Olathe ? By most reckoning, Andrew Miller would have been as nervous as a kitten.

Not so, stressed the Lawrence High senior after making his varsity debut at quarterback on Friday night at the Olathe District Activities Center.

“It was an adrenaline rush,” Miller said. “It was fun.”

Nevertheless, Olathe South, the preseason favorite to win the Sunflower League football title, spoiled the bulk of the fun for Miller and the rest of the Lions by posting a 28-9 victory.

Clint Pinnick, who had quarterbacked every offensive down in the Lions’ first three games, lasted five plays against the Falcons. Pinnick, a 5-foot-9 junior, suffered a sprained ankle when an Olathe South player rolled into him after he had thrown a pass.

Enter Miller, who handed off to Clifton Sims on an unsuccessful third-down run, forcing a punt that O-South’s Kyson Ginavan returned 38 yards to the Lions’ 15. Two plays later, the Falcons had a 7-0 lead.

After the kickoff, Miller went in for his second varsity snap, again handing off to Sims for a short gain. Moments later, Miller unloaded his first varsity pass. Oops. O-South’s Wes Howlett picked it off and raced 31 yards into the end zone.

Olathe South had scored two touchdowns in less than a minute, led 13-0 and only 3 1/2 minutes had ticked off the game clock.

“That was my fault,” Lions’ coach Dirk Wedd said of Miller’s errant pass. “We had him throw a crossing pattern and we should have had him roll out a couple of times and gain some confidence.”

Wedd also put the blame on his shoulders for the Lions’ shaky start.

“We came out flat, and that was my fault,” he said. “Then my little quarterback gets hurt and we get the deer-in-the-headlights look. But after that, we played OK.”

As a matter of fact, the final statistics belie the final score. Both teams recorded a dozen first downs, and the Falcons (3-1) had only a 40-yard edge (286-246) in total offense. And the Lions (2-2) ran 15 more offensive plays (58-43) than the Falcons.

But O-South had those two big early returns, one setting up a TD and the other producing six points. Moreover, the Falcons scored twice just before halftime with one of the TDs coming on a 57-yard bomb from quarterback Mike Keese to wide receiver Anthony Sanchez.

“Outside of the first three minutes and the last two minutes before the half,” Wedd said, “I thought we played maybe the best we’ve played all year.”

Particularly with a quarterback who hadn’t logged a minute at that position in a game since his sophomore year. Miller was a tight end and defensive end as a junior and had played only as a defensive end this season.

Miller completed 6 of 18 passes for 119 yards, including a 73-yard bomb to Jared Vinoverski that the Lions were unable to convert into a score. He also threw another interception.

“I thought he did really good, considering,” Wedd said.

The Lions also squandered a TD opportunity early in the second quarter when they were on the Falcons’ one-yard line. However, back-to-back rushing losses necessitated a 30-yard field goal by Rex Hargis.

Still, Lawrence outscored the Falcons, 6-0, in the second half, thanks to a ramped-up defense and a spectacular 75-yard run by fullback Tyler Hunt, who shook off a couple of tackles and was almost tripped up 20 yards from the goal.

“I wasn’t going to let anyone tackle me,” Hunt said. “I knew someone was behind me, but I was ready and stayed up.”

The Lions will play their next four games at Haskell Stadium, starting with Olathe East next Friday, and it’s likely Miller will be making his first varsity start at QB that night because Wedd estimated Pinnick will be out two or three weeks.