photo by: Landon Cory/Special to the Journal-World

Lions defenders Josh Galbreath, Devin Foster and Tyrese Sessions combine for a stop against Olathe East High School on Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024, in Olathe.

Olathe — Running the ball and defending the run was the game plan for both Lawrence High School and Olathe East on Thursday night, but the Lions beat the Hawks at both ends, leading to a 42-28 win in Olathe.

The Hawks took a gamble by electing to receive the ball on the opening kick but couldn’t make anything of it. The opening drive stalled at the Lawrence 47-yard line, forcing the Hawks to punt.

The first half was tough for both offenses. Both tried to start the run game but struggled to make plays consistently. The Lions were stuffed on a fourth-and-1 from the Olathe East 25-yard line on one drive, while the Lions defense had two first-half turnovers.

“This was a big-boy game,” LHS coach Clint Bowen said. “This was exactly what we needed. It was a tough game on offense, and it was a tough game on defense that we physically won.”

Lawrence’s defensive front seven continuously made plays in the game. The Hawks are a run-heavy team, and the Lions defense made it difficult to find open running lanes. The Hawks started the game with six run plays before their first pass, which senior Kadence Kelsey broke up. Another incompletion forced a punt on the opening drive.

The opening quarter ended with no score and only a handful of first downs between the offenses. Lawrence did score early in the second quarter when linebacker Jah’ir Johnson intercepted a halfback swing pass and ran 25 yards for a touchdown.

The plays from Johnson and the rest of the front seven have been a welcomed sight after the Lions struggled against the run to start the year. Some changes to scheme have helped turn things around the last couple of weeks, and the Thursday game was exactly how the Lions wanted to play against the run.

“The kids have done a great job of adjusting to learn (new assignments),” Bowen said. “That’s a tough assignment, stopping that offense. Those kids bought into it.”

Olathe East responded well with a scoring drive of its own. The Lions could’ve stopped the Hawks at the LHS 25-yard line, but an offsides call turned a fourth-and-6 into a fourth-and-1 that the Hawks converted. They then scored on a 17-yard run the next play.

Lawrence received the ball with five-and-a-half minutes left in the half and perfectly executed a four-minute drill. The Lions moved the chains with runs from Tahj Edwards and short passes to the receivers. On a third-and-6, Jaxon Becker caught a 34-yard pass over a defensive back.

Following some slow runs to drain more clock, the Lions faced a fourth-and-2 from the Olathe East 21-yard line. Following three timeouts between the two teams, Edwards raced through a hole for a 15-yard play. He ran to the 1-yard line on the next play, and Edwards later scored on a third-and-1 with under 32 seconds left in the half.

The score came at a perfect time. The Hawks took a knee to end the half, and the Lions started the second half with the ball. Josh Galbreath opened the second half with a 46-yard kick return.

A couple of passes and a roughing the passer penalty moved the Lions downfield quickly on the first drive of the second half. Quarterback Banks Bowen was called for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, and a promising drive stalled with a fourth-and-long.

The defense came up clutch once again. On a fourth-and-1, the Lions stuffed the Hawks to take over in enemy territory. Edwards had more breakaway runs and ultimately capped the drive with an 8-yard touchdown run, giving the Lions a 21-7 lead.

Edwards said that he and the offensive line had a connection in this game. Both aspects of the run game played well and complemented each other, and it had been a somewhat lacking piece of the offense in previous weeks.

“We came out and we executed,” Edwards said. “We all work like a family, we all work like a unit.”

One play into the Hawks’ series, sophomore Adric Webb intercepted a pass at the Olathe East 26-yard line. In less than a minute, the Lions scored again on a 10-yard run from Bowen.

The Hawks responded with a scoring drive that lapsed three minutes and took the game into the fourth quarter. To combat this, the Lions turned to Edwards and the ground game for another touchdown drive that took five minutes.

Lawrence’s three-score lead didn’t last long. A 90-yard kick return cut the lead to 35-21. However, once the Lions got the ball back, they drained most of the remainder of the clock. They managed another touchdown run from Edwards with under two minutes left, taking a 42-21 lead.

The Hawks scored with five seconds left in the game, but it didn’t affect the outcome. The Lions won 42-28, and moved to 4-2 with back-to-back wins.

“The kids knew this was a big game,” coach Clint Bowen said. “This was a barometer of if we’re legit or not. Now the kids have put us in a position to have a good couple of weeks and get ready for the playoffs.”

Lawrence will return home for the final home game of the regular season against Olathe South on Friday, October 18 at 7 p.m.

Score by quarter

LHS 0 14 14 14 — 42

OE 0 7 7 14 — 28

photo by: Landon Cory/Special to the Journal-World

Lawrence quarterback Banks Bowen completes a pass in the first quarter against Olathe East on Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024, in Olathe.

photo by: Landon Cory/Special to the Journal-World

Lawrence running back Tahj Edwards sheds an Olathe East defender on Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024, in Olathe.

photo by: Landon Cory/Special to the Journal-World

Lawrence defenders Noah Richardson, Larney Finney and Cesar Gomez stuff an Olathe East ball carrier on Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024, in Olathe.

photo by: Landon Cory/Special to the Journal-World

Lawrence wide receiver Gabe Wingerd runs with the ball after a catch against Olathe East on Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024, in Olathe.