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

Lawrence High receiver Truth Pope is held up by senior Alex Bart to celebrate a touchdown during the City Showdown football game on Friday, Oct. 23, 2026, at Lawrence High School in Lawrence.

Normally, when two teams are playing each other for the second time in a season, there’s a lot to learn from what happened the first time around.

While there are certainly lessons to take from Lawrence’s 44-7 win over Shawnee Mission South on Oct. 1, it will be a very different game this time around with no torrential downpour on the horizon for Friday’s Week 9 playoff game in Lawrence.

In the first matchup, both teams stuck almost exclusively to the ground game, despite both offenses usually being much more balanced between the pass and the run. The one-dimensional offense wasn’t an issue for the Lions, who combined for over 400 rushing yards, but the lack of a passing threat made offense difficult for the Raiders, who only scored a touchdown late after most of Lawrence’s starters were done for the day.

“They’re a team that is very capable of throwing the football,” Lawrence coach Jason Thoren said. “They weren’t able to do that. They’re a team that has steadily gotten better in what they’ve done. Last week, they put up some points, and they’re executing better.”

The Raiders’ passing game starts with quarterback Rylan Kuhasz, who Thoren said can “put the ball anywhere.” The Raiders will have a couple of dynamic receivers healthy that weren’t in the last game against the Lions to make the offense more threatening.

Even if they look to pass more than last time, staying stout against the run is still a point of emphasis for the Lawrence defense. It’s easier to defend a one-dimensional offense, and if the Raiders are shut out of the run game, it’ll make defending the pass game that much easier for Lawrence.

Shawnee Mission South’s offense had its best output in Week 8, putting up 27 points against Olathe South. Prior to that, the Raiders hadn’t scored more than 14 points in a game. The Raiders may be figuring things out at the right time and could provide a challenge to the Lawrence defense.

Both passing offenses expect to play a bigger part of the game on Friday, but having that same run success for Lawrence is an important key.

“We did a phenomenal job that night, in crazy conditions,” Thoren said. “They have some good players on defense, too, so that was kind of impressive. It’ll be much nicer conditions Friday night, and I think that helps us in all the areas.”

The Raiders knew the Lions were going to run the ball on almost every play, but the Lawrence offensive line still managed to move defenders and open up holes. The running back trio of senior Kayden Pitts, sophomore Acein Goodman and senior Ethan Curry made defenders miss. Pitts led the team with 188 yards on 17 carries in the game.

That gave the Lions some confidence, especially along the offensive line. The group has continued to improve together as a unit this season, and knowing that a dominant ground game is possible against the Raiders only adds to the confidence.

Adding in the passing game should, in theory, only help open things up more for the run game. The Raiders are less keyed in on stopping the run, which should give the Lawrence offense more space to create running lanes.

With how the Lions ran the ball last time, the Raiders could be extra motivated to stop the run this time around. But with more resources dedicated to stopping the run, that only opens up junior quarterback Joey Dooley to throw the ball to the Lawrence playmakers. Dooley has 15 touchdowns through the air with over a thousand passing yards.

Thoren said the team has been excited for the playoff game on Friday while still staying disciplined in practice. The Lions are looking forward to what can be accomplished in the playoffs, but the team also knows it has to take things one game at a time and can’t overlook any team.

“It’s been consistent for what they’ve been, nothing has changed,” Thoren said. “They’re excited and giddy but focused. It’s really no different in their demeanor this week than any other week, which is good.”

There’s a lot of excitement for this Lawrence team, and hosting a playoff game only adds to that. Seeing the community rally around the 6-2 Lions with potentially two home games has generated buzz for the team.

“I’m looking forward to it, and I think the boys are too,” Thoren said. “It’s great for students to get a chance to come home and watch our boys play.”

Kickoff for Shawnee Mission South at Lawrence will be at 7 p.m. on Friday at Lawrence High.