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

Lawrence High junior wide receiver Ethan Curry pushes the Mill Valley defense after a catch on Friday, Sept. 26, 2025, in Lawrence.

Ever since Ethan Curry’s freshman year with Lawrence football, it’s been a challenge to keep him off the field.

Whether that’s on punt returns, as a slot receiver, as a running back or as a safety, Curry has made himself indispensable, no matter the situation the Lions face.

“It’s awesome anytime you have the ball, you’re able to fly around and make plays,” Curry said. “I love the opportunity to have the ball in my hands, whether it’s a score or to get a first down or whatever it may be.”

Now going into his senior year, Curry is ready to use his skills in whatever way necessary to lead the Lions to wins.

“I’m very confident in my abilities,” Curry said. “This offseason, whether it’s working out weights or speed work, or safety work or RB work, whatever it is. I put a lot of work into it. I’m confident that it’s going to pay off.”

Curry got his first varsity experience in the playoffs as a freshman, and even if it was in small spurts, he impressed then-coach Clint Bowen, who raved about Curry the following summer. He’s steadily increased his role on both offense and defense and can contribute no matter the situation.

Curry has a lot of speed and shiftiness to create mismatches on offense or eliminate them on defense, but his real specialty is his playstyle. He’s 5-foot-10 and 180 pounds, but he plays much bigger than his frame. It’s what allows him to line up at running back and be able to gain yards consistently. In last year’s City Showdown, Curry had to step into the starting running back role after an injury to senior Tahj Edwards and finished with 99 yards on 15 carries.

“I’m not afraid to lower my shoulder on somebody,” Curry said. “I feel like me, as a person, with the weights I’ve been doing, I feel very powerful. I feel like I’ve gotten a lot faster, and so that’s also a big part of my game.”

This past year has been exciting for Curry as he begins his recruitment journey. He’s being offered as a safety, and he received his first Division I offer from Bowen, his former coach and current North Alabama defensive coordinator.

“It’s definitely a sense of relief, just knowing that all the hard work has been paying off,” Curry said. “Obviously I’m not satisfied yet — I’m still striving for more. I’ve got a lot to look forward to, but it’s awesome to see that everything’s paying off.”

Of all the positions Curry plays, safety is his favorite. He enjoys the physical nature of it, and he’s developed a strong football IQ to handle the mental side of it.

Curry is in a good place to continue developing as a safety. His coach for his first two years at Lawrence was Bowen, a Division I secondary coach and defensive coordinator who played the position at Kansas. His coach for his final two seasons is Jason Thoren, a Kansas linebacker who has been a defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach at the NAIA and Division I levels.

“They’ve both helped, they’ve both developed me and helped me in so many different ways,” Curry said. “I love it. I definitely can’t complain about that. (They’re) two amazing college coaches, and I have an opportunity to learn from them, and just see what they do at the higher level.”

But before he can focus on his college career, Curry has his final hurrah with Lawrence to work on, and he’s working on stepping up as a leader to lead the Lions. He said the team has been more bought-in and close-knit this year during offseason workouts.

There’s a lot of hope for what the work the Lions have put in can mean for the season. Curry wants to win for his last year in high school, and a state championship is, of course, the big-picture goal. To get there requires a lot from everyone on the team, and Curry says he’s seen more drive from the Lions.

The Lions have done well in summer competitions, including winning a 7-on-7 tournament on Friday. There’s still a lot of work left to do for Curry and the Lions to have the season that he wants, but the Lions are continuing to improve.

“We’re going to be a lot better,” Curry said. “I feel like we all want it more this year. I feel like we’re all working a lot harder than last year, and I feel like we’re way more developed than last year. We all have the same goal in mind.”