Lawrence High scored a total of 36 points in its first three football games before the Lions’ offense finally got rolling Sept. 23 in a 48-27 victory over Shawnee Mission East.

LHS (1-3 overall, 1-2 Sunflower League) will try to make it two in a row at 7 tonight at Shawnee Mission South (1-3, 1-2).

“You don’t know if you turned the corner until you look back on season, but it adds a lot of enthusiasm at practice,” said LHS coach Dirk Wedd, whose team snapped a three-game skid with the victory. “The kids deserve to be rewarded. They worked very hard over the offseason. They realize we still have a long way to go to be a good football team.”

Wedd will be looking for continued improvement from his young offensive line, which struggled early in the season.

“Offensively we’re starting to understand what are strengths and weaknesses are,” he said. “We’re getting better up front, and that’s key to any good football team.”

Left tackle Aaron Kie is the only senior on the offensive line. Sophomore guards Nick DeBiasse and Paul Finch both joined the starting lineup a few games into the season. The other two starters — center Cory Gaston and right tackle Mark Chapman — are juniors.

“We built that offensive line from scratch,” Wedd said. “It’s taken them a while to grasp everything that we ask of them. Slowly but surely, we’re getting there.

“It’s a good group. They’re have been a lot of growing pains, but it’s been fun to watch them mature and grow.”

Lawrence didn’t punt once last week, a marked improvement for an offense that had averaged 12 points a game through the first three weeks of the season.

Wedd expects more improvements now that running backs Ian Handshy and Jeff Colter are on the mend after battling illness and injury in the opening weeks.

Wedd said Handshy was 100 percent healthy. Colter isn’t there yet, but he rushed for 168 yards last week.

“They both add a lot to our offense,” Wedd said. “Just having them in huddle and the leadership they bring helps. They bring a lot of confidence to the huddle, and that rubs off on kids up front.”

Lawrence’s linemen will face a challenge on both sides of the ball against a big SMS squad.

“Size is a big concern,” Wedd said. “They have three running backs they split time with, and they’re all tremendously quick. Their quarterback is an outstanding thrower. He was second-team all-conference last season. They have a lot of weapons.”

Senior Connor McKay leads the Raiders with 462 yards passing and five touchdowns. Senior Lance Lange is among the league leaders with 15 catches for 173 yards and a TD.

Wedd would like to see his defense produce some turnovers after registering just two takeaways in the first four games.

“That’s unacceptable,” he said. “We should be around 10 or 12. A good football team averages three or four turnovers a game.”

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Reminder for fans: LHS fans will sit on the west side of SM South District Stadium for tonight’s game. District policy prohibits cooking in the parking lot of stadiums, so take prepared food if you plan to tailgate.