All he needed was a little time – and some tape.

Three days after Lawrence High trounced Blue Valley North, 40-21, in a first-round Class 6A football playoff game, LHS coach Dirk Wedd altered his view of how the Lions played.

Up 33-7 at halftime, Wedd told his team it needed to play better. The Lions, he said, werenâÂÂt getting enough pressure on the quarterback and the offensive lineâÂÂs blocking needed to be fiercer.

But after watching the game on tape over the weekend, Wedd softened his view.

âÂÂWe didnâÂÂt play as poorly as my gut feeling said Friday after the game,â he said.

One of the Mustangsâ best plays was a toss sweep that allowed running back Clint Samuels to gain 127 yards on 20 carries, including four runs of at least 16 yards.

But the toss sweep was used as a result of the Lions taking away the Mustangsâ other offensive options. After all, Samuels had 12 yards on six carries with 30 seconds left in the second quarter.

âÂÂAs a defense, thatâÂÂs what you try to do,â Wedd said. âÂÂThey had to go all the way down to the fourth or fifth play to find something that worked.âÂÂ

Besides, LHS (8-2) had been on a roll lately, winning four straight and racking up at least 400 yards rushing before facing the Mustangs.

The fifth straight win wasnâÂÂt as spectacular, but 243 rushing yards on 42 carries wasnâÂÂt bad. It was the fifth time this season that seniors Brandon McAnderson and Chris Fulton each rushed for at least 100 yards, and a couple of big plays – a 50-yard punt return by McAnderson and a 50-yard interception return by Jeff Colter – set up short touchdowns.

âÂÂWith the playoffs and anytime you have to win four games, sometimes youâÂÂre not going to play great all four games,â Wedd said. âÂÂAnd we really believe we havenâÂÂt put together a really great game yet.âÂÂ

Notes

⢠With 100 yards on 14 carries, McAnderson moved into second place on the LHS single-season rushing list. He passed 1996 graduate Thomas Daniels with 1,624 yards this season, 230 short of Michael CoseyâÂÂs 1991 record of 1,854. McAnderson also is within reach of CoseyâÂÂs career record of 3,281 yards. The senior has 2,887 yards on 460 carries.

⢠Fulton, who had 124 yards on 23 attempts, moved into seventh place on the single-season list, passing 1993 graduate Steve Walker. Fulton has 1,309 yards on 131 carries. Next up are 1995 graduate John Karr, who has 1,344 yards, and 1952 graduate Charlie McCue, who has 1,379 yards.

⢠A 77-yard touchdown pass from Tommy Mangino to Drew Cummings was just Cummingsâ fifth catch of the season, but the second time he and Mangino have hooked up for a long bomb. He caught a 79-yard score in a 26-7 win against Olathe South on Sept. 27.

âÂÂDrewâÂÂs so explosive,â Wedd said. âÂÂWe have been playing him some at tight end just to get him more time.âÂÂ

⢠When the Lions travel to Olathe this Friday for their sectional playoff game against Olathe East, theyâÂÂll be going for their second win at the Olathe District Activity Center this season âÂÂ:quot; something that hasnâÂÂt happened in nine years. Though the Lions hammered East 26-7 earlier this season, WeddâÂÂs still wary of the Hawks âÂÂ:quot; and the stadium.

âÂÂTraveling to ODAC âÂÂ: I donâÂÂt know,â he said. âÂÂThat place is tough.âÂÂ