test the Yellowjackets’ run defense. Senior Jacob Anderson has been a steady contributor running the football out of the Wolves’ backfield since he was a sophomore. Lloyd is a threat to run every time he touches the football and momentum is building at Lincoln.
“We want this to be a season of support between the district and the community,” Birkes said. “Nothing draws a community together like pride and football Friday nights! We believe the community will be proud and anxious to see the facilities upgrades.”