photo by: Kahner Sampson/Special to the Journal-World

Lawrence junior Ty Sessions yells after the Lions tackle the Olathe Northwest ball carrier for a loss on Thursday, Sept. 18, 2025, at the CBAC in Olathe.

For the first four weeks of the football season, Lawrence football has faced a string of run-first offenses trying to establish physicality in the trenches.

So far, it hasn’t gone well for those opposing teams. Lawrence holds a 3-1 record at the midway point of the regular season, and opposing offenses are averaging 20 points per game, a figure that the Lawrence offense is averaging 15 points better than. That success against the run starts at the defensive line, who have made physicality and blowing up run games a part of their DNA.

“We call ourselves the bomb squad,” senior defensive end Alex Bart said. “We always talk about how we blow stuff up (in the run game). We’re like a bomb.”

It comes down to coaching and attitude. The rest of the Lions can attest that the defensive line is the group that gets coached the hardest on the team. Coach Darrius Pitts is easy to hear from across the field, and individual drill periods for the D-line in practice are much more physical and intense than live game reps.

“Coach Pitts is a different animal,” Bart said. “We go hard in practice every day, and it makes the game feel easy. Those indie periods are ridiculous, so we get in the game and it’s not as physical.”

Physicality is the D-line’s personality. They aren’t the biggest group in the state — coach Jason Thoren told them that the Shawnee Mission East offensive line had about 40 to 50 pounds on each of them — but they play hard and physical.

Physicality is important, but with an undersized defensive line, the Lions have to play smart, too. That means always having the right pad level, fighting the offensive line for leverage and being in the right place.

“Every week, we focus on pad level and dominance,” senior defensive tackle Ty Sessions said. “With these teams running heavy, we’ve got to eliminate the dive, first. It’s been (eliminate the) run first every play, then pass second.”

Gap discipline is important for a good run defense. The defensive line might not always get the tackle in run defense, but the group is what sets up the linebackers for easy stops. It’s not a lot of flash, but it’s the crucial starting point for the defense, and it’s what has led to Lawrence’s defensive success.

The bomb squad takes film study intensely, too. There are a lot of little tells that film shows that can give the defensive line an edge. It helps them find ways to overcome their opponents, even if those offensive linemen have a size advantage on them.

“Coach Thoren tells us to get to know their whole family,” Sessions said. “Knowing their tendencies, how heavy they are on their hands, their cadence with their feet and everything… we try to spot everything we can.”

It’s been a dramatic turnaround over the course of a year. The Lions had a hard time stopping the run a year ago, leading in large part to Lawrence finishing the season 1-8. But the defensive line play has completely flipped, largely with the same players now making the winning plays.

The defense is only getting better, too. The Lawrence defensive line faltered some late in the Week 1 loss to Gardner Edgerton after a strong first half. The defense then had its best game against Junction City, holding the Blue Jays to a touchdown. The Lions gave up points to Shawnee Mission East, but the Lions won the game with a stop at the goal line on a 2-point conversion attempt.

“We’ve just been putting in the dirty work,” Bart said. “We might not get the recognition, but we’ve been eating up the run.”

The Lions have playoff hopes, and the defense will be a major factor in whether the Lions can accomplish their goals.

“It’s all for the playoffs, that’s what we’re looking forward to,” Bart said. “We’re trying to eat in the postseason. We talk about how nobody has stopped us but ourselves this season. We’re not selfish, but we don’t think anyone in Kansas if we’re playing to our max can stop us.”