photo by: Val Montanez/Special to the Journal-World

Lawrence High senior running back Tahj Edwards (1) and junior tight end Alex Bart (89) celebrate in the end zone after Edwards scored a touchdown against Shawnee Mission East on Friday, Oct. 3, 2025, in Lawrence.

Another week, another strong rushing attack for Lawrence football to face.

The Lawrence football team (0-5) will be on the road on Friday at 7 p.m. to play Shawnee Mission Northwest (2-3) to go against another high-scoring offense that relies on the ground game.

“They’re similar to what we’ve been seeing: They’re good at running the football,” Lawrence coach Jason Thoren said.

The good news for the Lions is that the various offensive styles the team has seen in its five prior games will help prepare the Lions for their next challenge against the Cougars.

Last year, the Cougars went 8-3 and reached the third round of the playoffs before losing 35-20 to Blue Valley West. After a 1-2 start, the Cougars won seven straight games.

In the offseason, then-offensive coordinator Kurt Webster was promoted to head coach after Bo Black stepped away following a decade at the school. With Webster’s offense still at Shawnee Mission Northwest, the Cougars haven’t missed a beat this season and are averaging 38 points per game.

Shawnee Mission Northwest has a losing record through five games, but the team has beaten or played close with some of the top teams in 6A.

The Cougars have wins over Shawnee Mission North and Olathe West this year, and gave the Owls their only loss of the year so far. Shawnee Mission Northwest is on a two-game skid with losses to Mill Valley and Olathe Northwest, which are both 4-1 this year.

The Cougars score a lot, and it comes mostly through the strong run game. Both running backs and the quarterback get involved, and in Shawnee Mission Northwest’s win over Olathe West, quarterback Trai Woodruff ran for over 200 yards.

“They’ve got good skill people,” Thoren said. “They’re tough up front, physical up front. That quarterback is electric. They run option and some different things that makes you have to honor all that.”

Being physical up front on defense will be key for the Lions against the Cougars. The Lions have shown an ability to make adjustments and defend the run better in the second halves of games as players have refocused on their assignments.

“They have done a good job coming out after halftime, which has been good,” Thoren said. “They’re battling. They’ve played the whole game, and that’s been consistent all year long. We just have to keep getting better at what we’re doing, and we have.”

Offensively, the Lions have been able to build on each week and attack defenses in new ways. The Lions found running success against Mill Valley with more counter runs, while the Lions did well running zone blocking schemes the next week against Shawnee Mission East. Both play types play well off each other, and it shows that the Lawrence offense is growing and finding different ways to succeed.

“They’ve done a good job with the run game,” Thoren said. “The ability to get it to receivers quickly and those kinds of things, it’s the same thing. I feel like we’ve gotten better each time we’ve gone out.”

Friday’s game could see some history for Lawrence. Senior receiver Jaxon Becker is three catches away from hitting 100 career receptions with the Lions. Becker has been effective along the sidelines for Lawrence with screen plays, hitches and, most of all, deep go routes. His ability to jump and high-point the ball has helped him become such a threat on deep throws.

“With Jaxon, 50-50 balls aren’t really 50-50 because he’s going to compete so hard to get it,” Thoren said. “He’s a baseball player — it’s really the ability to feel his defender, judge the ball and know when to go up at the right time. Some people have a knack for it, and he does.”

Lawrence will be at the Shawnee Mission North District Stadium for a 7 p.m. kickoff against Shawnee Mission Northwest on Friday.