photo by: Parker I. Johnson/Special to the Journal-World

Lawrence running back Kayden Pitts (5) on Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026 at Shawnee Mission South High School in Overland Park.

OVERLAND PARK — With rain pouring onto the field from kickoff to the final horn, Lawrence stuck to the ground game and had 416 rushing yards in a 44-7 win over Shawnee Mission South on Thursday night.

“It was a good job by our O-line,” Lawrence coach Jason Thoren said. “I saw a few plays where they were blocking really well, which is good because we’ve been working hard on that. That O-line wants that. They work their tail off, so it’s great to get a win like that.”

Lawrence’s defense put the Raiders behind the sticks often in the game with tackles for loss or tackles at the line of scrimmage. But the Raiders put themselves in poor positions as well with bad snaps, something Lawrence didn’t have an issue with. Thoren said ball security was a point of emphasis going into the game.

The Lions split the carries between their three main running backs: senior Kayden Pitts, sophomore Acein Goodman and senior Ethan Curry. Pitts ended with the most carries of the game and of his career at 17, and he accounted for 188 yards and a touchdown.

“I feel like we have three really good backs, and tonight you got to see what Kayden could do,” Thoren said. “We’ve been seeing that all summer, so that doesn’t surprise me at all. He has great vision, he hits the hole.”

Pitts said the game plan was to run the ball all night long, and that the offensive line made the running game work, despite the Raiders knowing it was going to be a run-heavy attack.

“We did what we were meant to do,” Pitts said. “Our O-line is the best. They’re the best in the state. They make it easy to do my job.”

It took six plays for the Lions to get in the end zone on their first drive of the night, which Curry finished on a 15-yard touchdown run. The Raiders started with a three-and-out in large part due to junior linebacker Mason McClure’s tackle for loss.

Lawrence’s second drive was the only one that didn’t result in a touchdown until the fourth quarter, as Dooley fumbled after an 11-yard run. The Raiders didn’t get far after the turnover, punting after three plays.

Goodman saw more carries on the third drive and got into the end zone on a 6-yard run. The following Shawnee Mission South drive ended with another punt deep in Raider territory, and Lawrence took advantage of the field position with a quick rushing touchdown by junior quarterback Joey Dooley, who went 32 yards in the score. He finished the day with 85 yards on the ground and only two passes.

Lawrence had its biggest run of the night on its next possession, with Pitts running 51 yards to put the Lions in the red zone. He finished the drive with a 9-yard run, giving Lawrence a 28-0 lead. The Raiders didn’t move far before halftime as Lawrence held that four-score lead into the break.

“Our D-line was really good tonight, I thought our physicality was good tonight,” Thoren said. “I didn’t see a lot of busts in what we were doing.”

The Raiders punted on fourth-and-22 on the first drive of the second half, and Lawrence almost immediately got back into the red zone with a 32-yard run by Curry. He fumbled on his next carry, a 9-yard rush, but Aaden Chee fell on the ball to keep it in Lawrence’s possession. Curry later finished the drive with a 1-yard touchdown run. It was his last run of the night, and he finished with 76 yards while catching Dooley’s only pass for 12 yards.

The backups started to come in for Lawrence after that score, but the Lions continued to make plays. The Raiders got backed up into their own red zone on the next drive due to penalties, and Jabrel Ray’s sack put the Raiders in a fourth-and-37. They attempted to punt from their own end zone, but senior linebacker Hudson Hardesty tackled the punter in the end zone for a safety.

Lawrence got strong field position to start once again thanks to the safety and free kick, and Goodman got his second score on the drive with an 18-yard rush where he spun out of multiple tackles before falling into the end zone. Goodman finished with 55 yards and two scores on eight carries.

After another Shawnee Mission South punt, the No. 2 offense came in for Lawrence, and sophomore Quinton Russell got the first carry for five yards. Sophomore quarterback Silas Newberry’s first two carries went backward, which led to Lawrence’s first punt of the game.

The Raiders got the ball and got in the end zone late to prevent the shutout. Lawrence’s offense moved the ball but punted in the final minute, and the clock ran out on Shawnee Mission South in its final drive.

“We’ve been locked in,” Pitts said of Lawrence’s four-game win streak. “The seniors are leading by example, and we’re teaching guys what to do. We’re just locked in.”

Lawrence will be back at home for its homecoming game on Friday, Oct. 9 as the Lions take on Olathe Northwest at 7 p.m.