photo by: Kahner Sampson/Special to the Journal-World

Lawrence High receiver Truth Pope celebrates a first down during the Lions' game against Shawnee Mission Northwest on Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026, at the Shawnee Mission District North Stadium in Overland Park.

OVERLAND PARK — A stout defensive performance that got better as the game went on helped Lawrence football beat Shawnee Mission Northwest on the road on Thursday.

“They played really well,” Lawrence coach Jason Thoren said. “Especially this week with that offense… With weather (impacting practices) and playing on Thursday, we were cut short on everything. There’s only so much we were able to get done.”

It wasn’t the most typical defensive game prep for Lawrence. Thoren told the team on Thursday that he “couldn’t fall asleep” last night because the game plan wasn’t good enough. The Lions had defensive meetings at 3:30 p.m., just three and a half hours before kickoff, to install some defensive plays.

“Everybody adjusted to it really well,” senior safety Caleb Wingerd said. “They’re a good team, they have a good offensive team, but Coach Thoren put up a great defensive scheme for us. We just executed it.”

The first play from scrimmage went about as poorly as possible for the Lions, as the Cougars took a quarterback run from the 35-yard line to the Lawrence 10. After the big run, Lawrence’s defense responded well but ultimately relinquished a 2-yard touchdown run on fourth down.

“They did a good job settling in,” Thoren said. “It was a matter of seeing what it looked like. There was no film session where we could get it corrected. We were correcting it in real time, and we got it corrected because we have smart players.”

Lawrence got some revenge on its first offensive play, as junior quarterback Joey Dooley took the ball 67 yards to the 18-yard line. The Lions moved the ball up to the 2-yard line with the ground game, and senior Ethan Curry extended the ball beyond the goal line for a touchdown.

The Lawrence defense continued its better play on the second dive, holding the Cougars to just seven yards before forcing a punt. Sophomore running back Acein Goodman set the Lions up well, and Lawrence turned the drive into points with Dooley throwing to Truth Pope while rolling to his right.

Shawnee Mission Northwest only went six yards on the next drive before punting, which concluded the first quarter of the game. The Lions drove down the field once again, in large part thanks to Dooley’s scrambling, but a fourth-and-11 pass in the red zone ended incomplete.

The Cougars got a first down on the next drive, their first since the opening drive, but didn’t get too far before punting back to Lawrence.

The Cougar drive took up a lot of time, giving Lawrence enough time for a 2-minute drive. Lawrence drove the ball into the red zone with under 30 seconds remaining but weren’t able to move the ball much once the Lions got there. They settled for a 20-yard field goal from sophomore Chase Brummel as time expired to take a 17-7 lead into halftime.

Thoren called that scoring drive the “key offensive drive of the game.” Not only did the offense execute the two-minute drill perfectly, but the field goal kicking did its job.

“(Brummel) has been great,” Thoren said. “That’s huge. He’s stepped up big time for us this year.”

Lawrence got the ball after the break and scored. Dooley finished it with a 42-yard touchdown run to get to over 150 yards in the game.

Two penalties aided the Cougars on their next drive and got it in the end zone for their second touchdown of the game. Lawrence drove down the field with its pass game, but senior Kayden Pitts got the ball in the end zone for a 2-yard touchdown. A missed PAT gave Lawrence a 30-14 lead.

Each team had to punt on its next drive. Immediately after Lawrence’s punt, the Lions got the ball back with a forced fumble recovered by junior linebacker Luke Kress. Goodman ultimately got it in on a 5-yard speed option to give Lawrence a 37-14 lead.

Lawrence didn’t break out as many explosive plays in the game as the offense is used to, as the Cover 0 blitzes the Cougars ran put pressure on the passing game. Still, there were a few opportunities of one-on-one coverage that Lawrence hit to have 150 passing yards in the game, but there were still more completions left on the field.

“It was tough sledding,” Thoren said of the offense. “But we did a good job. We were close on a lot of plays, too. But I think the execution was good.”

The offense still put up 37 points and was able to control the game, and Thoren said that’s what winning offense “is all about.”

The Lions got their second turnover of the game later in the next drive, with Wingerd intercepting the pass in the red zone. Lawrence didn’t get far and had to punt before a first down, but the Cougars didn’t have it for long. Curry read the quarterback’s eyes, jumped the route and had an interception return touchdown for the Lions’ third forced turnover in as many drives.

