photo by: SARAH BUCHANAN/Special to the Journal-World

The Lawrence High School football team is celebrated by the student section after winning 35-34 to Shawnee Mission East on Friday, Sept. 18, 2026.

The Lawrence football team is feeling pretty good. The Lions have won two straight for the first time since midway through the 2024 season, and the Lions will host a winless Olathe East team on senior night.

But Lawrence coach Jason Thoren doesn’t want the Lions to let up on the gas pedal in this game or any other this year.

“You can’t ever let down in football,” Thoren said. “That’s been the message all week. It’s all about being steady. We just have to be steady.”

A big help in making sure the team is focused on the task at hand has been the senior class. From summer workouts on, Lawrence’s senior class has led the team in setting a strong work ethic and team culture.

“These guys are good players, great kids,” Thoren said. “I enjoy working with them every day. They set up their mind about what they are going to do, and they’re leading with effort. They give the example on how to play.”

The Lawrence defense will be going up against another run-first team on Friday with size on the offensive line. The good news for Lawrence is that the Lions have exclusively seen offenses that run out of flexbone formations, so there won’t be much new that the Lions haven’t seen before.

“They give you some different kind of option looks,” Thoren said. “They do some good things that way. I like their quarterback, I like their running backs or wings. They’re all some kind of receiver, and they have a lot of speed with it.”

Thoren said the Hawks can outflank defenses with the option game and the quarterback’s ability to run the ball. To combat that, Thoren said the Lions need to “buckle your chinstrap, get down and play ball” along the front seven. It’s a tough challenge, but one that he believes is good for the Lions to see and have to overcome.

“That makes us tougher and better,” Thoren said. “You’ve got to be sharp all the time.”

The Hawks have struggled offensively, only getting to double digit points once in their three games, when the Hawks lost 27-14 to Olathe South in Week 3. The Lions have shown an ability for explosive plays, and getting an early lead over the Hawks could help the Lawrence defense keep the Hawks out of the end zone.

Offensively, Lawrence has been able to attack defenses in a multitude of ways. Whether it be a heavy quick passing game attack or a game plan centered around the quarterback run game, the Lions have been an efficient offense and have taken what the defense gives them. The multiplicity has helped the Lions average 31 points per game and increase their point total each week.

Continuing to do that again on Friday will be what’s most important for the Lawrence offense against the Olathe East defense, and that starts with the offensive line. Thoren said the group is coming together well and has improved despite seeing some defensive fronts that have a lot of size.

“Their communication has gotten way better, first of all,” Thoren said. “They’re just getting to the point now where they’re starting to really understand some things. They’re aggressive, and they’re smart. They work hard, and the more plays they bank and the more reps they get, the better they’re going to be as well.”

The Hawks have had more defensive success than offensive through three weeks, giving up an average of 24 points per game, which would be fewer points than Lawrence has scored in any game this season.

With the football season rapidly approaching the halfway point, Thoren said the most important thing for the team week in and week out is to just keep getting better at what they do. The Lions have done that, which has led them to getting back-to-back wins, but there’s still a lot of football left and a lot of growth for the Lions.