photo by: Sarah Buchanan/Special to the Journal-World

Lawrence offensive lineman Wyatt Hendricks, left, shakes hands with receiver Jaxon Becker during the game against Shawnee Mission Northwest on Thursday, Oct. 30, 2025, in Overland Park.

Overland Park — An electric offensive night wasn’t enough for No. 14 seed Lawrence football, as the team’s season came to an end in a 50-40 playoff shootout against No. 3 Shawnee Mission Northwest on Thursday night.

“They fought super hard, as they had all year,” Lawrence coach Jason Thoren said. “(Shawnee Mission Northwest is) a good team, and we knew that was a good team.”

Lawrence came out hot, scoring a 75-yard touchdown run on the first play from scrimmage. The Lions lined up in a two-back set and faked the handoff to junior running back Ethan Curry before giving it to freshman Acein Goodman, who ran 75 yards untouched for the score.

The Cougars took a little more time but also scored a touchdown on their opening drive, which consisted of all run plays. The Cougars picked up 40 yards on a third-and-4 from their own 40-yard line, setting them up in the red zone. Three plays later, senior quarterback Trai Woodruff ran for a 9-yard touchdown.

Lawrence didn’t have the same success running the ball on the second drive, with three attempts that went two yards. Instead, the Lions moved the chains using sophomore quarterback Joey Dooley’s arm, as he threw four completions for 36 yards and got the Lions at the 25. The drive stalled when a snap on third down was too low for Dooley to corral, and he had to fall on it for a 6-yard loss.

Shawnee Mission Northwest started its next drive deep in Cougar territory and didn’t get far before punting. That gave the Lions good starting field position, which they turned into points.

On a third-and-6, Dooley stepped up to avoid a sack and threw the ball to Curry, who ran 39 yards through some contact to get in the end zone, giving the Lions a 14-7 lead. It took the Cougars just 22 seconds to march downfield and tie the game. Woodruff scored on a 21-yard run for his second touchdown of the night.

The Lions never managed to slow Woodruff or the Cougar offense down. He accounted for six touchdowns, including scoring runs of 53 and 80 yards.

“That option is tough with that quarterback,” Thoren said. “That kid really makes it go. He was really good on the perimeter. And if that guy’s on the field for them, they’re going to be a tough team.”

Lawrence responded through the air, and was aided by a couple of penalties on the Cougars. Dooley did well when rolling to his right, and perfectly lofted the ball above the Cougars’ linebackers to a wide open senior receiver Jaxon Becker in the end zone for a 14-yard score. A missed point-after attempt gave the Lions a 20-14 lead.

The Cougars scored on a 53-yard run from Woodruff on their next drive. The Lions were fooled by the read option and crashed to tackle the dive back, while Woodruff had a clear lane to the end zone.

Galbreath put the Lions in great field position on their final drive of the half with a kickoff return to the Cougars’ 49-yard line. Lawrence had some more successful runs, including two carries for Curry that went 17 yards and a 6-yard run from Becker. Dooley completed all four of his passes on the drive, with the final one being an 8-yard touchdown to Galbreath with 27 seconds left. Lawrence failed the two-point attempt but went into halftime with a 26-21 lead.

Through the first half, Dooley completed 14 of 17 passes for 173 yards and three touchdowns. The Lions didn’t have the same success running the ball after the first drive, only getting 22 on 14 carries.

“Our offense played great,” Thoren said. “That was kind of the plan with the receivers to come in and get after them, wear them down… and boy, they did. They were run blocking, they were running great routes.”

Woodruff and the Cougar offense led another scoring drive after halftime. The series took over four minutes and consisted of all run plays, with a 1-yard run from Demetric Tyler sealing the drive. Woodruff scrambled around on a two-point attempt and was almost sacked numerous times before he threw to an open receiver in the end zone for a successful two-point conversion, giving the Cougars a 29-26 lead.

Lawrence’s first drive of the half didn’t go anywhere, and Shawnee Mission Northwest got the ball back at the Cougar 37-yard line. The Cougars picked up a couple of first downs, but a holding play followed by a third-down sack forced them to punt.

