Lawrence High football coach Dirk Wedd knew coming into the season he’d have to rely on senior Brain Seymour for big plays if the Lions were to have a big season.

Wedd will have to wait four to six weeks for those plays now.

Seymour strained the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee early in the Lions’ 34-20 season-opening win against Leavenworth on Friday. Seymour, who starts at running back and linebacker for the Lions, played the entire game, but wasn’t sure when the injury occurred.

After watching film Saturday and Sunday, Wedd said he thought the injury happened late in the first quarter or early in the second.

“It really hurts us defensively,” Wedd said. “Brian was our hardest worker in the offseason, and he’s such a huge contributor as far as a leader. He adds a lot to the football team, and now he’s gonna have to do it on the sideline for a while.”

Seymour was the Lions’ only significant injury, though senior running back/linebacker Brandon McAnderson was bothered by a back strain during most of Friday’s game.

With McAnderson banged up and Seymour out, Wedd wasn’t sure how the LHS would adjust before Friday’s home opener against Shawnee Mission North at 7:30 p.m. at Haskell Stadium. The Indians lost, 24-14, to Olathe North on Friday.

Wedd is confident the Lions will be ready.

“I’m a firm believer (that) you improve the most between the first game of the season and the second game,” Wedd said.

Youth movement: Lawrence has its senior play-makers, but isn’t afraid to use its younger players when necessary even if it catches the coaches by surprise.

“At one point, I looked out there and we had seven juniors and a sophomore playing defense,” Wedd said. “That’s a young group of kids.”

Fake on two: With less than five minutes remaining, LHS faced a fourth-and-two at the Leavenworth 41-yard line. Quarterback Tommy Mangino came to the line, trying to draw the Pioneers offsides, but it didn’t work out that way.

“We went to a freeze, which is where you go on two. Then, we were going to use a timeout if they didn’t jump offsides,” Wedd said.

However, junior center Carl Lisher snapped the ball on two.

“Tommy was completely surprised,” Wedd said.

Mangino looked up and tried for the first down, but came up a yard short.

Quarterback nightmare: Chris Fulton, a 6-foot-1, 180-pound senior, had three quarterback sacks and forced two fumbles, recovering one for a 41-yard touchdown. Fulton, an all-state sprinter, consistently beat Leavenworth tackles Dustin Lindler and Beau Blew with his superior speed to pressure quarterback Josh Smith.

“He was outstanding defensively,” Wedd said. “He did a great job rushing the passer, considering he never played defensive end as a sophomore or a junior.”

Punting? What’s that?: LHS punter Derek Frink punted three times for 90 yards, but Wedd said that wasn’t typical of his coaching philosophy.

“Usually we go for it on fourth down. I’m notorious for it,” he said.

He could go all the way: Fulton had two carries for 34 yards, but was half a step from the game’s longest run.

With just over three minutes left in the third quarter, he took a handoff at the LHS 31-yard line, bolted around the left side, broke one tackle, but was headed off by a Leavenworth defender at the Pioneer 39.

“I really thought I had it, but then I saw the guy out of the corner of my eye,” Fulton said.

Not to worry. A 15-yard face-mask penalty put LHS at the 24, setting up McAnderson’s third touchdown.