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

Lawrence senior wide receiver Ethan Curry catches the ball one-handed for a touchdown against Olathe East on Friday, Sept. 25, 2026, in Lawrence.

Ethan Curry got loose early and often in Lawrence’s 48-13 senior night win over Olathe East on Friday night, going for 292 yards from scrimmage with four touchdowns.

“It felt so surreal,” Curry said. “To do it with this group of guys, that’s what we practice for.”

Lawrence coach Jason Thoren called Curry “a man out there” with how physical he runs. Curry has the speed and hands to be an electric playmaker, but what separates him is his ability to run through defenders on offense or run over ballcarriers on defense.

“He’s strong, physical, ultra-competitive,” Thoren said. “It’s the same thing I see every week.”

Lawrence started with the ball, and on the first play of the game, Curry took a running back toss 68 yards for a score. Coupled with his kickoff return at the start of the game, Curry had 94 all-purpose yards in under 30 seconds.

“Before this game, I knew I had to pop out,” Curry said. “It was senior night, so I had to get one really good with the guys. Every game is super important, but tonight was super important. We’re never going to have this group of guys again, so tonight was awesome.”

Lawrence forced a three-and-out on Olathe East’s first drive of the night, giving the Lions the ball back deep in their own territory. Curry caught a quick out pass from junior quarterback Joey Dooley, broke some tackles and scampered 84 yards for his second touchdown.

Broken tackles for long touchdowns have been a common theme in Lawrence’s season, and it happened again on Friday. Curry said it is thanks to practice that the Lions are able to break off so many big plays, while Thoren said it’s because of how physical the players are.

“We’re good football players,” Thoren said. “All of that is just their work ethic in the offseason and determination. They’re physical, and they play the game how it should be played. It’s exciting to see those guys have success.”

Olathe East went three-and-out again, giving Lawrence the ball at the 34-yard line. It took more than two plays, but the Lions drove down the field and scored again.

Junior receiver Truth Pope helped the drive out with a 19-yard reception on third-and-5 to get to the red zone, and Dooley’s 11-yard run put the Lions at the goal line. A 2-yard run from senior Kayden Pitts on the first play of the second quarter gave Lawrence its third score of the game.

Olathe East got its first first down of the game on the subsequent drive, but the Hawks didn’t get too far as Pope intercepted a third-down pass.

Curry got his third touchdown of the night on the following drive, running a corner route and catching the ball with one hand before running into the end zone.

Olathe East found a little more success with its run game and went for it on fourth-and-2 on the next drive, but KJ Turner met the back at the line for an emphatic tackle. The Lawrence front seven kept the Hawks in check all night and allowed just one offensive score.

“I believe they are the best D-line in the state of Kansas,” Curry said. “They practice harder than I’ve ever seen anyone practice, and they deserve it. This is what they work for.”

Finally, Lawrence’s offense didn’t score. Dooley’s third-down pass late in the half fell incomplete, his first incompletion of the night, leading Lawrence to punt with under a minute left. The Hawks ran just one play before leaving the field for halftime.

The Hawks started with the ball in the second half, but the drive didn’t last long. A tipped pass on third down popped in the air, and Pope came down with it for his second interception of the game. The Lions converted the turnover into points quickly, as Dooley ran for 11 yards on an option play and hit Curry on a 17-yard touchdown throw the next play.

Lawrence got the ball right back but gave it away almost immediately. Dooley pulled the ball on an RPO and threw to the slot, where a linebacker dropping into coverage intercepted the pass and took it to the house, making it a 35-6 Lawrence lead.

Lawrence punted for only the second time in the game late in the third quarter, but the Lions defense once again put the Hawks behind the sticks, and they ended up giving the Lions the ball back.

A high snap on second down put Lawrence in trouble with a third-and-15, but Dooley hit Curry for a 17-yard gain to get to the 41. Sophomore running back Acein Goodman then burst through the line for a 59-yard touchdown run in the final quarter.

Olathe East punted on its penultimate drive, and Lawrence scored one final touchdown on its final drive. The Lions stuck to the ground game to drain the clock, but Goodman still got into the end zone on a 22-yard touchdown run, giving Lawrence the 48-6 lead.

The Hawks took all but the last seven seconds to score their first offensive touchdown of the game, but Lawrence finished in victory formation with the 48-13 win over Olathe East.

“We came out Thursday and were very business-like in a good way,” Thoren said. “We talked about how we only get so many shots in this game, and you have to play every one of them the right way… we haven’t done anything yet, but I love where we’re at for them and their success. It’s a product of how they worked in the summer and the offseason. They’re a hungry group, and that’s a good thing.”

The season is halfway over, with the Lions sitting at 3-1, but there’s no rest just yet. Curry and his fellow seniors are putting the pressure on the team to keep practicing hard and get better each week.

“We have a special group of guys, and if we keep practicing and doing what we’re doing, then we’re going to go pretty far,” Curry said.

Lawrence will be on the road on Thursday against Shawnee Mission South at 7 p.m.

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

Lawrence senior quarterback Joey Dooley looks for his teammate to pass the ball to during the Lions’ game against Olathe East on Friday, Sept. 25, 2026, in Lawrence.

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

Lawrence senior quarterback Joey Dooley looks for his teammate to pass the ball to during the Lions’ game against Olathe East on Friday, Sept. 25, 2026, in Lawrence.

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

Lawrence sophomore running back Acein Goodman scores for Lawrence High School against Olathe East on Friday, Sept. 25, 2026, in Lawrence.

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

Lawrence senior Ethan Curry points down field after making a down during the game against Olathe East on Friday, Sept. 25, 2026, in Lawrence.

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

Lawrence senior linebackers Will Grimes and Max Hidalgo and senior defensive back Ethan Curry take down the Olathe East runner on Friday, Sept. 25, 2026, in Lawrence.

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

The Lions’ student section cheers after a play during the game against Olathe East on Friday, Sept. 25, 2026, in Lawrence.

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

Lawrence senior wide receiver Ethan Curry celebrates scoring for the Lions against Olathe East on Friday, Sept. 25, 2026, in Lawrence.

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

Lawrence senior wide receiver Ethan Curry celebrates scoring for the Lions against Olathe East on Friday, Sept. 25, 2026, in Lawrence.

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

The Lawrence High School student section waves the Lions’ banner after a touchdown on Friday, Sept. 25, 2026, in Lawrence.

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

Lawrence senior wide receiver Ethan Curry runs with the ball during Senior Night against Olathe East on Friday, Sept. 25, 2026, in Lawrence.

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

Lawrence senior quarterback Joey Dooley throws the ball against Olathe East on Friday, Sept. 25, 2026, in Lawrence.

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

Lawrence senior wide receiver Ethan Curry carries the ball into the end zone for the first touchdown of the game against Olathe East on Friday, Sept. 25, 2026.

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

Lawrence senior wide receiver Ethan Curry runs with the ball during Senior Night against Olathe East on Friday, Sept. 25, 2026, in Lawrence.

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

Hudson Fletcher, Timetrius Sessions, Jace Schofield, and Lars Pilkinton walk to the center of the field arm in arm for the coin toss to begin the game against Olathe East on Friday, Sept. 25, 2026, in Lawrence.