Becker put the Lions in excellent field position with a punt return to the SMNW 26-yard line. Dooley scored a couple plays later on a 19-yard scamper.

Lawrence didn’t hold the lead for long. On the first play of the following Cougar drive, Woodruff ran 80 yards for a touchdown, taking a 36-33 lead with five seconds left in the third quarter.

Dooley got the drive going with a 22-yard scramble on a second-and-11, and then hit Becker for an 11-yard gain. A personal foul call on Shawnee Mission Northwest put the Lions at the Cougars’ 16-yard line, and Dooley tossed his fourth touchdown on a 13-yard catch to Truth Pope. Dooley lofted the ball up above the Cougars defensive back, and Pope leaped up to get the ball.

Dooley finished with 21 completions on 31 attempts for 237 yards and four touchdowns to go with an interception.

“That kid is an amazing kid,” Thoren said. “He’s a superb leader, player. It helps that in basketball he’s been a starter, so he’s been on that stage. All year long, he’s done well and came into that role. I’m proud of him and the way he played.”

The Cougars continued to run the ball down the Lions’ throats. Woodruff scored on a 16-yard run with six minutes left, giving the Cougars a 3-point lead.

Lawrence’s pass offense couldn’t come up with more magic, as two incompletions led to a turnover on downs inside the Lawrence 30-yard line.

Shawnee Mission Northwest scored another touchdown for some insurance, going up by 10 points with a little over two and a half minutes left. Dooley struggled to avoid sacks and threw two incompletions to set up a fourth-and-10 at the LHS 49-yard line. Dooley threw the ball up but was intercepted, which gave the Cougars the opportunity to kneel out the clock and leave with a win.

Lawrence’s season ended with the loss, and the team finished the season 1-8 with a first-round playoff loss for the second straight season. The Lions will leave with a lot to build on, with a strong group of young players who were thrust into varsity roles.

“I’m proud of the way our guys stuck together this year,” Thoren said. “It’s all about the seniors… (and) we had a freshman go for 80 yards. Joey is a sophomore. There’s a lot of younger classmen who are on the field, which is good. There’s a lot to build on.”

photo by: Sarah Buchanan/Special to the Journal-World

Lawrence offensive lineman Wyatt Hendricks, left, talks to receiver Jaxon Becker during the game against Shawnee Mission Northwest on Thursday, Oct. 30, 2025, in Overland Park.

photo by: Sarah Buchanan/Special to the Journal-World

Lawrence quarterback Joey Dooley plows forward during the game against Shawnee Mission Northwest on Thursday, Oct. 30, 2025, in Overland Park.

photo by: Sarah Buchanan/Special to the Journal-World

Lawrence quarterback Joey Dooley fires a pass during the game against Shawnee Mission Northwest on Thursday, Oct. 30, 2025, in Overland Park.

photo by: Sarah Buchanan/Special to the Journal-World

Lawrence quarterback Joey Dooley throws on the run during the game against Shawnee Mission Northwest on Thursday, Oct. 30, 2025, in Overland Park.

photo by: Sarah Buchanan/Special to the Journal-World

Lawrence quarterback Joey Dooley throws on the run during the game against Shawnee Mission Northwest on Thursday, Oct. 30, 2025, in Overland Park.

photo by: Sarah Buchanan/Special to the Journal-World

Lawrence wide receivers Jaxon Becker points to the sky during the game against Shawnee Mission Northwest on Thursday, Oct. 30, 2025, in Overland Park.

photo by: Sarah Buchanan/Special to the Journal-World

Lawrence wide receivers Khyree McGee, left, and Jaxon Becker shake hands during the game against Shawnee Mission Northwest on Thursday, Oct. 30, 2025, in Overland Park.

photo by: Sarah Buchanan/Special to the Journal-World

Lawrence wide receiver Jaxon Becker is pictured during the game against Shawnee Mission Northwest on Thursday, Oct. 30, 2025, in Overland Park.

photo by: Sarah Buchanan/Special to the Journal-World

Lawrence senior wide receiver Josh Galbreath runs with the ball against Shawnee Mission Northwest on Thursday, Oct. 30, 2025, in Overland Park.