Lawrence High's Aaron Rea (18) clocks O.J. Shields (20) of Shawnee Mission North during a special-teams play. Lawrence High won its first game of the season, 10-3, on Friday at Shawnee Mission North.

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. ? One game was all that was necessary to show that in its rich history Lawrence High has had far deeper pools of football talent than it has this season.

It also showed that it’s still Lawrence High football team. Same helmets. Same uniforms. Same respect for the game.

If a game is going to be decided on composure, history says Lawrence High is going to win it far more times than it will lose it.

Such was the case at Shawnee Mission District North Stadium, where LHS won a game against Shawnee Mission North, 10-3, by not losing it.

Lions senior receiver Aaron Rea (107 receiving yards, 20 rushing yards), who had such a terrific night on both sides of the ball, lay on his back, where he had been planted by a defender who hit Rea hard when it went high for an errant pass he couldn’t bring in. The scoreboard said fourth-and-10 from the 23. And that’s where the numbers would have stayed if not for a Shawnee Mission North player standing over Rea, pointing at him and barking. He taunted him just he like he has seen his NFL role models taunt. Out came the flag for unsportsmanlike conduct. First down. Half the distance to the goal.

A couple of Jake Green (121 rushing yards) runs later, LHS has a first-and-goal at the 1. Two plays later, Clifton (“Yes sir, no sir”) Sims plowed into the end zone for a tie-breaking touchdown with 3:04 left in the game.

A good lesson for his players? LHS coach Dirk Wedd said not really, at least not one they hadn’t already learned.

“When you play at Lawrence High the first thing you learn is you respect your opponents, so that’s never going to happen,” Wedd said. “Furthermore, you play so hard you wouldn’t have enough energy

to stand over somebody and talk trash. That’s not a concern of ours, but we appreciate the 15 yards.”

Quitting on plays never has been part of the equation for Lawrence High football players, either. Tyler Bailey, a 6-foot-4, 190-pound senior baseball player out for football for the first time, showed he fits in already.

After Spencer Scott kicked a 21-yard field goal to give LHS a 3-0 lead with 3:56 left in the first half, the Indians’ speedy running back and return man O.J. Shields broke into the clear with so much room behind him on the ensuing kickoff that the scoreboard momentarily, understandably, prematurely flashed “Touchdown!”

Bailey, closing ground so swiftly with long, graceful, determined strides, caught Shields from behind and brought him down four yards shy of a touchdown, an 84-yard return.

The Indians couldn’t punch it in and had to settle for Brad Remy’s 21-yard field goal that tied the score, 3-3, with 3:56 left in the half. Murphy Ray broke up a pass in the end zone, but couldn’t hold onto what would have been a huge interception.

If not for Bailey’s play of the night, LHS would have trailed an SM North team that finished 1-8 last season and was picked by Sunflower League coaches to finish last in the 12-team league.

Wedd sought out Bailey and convinced him playing football would help him to fulfill his goal of playing Division I baseball.

“I told him he needed to be around people who would be real hard on him because that’s what it’s going to be like in Division I baseball,” Wedd said. “You need to be tough to play Division I baseball.”

The score remain tied until the fourth quarter, when an Indians player ill-advisedly try fielded a high punt of less than 10 yards. The Lions’ Dom Reiske hit him hard enough to pop the ball loose and Ray recovered it at the Indians’ 44. Clint Pinnick-to-Rea passes, Green’s runs, better blocking than LHS produced most of the night and the taunting penalty enabled the Lions to start the season with a victory.

Green, who plays in the Lions’ secondary, knew which side of the ball was most responsible for the victory.

“Our defense has been way ahead of our offense,” Green said. “We wanted to come out and play like an old Lawrence High defense, prove to everybody that that’s what we can do and I think we did that.”

LHS resumes its season next Friday at 7:30 p.m. at Haskell Stadium against Shawnee Mission East.