FAULKTON – Whether taking care of opponents on the gridiron or taking care of his goats on the farm, Lincoln Dikoff pursues everything with passion and purpose.

The Faulkton senior is easy to spot on the gridiron. Whether playing on offense or defense, Dikoff is always in the middle of action and usually causing a major collision.

“I have a lot of heart and dedication to it,” Dikoff said of football. “I really don’t like to lose, and I think the helps me drive to try to improve myself with the team.”

The Trojans feature a potent running attack and Dikoff is a big reason why. He understands what the mission is each game and does his best to accomplish it.

“We always say before every game we got to win the line of scrimmage, and that’s kind of what we play on,” Dikoff said. “We want to run the ball.

Dikoff has been involved in many big plays through the years.

So what feels better, a huge sack on a quarterback or a pancake block while paving the way for a ballcarrier?

“That’s pretty tough,” Dikoff said when asked the question. “Sacks you get more hyped for yourself, but I think almost a pancake gets just as many people hyped, because you get your running backs a little better work area.”

It’s safe to say that Dikoff is a difference maker on both sides of the ball for the Trojans.

“Lincoln’s had a good year. He’s part of our offensive and defensive line that set the tone for our team” said Faulkton coach Shayne Geditz. “He’s a kid that’s really grown over the last couple years and worked hard to make himself a really good football player.”

At 6-foot-2, 235 pounds, Dikoff is not a typical lineman. He has a motor that never stops and is one of the fastest guys on the team.

Last week during a semifinal win over Dell Rapids St. Mary, Dikoff’s unique skill set took center stage. After flushing the quarterback out of the pocket, the signal caller reversed field and headed down the sideline for what looked to be a potential touchdown.

Dikoff began pursuit and chased down the ball carrier from the opposite side of the field.

“I didn’t want to let them get back in the game, because we were kind of having a good stop in there,” Dikoff said of the play. “The hard work and stuff we put into it, I didn’t see anyone there, so I thought if I didn’t put in the effort to go do it, he could have scored.”

Dikoff is all about effort. During the winter he is a standout wrestler for the Faulkton, winning 37 matches last year on his way to a seventh-place finish at the state tournament.

He said that fighting with your hands and footwork are keys in both sports. He said each features a big mental component, but much different in each sport.

“The only difference is in wrestling, it’s an individual mindset. Your goal is yourself,” Dikoff said. “You don’t have to worry about your teammates and their success, you only have to worry about what you put in and the work you strive for.”

He said the mindset is much different for a team sport like football.

“Instead of a me, it’s a we and you have to try to go for the win instead of your stats and stuff like that,” Dikoff said. “It’s a team sport and not individual, and I think sometimes people get carried away with that in their play.”

While Dikoff has experienced documented success in sports, it’s his goat operation that plays a key role in his life, regardless of the time of the year. He has about 200 head of goats on the family farm near Wecota.

“I take pretty big interest in 4H and my goat operation,” Dikoff said. “We got into buying goats, and selling goats, showing goats, all kinds of things.”

It’s a well-known fact in Faulkton how important the goats are to Dikoff.

“That’s his pride. After the game everybody’s in the gym and I go where you going Linc?” Geditz recalled of a past conversation. “I gotta go home and do goat chores.”

While Dikoff has gained notoriety for his exploits in sports, he’s also gained attention for his work with his farm animals.

“He’s been working on those goats for quite a few years,” Geditz said. “He’s built quite a heard and quite a reputation with them.”

As Dikoff prepares to play in his final high school football game today in the Class 9B state championship game, you can bet that will be involved in more helmet-banging action. He said big hits are what fuel him during a game.

“It’s great. It gives you such a momentum boost and gets you fired up to keep on going,” Dikoff said. “You get tired throughout the game, but plays like that just keep the train rolling, and keep you fired up.”

And like that play last week where Dikoff chased down a quarterback clear across the field, the senior helps to set the tone for a team that always attempts to bring maximum effort.

“I think it just goes back to our whole team, the effort that they’re playing with and the ability that they have too,” Geditz said of the play that Dikoff made. “Anytime you’ve got a guy that’s big like that and can run, and strong and physical, that’s quite a combination in 9B football.”