Lawrence High’s football team doesn’t have to wait long for a challenge.

In the Lions’ season opener, the team plays host to Shawnee Mission West, the same Vikings team that crushed LHS, 55-21, last season.

Kickoff is 7 tonight at LHS.

“They ran us out of the stadium,” head coach Dirk Wedd said.

But both teams return their key offensive engines, the starting quarterback and running back.

The intrigue with the Lions this season comes with junior quarterback Brad Strauss, who is coming in as the undisputed leader. He has had the summer to build off of last season’s breakout, where he completed 60 percent of his passes with 10 passing touchdowns and five rushing.

His counterpart is senior Vikings quarterback Armani Williams, who, unlike Strauss, finished on a poor note last season. He could hit the big passes, but the short ones seemed to give him problems. For his sake, the Lions figure to focus most of their defense on stopping senior running back Tre Burt. Burt had 118 yards and two touchdowns in last season’s matchup.

Lawrence running back Charles Jackson is primed for another standout season, and the balance between him and senior wide receiver Anthony Buffalomeat will give the Lions a troublesome offense for defenders. Throw that in with Strauss’ athletic ability and an offensive line anchored by senior guard Joel Ordrowski, and the offense could be dangerous.