photo by: Val Montanez/Special to the Journal-World

Lawrence wide receiver senior Gabe Wingerd jumps for a pass from quarterback Banks Bowen during a matchup against Gardner Edgerton on Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, in Lawrence.

Football is often called a game of inches, and on Friday night against Gardner Edgerton, it was a total of 7 yards that made the difference in the game.

Lawrence High School lost 35-21 to the defending 6A champions and fell to 2-2 on the season, but the Lions lost when they failed to score on a first-and-goal from the 6-yard line in the third quarter and failed to convert on a fourth-and-1 from the 11-yard line. Those two situations all but solidified the game for the Trailblazers, as they moved on to 4-0.

“It comes down to giving our defensive kids credit,” coach Clint Bowen said. “You go out in the second (half) and you get two stops in two possessions. But we go down to the 6-yard line and don’t convert… we go down to a fourth-and-1 — a third-and-2, also — and don’t convert. If you put that in then we’re talking about going for two (points) and, with a defensive stop, winning 22-21.”

The Trailblazer offense made it tough for the Lions offense. The Trailblazers flexbone offense took a lot of time off the clock in the first half, but were efficient in their drives. They ended with three touchdowns in four drives in the first half.

Lawrence, however, did not quite have as effective of a night. The offensive line struggled against Gardner Edgerton’s pass rush and run defense, and the Lions offense frequently found themselves behind the sticks.

The Lions did start the night with a touchdown drive. Tahj Edwards took the first handoff of the night on a 3-yard loss. Quarterback Banks Bowen followed that up with a 28-yard run for a first down, and two plays later hit Edwards on a 51-yard touchdown pass when Edwards ran up the middle and got behind the defense for a wide open reception.

Lawrence didn’t hold the lead for long. Gardner Edgerton moved the ball downfield with effective outside runs from its flexbone formation. After four minutes, the Trailblazers scored on a 16-yard run.

The offensive line struggles continued for the majority of the first half, and a third-down sack on Bowen brought up a fourth-and-21. The Trailblazers blitzed often at the start of the game, which was something that the Lions weren’t expecting based on the film study. But, the offensive line played better in the second half, which coach Bowen credited the offense for being able to adjust.

“Among the chaos, they were able to go to the sidelines, listen, then go out and execute,” Bowen said.

Two offensive plays later and Gardner Edgerton had its lead. The touchdown came on a pass from quarterback Bravin Powell to Richard Vanlerberg on a deep dig that Vanlerberg ran in for a score.

Both teams had scoreless drives, but the Lions had its second scoring drive to tie the game midway through the second quarter. The Lions faked a jet touch pass to Jaxon Becker — which the team had utilized several times in the red zone earlier in the season — and Bowen took it in with a 2-yard touchdown run.

Gardner Edgerton started the second half with the ball and a 7-point lead. With how effective the Trailblazers are at draining the clock, the Lions needed to hold the Trailblazers without a score.

The Trailblazer run game moved the chains to the LHS 30-yard line. Facing a second-and-8, Jaylen Parks broke up a would-be touchdown pass, and Kadence Kelsey knocked the ball away on consecutive passes to give the Lions back the ball.

A quick passing game with Gabe Wingerd and Becker moved the Lions all the way to the 6-yard line, but the Lions failed to score. Penalties pushed the Lions back to the 30-yard line, and they turned the ball over at the 10-yard line.

When the defense held up its end, the offense couldn’t punch it in. To get those stops, the Lions did well countering the Trailblazers’ punch. It was an intense chess match between the teams.

“Their coaching staff, (head coach) Jesse Owen and those guys, they do a great job,” Bowen said.

In both of their second-half drives, the Lions had the ball in the red zone but failed to tie the game. In the first drive, the offense took a first-and-goal from the 6-yard line and backed themselves up to the 30. A 20-yard fourth-down run from Bowen wasn’t enough.

The Lions defense forced the Trailblazers to punt after picking up 50 yards on a drive, but once again the offense couldn’t finish in the red zone. On a fourth-and-1 from the 11-yard line, the Trailblazers stuffed Bowen on a quarterback keeper, which gave Gardner Edgerton the ball with five minutes to go.

The Trailblazers only took two minutes off the board before scoring on a 16-yard run to take a two-touchdown lead. The Lions got the ball back with under three-and-a-half minutes remaining, but the Trailblazers picked off Bowen two plays into the drive. Gardner Edgerton running back Syre Padilla once again scored on a long touchdown run, which gave the Trailblazers a three-score lead.

The Lions scored a late touchdown on a pass to Parks with six seconds left. A brawl ensued after the score with both teams earning offsetting penalties. The Trailblazers recovered the kick and took a knee to win.

“That was a physical game,” Clint Bowen said. “We went toe-for-toe with them on both sides of the ball. Our kids went out there and matched their pad level, matched their physical play. The score is not 100% indicative of how that game played.”

LHS 7 7 0 7…21

GEHS 14 7 0 14…35

photo by: Val Montanez/Special to the Journal-World

Lawrence senior quarterback Banks Bowen runs with the ball before finding a target on the field against Gardner Edgerton in Lawrence on Friday, Sept. 27, 2024.

photo by: Val Montanez/Special to the Journal-World

Lawrence senior quarterback Banks Bowen looks for a target across the field against Gardner Edgerton on Friday, Sept. 27, 2024 in Lawrence.

photo by: Val Montanez/Special to the Journal-World

Lawrence junior Tahj Edwards avoids Gardner Edgerton defense in the fourth game of the season on Friday, Sept. 27, 2024. The Lions lost to the Blazers 35-21.

photo by: Val Montanez/Special to the Journal-World

Lawrence junior Jaxon Becker runs down the field with the ball early in the third quarter against Gardner Edgerton on Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, in Lawrence.

photo by: Val Montanez/Special to the Journal-World

Lawrence senior quarterback Banks Bowen runs to avoid the defense against Gardner Edgerton in Lawrence on Friday, Sept. 27, 2024.

photo by: Val Montanez/Special to the Journal-World

Lawrence’s Tahj Edwards runs into the Gardner Edgerton defense after catching a pass from quarterback Banks Bowen in Lawrence on Friday, Sept. 27, 2024.