photo by: Nick Krug/Journal-World photo

The Lawrence High sideline explodes after the Lions' first touchdown against Free State during the first quarter, Friday, Oct. 22, 2021 at Lawrence High School.

This year’s highly anticipated football City Showdown came down to the final seconds Friday night at Lawrence High, where the Lions prevailed, 27-19, over their crosstown rivals from Free State.

A hot start set the tone for Lawrence’s evening, and the Lions (6-2) tallied 285 yards of total offense, recording 157 yards through the air in the win.

“Oh my gosh,” said LHS quarterback Truman Juelsgaard after the victory. “This was amazing. I played in the game last year, but we didn’t have fans. This year, with fans and all the energy in the stadium, it was incredible and crazy.”

As for the Firebirds (6-2), they totaled 418 yards, but a couple of late stops by the Lions’ defense assured the home team of the win in front of a packed house.

LHS coach Clint Bowen said the win had special significance for his group this year.

“We’ve never beat Free State on that field before,” he said. “We put that little mark behind us. It was our seniors’ night. Getting these seniors one last chance to play Free State in the regular season at least. That’s big for those kids. It’s big for our program.”

Starting quickly on the opening drive, LHS capitalized off a 60-yard connection between seniors Juelsgaard and Shance Wilkerson. The large pickup allowed for a quick score from Wilkerson at the goal line, putting the Lions up early, 6-0, after a missed PAT.

Special teams spelled trouble for Free State on the following drive. A blocked punt was scooped up by LHS senior Kivryn Heck for a 27-yard score, adding to Lawrence High’s early lead and putting the Firebirds in a 13-0 hole before the midway point of the first quarter.

Looking to shift the tide on the following drive, the Firebirds couldn’t pick up much steam with their rushing attack. A third down stop led by LHS junior Kenton Simmons allowed the Lions to get the ball back with 2:35 remaining in the first quarter.

To start the second quarter, Free State looked to take advantage after a 23-yard completion from Jet Dineen to Jordan Brown that put the Firebirds in plus territory for the first time all night. However, that drive was upended by a fourth down stop. The Lions’ defense had the home team in business, as LHS tried to turn the rivalry game into an early blowout.

The Firebirds answered with a defensive stop, though. Free State’s offense came out slow to start on the next drive, but Dineen changed that with one long hard run. The QB took off down the Firebirds’ sideline and used his blazing speed to run all the way for an 85-yard touchdown, getting the FSHS fans back in the game, and turning it into a one possession game midway through the second quarter.

The Lions didn’t let that FSHS momentum last long, though. Wilkerson picked up another large chunk, gaining 41 yards on one play, for LHS on the next drive. That helped set up a 5-yard rushing TD by junior Brayden Heck, and the Lions stacked onto their first half lead, making it 19-7.

Wilkerson put the Lions on his back at times Friday night. The senior rusher said he knows what it means to dig deep and carry more than his share.

“It’s really nothing when you’re like a family,” he said. “Because you know when you let off, they’re gonna pick it up. It’s just chemistry. (Holes) were hard to find, but I knew my line was gonna stick their foot in the ground and push back. I just kept my shoulders down and ran the ball.

The Firebirds couldn’t answer late in the first half, giving LHS one more shot to run up the score heading into the locker room. Working up to the 2-yard line, the Lions’ Wilkerson was stopped just short of the goal line by Free State senior Quez Lee, preventing another Lions score.

Getting the wheels turning at the start of the third quarter, Free State found success with its ground combo of seniors Dineen and Dash Cleveland.

Moving the chains up to the LHS 19-yard line, Dineen stepped out of bounds on a fourth-down rush, giving the Firebirds their second turnover on downs of the evening and the Lions the ball with a chance to add to their lead.

LHS struggled to make much of its ensuing possession, however. Stopped just 2 yards short of a first down, a wild snap before a would-be LHS punt turned into a safety, giving Free State the first points of the half.

Getting the football right back after the two bonus points on special teams, the Firebirds cut the Lions’ lead down to three, 19-16, on a 29-yard breakaway touchdown run by Dineen.

“Jet Dineen is an incredible player,” Juelsgaard said after the game. “He does everything. Shout-out to those guys. They played a great game and this was a lot of fun. But I’m glad we got the win.”

