Friday’s victory against Shawnee Mission West was a great feat for Lawrence High’s football team, but the Lions are still trying to solidify their place atop the Sunflower League.

Lawrence coach Dirk Wedd is sure his team won’t settle for becoming a one-hit wonder, which makes today’s 7 p.m. game at Olathe South even more significant.

“They don’t want to be a flash in the pan,” Wedd said. “They want to be a football team that is consistent every week and that people will want to support.”

Before the season began, most preseason polls had Olathe East, O-South and SM West among the best teams in the league. Those happen to be Lawrence’s first three opponents. LHS passed the first test, but it only gets harder from here.

The challenge now is keeping the players level-headed so they can concentrate on the opponent. Senior defensive tackle Sean Thomas said he would be focused on tonight.

“After the buzzer sounded when we beat Shawnee Mission West, my mind set on Olathe South,” he said. “That was a good win and all, but it’s in the past.”

Don’t be misled by last week’s 35-12 victory. There are plenty of mistakes for the Lions to correct. Wedd said the tackling needed improvement, and the pass protection was mediocre at best. Plus, they turned the ball over twice and only took it away once.

As LHS works to correct its own issues, it also has to prepare for the impressive rushing attack that O-South used to dismantle Free State, 35-14, Friday. The Falcons ran for 320 yards on 49 carries. If the Lions want a shot at winning, they have to control the middle of the field and plug holes on defense. It sounds easy, but O-South has had a lot of success while running its unconventional offense.

“It’s a lot of misdirection, and it’s hard to keep track of the football,” Wedd said.

Wedd said his team has had a good week of practice, which started on Labor Day. The same starters for LHS last week will start against O-South, but it looks to be one of the toughest games of the year.

Junior quarterback Brad Strauss and the Lion offense shouldn’t have too much trouble making plays, as the Falcons gave up 335 total yards to the Firebirds.