“We knew we had to cause turnovers late, and I think we did a pretty good job doing that,” Wingerd said.

Lawrence has had a difficult time closing out games defensively this season. When the Lions faced Shawnee Mission East, the Lancers were able to come back from down 28-7 to come a two-point conversion away from a win. Against Olathe Northwest, the Ravens were able to score 25 unanswered in the second half to win.

But this week, the Lions played their best defense at the end of the game.

“We made it a point on Saturday after we lost,” Wingerd said. “We were like, OK, enough is enough. We needed 48 minutes of focus, and that’s what we did.”

The Cougars punted with less than two minutes on the clock, and Lawrence drained the rest of it to get the 44-14 win. Lawrence moved to 5-2 and will conclude its regular season at Free State for the City Showdown next Friday.

“We’re confident going in, but we know it’s going to take a great week of practice,” Wingerd said. “(Free State) has a good team over there, the atmosphere is going to be great, and I’m excited to get after it.”

photo by: Kahner Sampson/Special to the Journal-World

Lawrence High head coach Jason Thoren calls out a play during the Lions’ game against Shawnee Mission Northwest on Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026, at the Shawnee Mission District North Stadium in Overland Park.

photo by: Kahner Sampson/Special to the Journal-World

Lawrence High quarterback Joey Dooley charges downfield during the Lions’ game against Shawnee Mission Northwest on Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026, at the Shawnee Mission District North Stadium in Overland Park.

photo by: Kahner Sampson/Special to the Journal-World

Lawrence High quarterback Joey Dooley receives a snap during the Lions’ game against Shawnee Mission Northwest on Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026, at the Shawnee Mission District North Stadium in Overland Park.

photo by: Kahner Sampson/Special to the Journal-World

Lawrence High receiver Truth Pope brings in a tough catch during the Lions’ game against Shawnee Mission Northwest on Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026, at the Shawnee Mission District North Stadium in Overland Park.

photo by: Kahner Sampson/Special to the Journal-World

Lawrence High quarterback Joey Dooley gets tripped on a run during the Lions’ game against Shawnee Mission Northwest on Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026, at the Shawnee Mission District North Stadium in Overland Park.

photo by: Kahner Sampson/Special to the Journal-World

Lawrence High receiver Truth Pope celebrates a touchdown during the Lions’ game against Shawnee Mission Northwest on Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026, at the Shawnee Mission District North Stadium in Overland Park.

photo by: Kahner Sampson/Special to the Journal-World

Lawrence High receiver Ethan Curry stiff-arms a defender during the Lions’ game against Shawnee Mission Northwest on Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026, at the Shawnee Mission District North Stadium in Overland Park.

photo by: Kahner Sampson/Special to the Journal-World

Lawrence High senior Kayden Pitts cuts upfield during the Lions’ game against Shawnee Mission Northwest on Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026, at the Shawnee Mission District North Stadium in Overland Park.

photo by: Kahner Sampson/Special to the Journal-World

Lawrence High receiver Ethan Curry goes up for a pass during the Lions’ game against Shawnee Mission Northwest on Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026, at the Shawnee Mission District North Stadium in Overland Park.

photo by: Kahner Sampson/Special to the Journal-World

Lawrence High defensive backs Caleb Wingerd (6) and Adrick Webb tackle a ball carrier during the Lions’ game against Shawnee Mission Northwest on Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026, at the Shawnee Mission District North Stadium in Overland Park.

photo by: Kahner Sampson/Special to the Journal-World

Lawrence High receiver Ethan Curry looks to make a defender miss during the Lions’ game against Shawnee Mission Northwest on Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026, at the Shawnee Mission District North Stadium in Overland Park.

photo by: Kahner Sampson/Special to the Journal-World

Lawrence High receiver Ethan Curry completes a catch during the Lions’ game against Shawnee Mission Northwest on Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026, at the Shawnee Mission District North Stadium in Overland Park.

photo by: Kahner Sampson/Special to the Journal-World

Lawrence High quarterback Joey Dooley (left) and kicker Chase Brummel celebrate a made field goal during the Lions’ game against Shawnee Mission Northwest on Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026, at the Shawnee Mission District North Stadium in Overland Park.