For LHS wideout Baylor Bowen, who finished with 20 yards on two receptions, including a critical third-down grab in the first half, the opportunity to even play in this game was the thrill of a lifetime. After growing up in Lawrence and moving to Texas before high school, he never thought he would be playing in this game.

“It’s crazy, man. Just crazy,” Baylor Bowen said after the victory. “I never thought I’d get to compete against all those guys that I love over there. Of course we want to win and it was fun to beat them, but it’s all love for those guys. This was a great game and both sides played hard all the way through to the end.”

Free State’s defense followed up Dineen’s long rushing score with another stop, as the Firebirds’ surge continued. Dineen kept the wind at his back on the following drive. The Free State senior carried the ball 51 yards into LHS territory.

Knocking on the door to start the fourth quarter, the Firebirds added a 25-yard field goal by Adam Coup, tying the game at 19.

Midway through the fourth, LHS found success on the ground with Juelsgaard. The senior QB got physical late, with a series of runs that moved the Lions into FSHS territory with 3:00 to play. Juelsgaard then connected with Cole Watson, getting LHS all the way to the Firebirds’ 2-yard line.

Working the clock down, Wilkerson punched through the Free State defense, reclaiming the lead for LHS. Tacking on a successful 2-point conversion rush, Wilkerson pushed the Lions ahead, 27-19, with 1:23 to play.

Free State had one more shot to tie the score with a little more than one minute left in the game. Pressed against the wall on a fourth-down situation, Dineen found Brown for a first down, moving the Firebirds up to the LHS 43-yard line.

Next, Dineen hit senior Emnanuel Epelle for another first down with just five seconds remaining, setting up one last try for the Firebirds. Looking to the right corner of the end zone, Dineen couldn’t connect with Brown on the game’s final dramatic play.

Baylor Bowen said watching the game come down to the final seconds and the final play was fitting for the Lions.

“It seems like we’ve had a lot of moments like that this year,” he said. “We just have to keep our energy up and believe we’re going to pull through, and we did tonight.”

Added Juelsgaard of what Friday’s win meant for the home team: “It just gives us more confidence. We tried to look at this one all week like just another football game and like they were just another team that was in our way. But it was still the city rivalry, and it was crazy.”

GAME STATS

Lawrence 27, Free State 19

FS | LHS

First downs 14 | 14

Rushes-yards 46-339 | 33-128

Passing yards 79 | 157

Total offense 418 | 285

Fumbles-lost 1-1 | 0-0

Interceptions 0 | 0

Penalties-yards 3-10 | 3-15

Score by quarters

Free State 0 7 9 3 – 19

Lawrence 13 6 0 8 – 27

HOW THEY SCORED

1st Quarter:

08:55 – LHS touchdown: Wilkerson 1 run. Glasgow kick is no good. (FSHS 0, LHS 6)

07:40 – LHS touchdown: K. Heck 27 run on fumble recovery. Glasgow kick is good. (FSHS 0, LHS 13)

2nd Quarter:

06:09 – FSHS touchdown: Jet Dineen 85 yard touchdown run. Adam Coup kick is good. (FSHS 7, LHS 13)

01:11 – LHS touchdown: B. Heck 5 runs. 2-point conversion failed. (FSHS 7, LHS 19)

3rd Quarter:

06:30 – FSHS safety: Fumbled snap. (FSHS 9, LHS 19)

03:11 – FSHS touchdown: Dineen 29 yard run. Coup kick is good. (FSHS 16 LHS 19)

4th Quarter:

11:16 – FSHS field goal: Coup 25 kick is good. (FSHS 19 LHS 19)

01:23 – LHS touchdown: Wilkerson 2 run. Wilkerson 2-point conversion successful. (FSHS 19, LHS 27)

Individual statistics

Rushing

LHS: Wilkerson 14-59, B. Heck 10-41, Truman Juelsgaard 9-28

FS: Dineen 24-257; Cleveland 19-71; Tay Ware 3-11

Passing

LHS: Juelsgaard 7-14, 157

FS: Dineen 7-19-79

Receiving

LHS: Watson 2-35, Wilkerson 2-101, Sam Sedo 1-1, Baylor Bowen 2-20

FS: Jerred Willits 1- -3; Brown 4-52; Emmanuel Epelle 1-22; Cleveland 1-8