Lawrence High rolls over SM East, 45-14, to move to 2-1 on the season

photo by: Chance Parker/Journal-World Photo

Lawrence High senior Dominic Ostronic (13) celebrates a touchdown with Sam Sedo (3) during the Lions' win over Shawnee Mission East on Friday, Sept. 16, 2022.

Overland Park — Behind a late first-half surge, the Lawrence High football team blew past Shawnee Mission East 45-14 on Friday night at Shawnee Mission District Stadium.

Leading 19-7 at halftime after scoring two touchdowns in the final 4:40 of the first half, a 99-yard kickoff return TD by LHS’s Tyrell Reed to open the second half was all the Lions needed to bury the Lancers.

The Lions (2-1) scored 26 consecutive points in the second half and racked up 359 yards of total offense, including 222 through the air against the Lancers. LHS coach Clint Bowen said his group focused in on the job at hand in the second half.

“Our halftime speech wasn’t ‘X’s and O’s’ or anything like that,” Bowen said. “We just talked about what it means to play this game the right way. Whether it’s your stance, your position or winning your individual battles.”

Both teams traded punts to open the night, but an interception from Lawrence High’s Banks Bowen stirred the pot less than four minutes into the first quarter. Two plays later, a 52-yard grab by Dominic Ostronic from Tyson Grammer put the Lions in the red zone, setting up a quick handoff to Reed for a touchdown.

Down 7-0 with 5:38 to go in the first quarter, SM East (0-3) answered the Lions with a 4-yard touchdown pass from George Kopp to Cole Clesi with 52 seconds remaining in the quarter. The Lancers’ defense stepped up moments later, nearly blocking a punt by Grammer on fourth down.

SM East struggled deep in its own territory on the next drive, resulting in a 25-yard punt return from Reed to put LHS back in rhythm. Brayden Heck found the end zone to put the Lions up 13-7 after a missed extra point with 4:40 left in the half.

The Lions got possession back with 1:40 to play in the half after the Lancers failed to move the sticks and made it count when Grammer hit Ostronic for a 26-yard touchdown pass to put LHS up by two scores at the break.

After Reed’s 99-yard kickoff return to open the third quarter, Kopp led the Lancers to the Lions’ 42-yard line. But a failed fourth-down try gave the ball back to LHS. Reed said his return felt great in the moment but the team had to stay all-business against an unpredictable SM East offense.

“We had a slow start in the first half, so I just raced back to the sidelines,” Reed said of his kickoff return. “I was just getting ready for the next play. We’ve got to execute, so we’ve got to stay ready.”

Heck widened the gap with a 25-yard touchdown rush, bringing the Lions’ lead to 31-7 with 7:20 to go in the third. A lengthy drive by SM East ended with Kopp’s second pick of the day, this time by LHS senior Nate Blettner who swiped it in the red zone.

LHS took command, 38-7, with 24 seconds left in the third quarter on a 10-yard touchdown run from Reed after a 55-yard completion from Grammer to Cole Watson put the Lions back in the red zone. Blettner snagged a batted pass by Kopp two plays into the next drive, prompting a quick, 17-yard TD strike from Grammer to Sam Sedo to open the fourth quarter after the interception.

Blettner credited his multi-sport reputation for keeping him sharp on the play.

“I play varsity baseball, right field,” Blettner said. “I’m pretty good (with my) eyeballs, knowing where the ball’s going to go and how to get it. I saw it coming down, so I dove for it.”

Exchanging stops, the Lancers regained possession with 6:16 to play and Kopp hit Andres Driver for a 35-yard touchdown pass with 3:51 remaining. But the late TD was not nearly enough to get the Lancers back into the game and the LHS offense ran out the clock to close out the victory.

GAME STATS

Lawrence High 7 12 19 7 – 45

SM East 7 0 0 7 – 14

HOW THEY SCORED

1Q:

5:38 – LHS touchdown: Reed 1 run. Kirk kick is good. (LHS 7, SM East 0)

0:52 – SM East touchdown: Clesi 4 pass from Kopp. Anderson kick is good. (LHS 7, SM East 7)

2Q:

4:40 – LHS touchdown: Brayden Heck 8 run. Kirk kick is no good. (LHS 13, SM East 7)

0:50 – LHS touchdown: Dominic Ostronic 26-yard pass from Tyson Grammer. 2-point attempt is no good. (LHS 19, SM East 7)

3Q:

11:45 – LHS touchdown: Reed 99 return. Kirk kick is no good. (LHS 25, SM East 7)

7:20 – LHS touchdown: Heck 25 run. 2-point attempt is no good. (LHS 31, SM East 7)

0:24 – LHS touchdown: Reed 10 run. Kirk kick is good. (LHS 38, SM East 7)

4Q:

11:43 – LHS touchdown: Sam Sedo 17 pass from Grammer. Kirk kick is good. (LHS 45, SM East 7)

3:51 – SM East touchdown: Driver pass from Kopp. Anderson kick is good. (LHS 45, SM East 14)

LHS | SM East

First downs 9 | 10

Rushing yards 137 | 66

Passing yards 222 | 234

Total-offense 359 | 300

Fumbles-lost 0 | 0

Interceptions 0 | 3

Penalty yards 45 | 35

INDIVIDUAL STATS

Passing: LHS – Tyson Grammer 9-16, 218, Adric Watson 1-3, 4; SM East – George Kopp 14-27, 234.

Rushing: LHS – Tyrell Reed 10-50, Brayden Heck 13-84, Noah Richardson 1-3; SM East – Cole Clesi 10-35, Hayden Falley 1-2.

Receiving: LHS – Sam Sedo 3-40, Cole Watson 3-79, Dominic Ostronic 3-103; SM East – CJ Leonard 2-33, Andres Driver 6-126, Dillon Mong 2-38, Cole Clesi 3-24, Teddy Saylor 1-13.