Olathe ? The Sunflower League dominance hasn’t shifted just yet, but the streak that the Lawrence High football team tried to bust for seven long years now is history.

LHS defeated Olathe North, 21-16, Friday night at Olathe District Activities Center, and while the solid defensive play of the Lions is getting repetitive each Friday, the guts of quarterback Taylor Parker might have been what pushed the Lions over the O-North mountain.

Parker had 22 carries for 138 yards and two touchdowns Friday, and added a pinpoint 25-yard touchdown pass to senior Drew Cummings that put the victory on ice. The victory also helped throw Olathe North’s seven-game winning streak over LHS — a streak that dated back to 1995 — out the window.

“Olathe North has raised the bar so high,” LHS coach Dirk Wedd said. “I truly believe that this is still the state champ until someone beats them in the playoffs. The road to a state title still goes through them.”

Lawrence (3-2) came out with a defensive scheme that the Eagles just couldn’t handle. After the notorious O-North ground game was smothered by the Lions’ defense, the Eagles (3-2) were forced out of their game and had only minimal success when passing the ball 25 times — an astronomical number for a program that relies so much on the run.

“We’re playing great defense,” Wedd said. “Our plan was to try to take their running game away, and our kids believed in it.”

O-North’s featured back, junior Justin Gore, had 20 carries for 71 yards. He came into the game averaging 32 carries for 156 yards this season.

Lawrence High's Brett Urban avoids Olathe North's Drake McVey (33). The Lions had 238 yards rushing in their 21-16 victory Friday night over the Eagles at Olathe District Activities Center.

The Lions’ running game, meanwhile, was a pain in O-North’s side. Using the wing-T offense — a setup that makes opponents guess which of three potential carriers actually has the ball — the Lions amassed 238 rushing yards. Most of them, though, came when Eagles were pummeling decoy running backs, and Parker was scrambling upfield with the ball.

“Disguising our offense is crucial,” Parker said. “We always want to keep defenses guessing.”

In the opening drive, Parker had runs of 40 and 29 yards before punching a two-yard keeper into the end zone for the 6-0 LHS lead.

A 58-yard run by Ian Handshy set up another Parker score from two yards out in the second quarter. At halftime, LHS led 14-3, and Olathe North’s dominance over the Sunflower League’s other storied program looked to be on its last breath.

“We’ve had a lot of alumni at our practices this week,” Wedd said. “If you were an LHS kid in the ’80s and early ’90s, this is the team you had to beat to win state.”

Cummings had an over-the-shoulder touchdown catch from Parker for Lawrence’s final score early in the third quarter. It came after Lawrence somehow recovered a Liam Kirby 30-yard pooch kick to open the second half.

¢ 6Sports video: Lawrence High overcomes Olathe North

The big plays were plentiful, and the breaks were positive for the Lions. But the game hardly was over.

Against Shawnee Mission North and Olathe East, the Lions surrendered late leads that led to heartbreaking losses.

But this time, the deficit was too big, and the LHS defense was too good. O-North, the state’s fifth-ranked team, scored with 1:35 to go on a fumble recovery, but never touched the ball again.

“It feels great,” Parker said. “Olathe North is a great football team. But we were prepared tonight.”

Olathe North's Justin Gore (3) fumbles the ball while being bombarded by Lawrence High's Brad Harrell (50) and Brett Urban. The Lions recovered the ball deep in their own territory and went on to defeat the Eagles, 21-16, Friday night at Olathe District Activities Center.