Ryan Giblin remembers the emptiness he felt a year ago when Lawrence High’s football season ended on a sour note.

“It was hard on the seniors, and it was hard on us,” said Giblin, then a junior, about the 35-28 loss at Topeka High. “That’s why we’re not taking Leavenworth lightly.”

Giblin, a defensive end, and the rest of the Lions know they can earn a berth in the Class 6A playoffs with a victory over the Pioneers tonight.

Kickoff will be at 7 p.m. at Abeles Field in Leavenworth.

On paper, the Lions (3-5) shouldn’t have much trouble with the Pioneers (1-7), who rank last in the league in scoring defense. But Topeka High wasn’t all that whippy, either, and the Trojans prevented the Lions from reaching the 2007 playoffs.

One of the difficulties with the regular-season finale is that it annually falls after the Lions’ intracity clash with Free State High. Lawrence went into the Topeka High game following a loss to the Firebirds, and it’s the same scenario this time.

“That loss to Topeka High : we’ve brought that up a few times this week,” coach Dirk Wedd said. “The Free State game is so emotional, sometimes it’s tough to bounce back.”

No doubt the Lions played with passion in last week’s 21-13 loss to Free State. They also played with precision – no fumbles, no interceptions and only 20 yards in penalties.

Lawrence opened its three-game district with a 28-7 victory over Olathe Northwest before bowing to Free State last week. In each game, the Lions ran, ran and ran some more, throwing just five passes.

“I just felt that was the best way to go into the district,” Wedd said.

Linebacker Darren Sorem and cornerback Mason Bertrand, who were injured in the Free State game, will not suit tonight. The two starters will be replaced by Ben Muiller and Chris Gaston, respectively.