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

Lawrence wide receiver Jaylen Parks celebrates a first down conversion against Olathe South on Friday, Oct. 18th, 2024, in Lawrence.

Lawrence High School (4-3) had about as slow of a start as possible in Friday’s game against Olathe South (2-5). A fumble on the opening kickoff quickly put the Lions down, and an inability to stop the run prevented Lawrence from controlling the game, leading to a 40-28 loss.

“(It was) turnovers and mistakes,” coach Clint Bowen said of the game. “We take the opening kickoff and we fumble. We drive down the first possession of the second half and we fumble. We have a chance to win the game and we fumble.”

Olathe South had a size advantage along the offensive line and used that to create wide run lanes for senior running back Max Armstrong. However, the Lions were able to make a stand, holding the Falcons to a field goal following the earliest fumble. Senior safety Jaylen Parks shed a block for a tackle-for-loss on a third-down play to force the field goal.

On the other side of the ball, Parks and the LHS offense made quick plays in the pass game. The Lions moved into the red zone on their first drive, but a holding penalty pushed them behind the sticks. They didn’t get back to the original line of scrimmage, and the drive ended with a turnover on downs.

More run plays hurt the Lions defense, with Olathe South junior quarterback Gage Lee running over 20 yards on a scramble. The Falcons moved into the red zone shortly after and scored on a run from Armstrong. A little over halfway through the first quarter and the Falcons held a 10-0 lead.

“We knew the tailback ran hard, we knew they played physical,” coach Bowen said of the run game. “We were back to week one with our tackling.”

The Lions offense continued its slow start with a three-and-out on the next drive. The Falcons moved downfield before senior safety Noah Richardson stopped an outside run for a loss, forcing the Falcons into another field goal.

One play into the second quarter, the Falcons took a 13-0 lead.

Finally, the Lions’ offense found its rhythm. Their first scoring drive began with a large pickup from Ethan Curry on the kickoff return. Quick passes moved the chains down the field, and junior running back Tahj Edwards finished the drive with a 10-yard touchdown run.

The Lions’ defense gave up a few yards on the next drive but held the Falcons to a fourth-and-11 which resulted in a punt. A flea flicker to Jaxon Becker went 32 yards to the 4-yard line, and the Lions took the lead with a second touchdown run from Edwards.

The lead came with seven minutes left in the half, and it didn’t last long. Olathe South continued to slowly march downfield with the run game, and scored with just under two minutes left in the half. The point-after kick was no good, giving the Falcons a 19-14 lead.

Lawrence converted a couple first downs before halftime but couldn’t score.

Through the entire game, the Lions struggled with penalties, particularly avoidable ones like late hits and unsportsmanlike conduct. It made the comeback that much more difficult. Coach Bowen said that the Lions did “all we could to hurt ourselves.”

Olathe South continued to run the ball effectively in the second half, but the Lions forced a punt on the opening drive. The Lions started their first drive of the half at their 22-yard line and went all the way to the Falcons’ 20-yard line before Edwards bobbled an option pass and fumbled the ball away to Olathe South. The Falcons made good on the turnover, scoring on a 26-yard option run to take a 26-14 lead late in the third quarter.

Edwards started the Lions drive with back-to-back 10-yard runs. Kavon Price caught a pass on a comeback route and ran for an extra 10 yards after falling on the defender. Curry finished the drive with an outside touchdown run.

Olathe South’s offense took the field with one minute, 19 seconds left in the third quarter. Lee scored after three consecutive runs, leaving 4.6 seconds on the clock in the third quarter. The Lions once again faced a 12-point deficit.

The Lions answered the punch with a touchdown. Sophomore Adric Webb caught a pass and took it another 20 yards for a 39-yard touchdown pass. The score came only 25 seconds into the final quarter.

The Falcons marched methodically down the field. They continued to run the ball with success, with the Falcons moving the chains before third down until they reached the red zone. Finally, with under three minutes left in the game, the Lions had a goal line stand. A touchdown run from Armstrong was called back, and the Falcons couldn’t convert a third-and-goal from the 6-yard line.

For 15 minutes, the lights on the field went out. When they finally came back on, the Falcons went for it on fourth-and-goal from the 2-yard line. A fumble recovered by the Lions gave them the ball at the 5-yard line and a hope to launch a comeback.

That hope didn’t last long, as Edwards fumbled on the Lions’ first play of the drive. Armstrong and the Falcons scored again with under two minutes in the game, giving them a 12-point lead.

The Lions moved the ball downfield, and even seemingly had a touchdown that was nullified by an illegal touching penalty, but couldn’t create the magic for a comeback, losing 40-28.

Bowen said that the team needs to figure out how to practice. With only one week left in the regular season, the Lions need to put their best on the practice field if they’re going to have a strong playoff run.

“Guys seem to think that you can cheat the game, and you can’t. You can’t cheat the game of football,” Bowen said. “Deion Sanders said that you have to put money in the vending machine to get something out. I don’t know if we’re putting enough money in right now.”

Lawrence High School will finish its regular season on the road against Free State High School on Friday at 7 p.m.

Score by quarters

LHS 0 14 7 7 — 28

OS 10 9 14 7 — 40

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

Lawrence quarterback Banks Bowen rushes the ball in the first quarter against Olathe South on Friday, Oct. 18, 2024, in Lawrence.

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

Lawrence running back Tahj Edwards stiff arms a defender to gain a first down against Olathe South on Friday, Oct. 18, 2024, in Lawrence.

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

Lawrence safety Jaylen Parks flips an Olathe South ball carrier behind the line of scrimmage on Friday, Oct. 18, 2024, in Lawrence.

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

Lawrence wide receiver Jaxon Becker stiff arms an Olathe South defender in the second quarter on Friday, Oct. 18, 2024, in Lawrence.

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

Lawrence linebacker Jah’ir Johnson applies pressure, forcing an incompletion on against Olathe South on Friday, Oct. 18, 2024, in Lawrence.

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

Lawrence linebacker Ben Marker stops an Olathe South ball carrier in the second quarter on Friday, Oct. 18, 2024, in Lawrence.