photo by: John Young

Free State senior running back Sam Skwarlo (5) breaks through the Leavenworth defense on his way to a 60 yard first quarter touchdown during their football game Friday night in Leavenworth.

One week after Lawrence High and Free State football teams beat up on each other in the City Showdown, they unleashed on other teams this weekend.


Both schools won in blowouts with strong defensive nights. Lawrence High (4-0) went through the air to open up its offense in a 41-6 victory over Shawnee Mission Northwest. The Lions scored on their first three offensive possessions and took the starters out of the game by the end of the third quarter.


Everyone knew the Lions would have a strong defense this season with such an experienced front seven, and they haven’t disappointed. The Lions have allowed just 11.5 points per game, which includes a couple of touchdowns allowed in garbage time.


The Firebirds (1-3) finally earned their first win of the season, defeating Leavenworth, 43-7. Bryce Torneden ran for three touchdowns and tossed for another as they pulled away in the second half.


It was a much-needed victory for the Firebirds. They kept their confidence throughout their three-game losing streak but they finally have something to show for all of their hard work this season. Unfortunately, they can’t celebrate for long because they’ll be going on the road to play the No. 1 team in the state this week.


Now for a look ahead to next week:


Shawnee Mission South at Lawrence High on Friday at 7 p.m. — The Raiders (0-4) are in rebuilding mode under new coach Brett Oberzan (a longtime Free State assistant). They’ve only scored 28 points this season and have struggled at times to stop opposing offenses. In a 47-13 loss to Olathe North last week, the Raiders scored on an 84-yard kickoff return from Ciaron Willis and an eight-yard touchdown pass to Ryan Dubinski from quarterback Zach McQueen.


Free State at Shawnee Mission East on Friday at 7 p.m. (at SM North District Stadium) — Remember when the Firebirds had to play three tough teams in the first three weeks of the season? Well it doesn’t get any easier against the Lancers (4-0), the top-ranked team in the state and defending Class 6A defending state champions. SM East has scored at least 40 points in each game this year and won each game by at least 21 points. The Lancers feature a solid rushing attack with their flexbone offense, led by Wyatt Edmisten, Jack Tyler, Karl Young and quarterback Luke Kaiser.

photo by: John Young

Free State senior running back Sam Skwarlo (5) breaks through the Leavenworth defense on his way to a 60 yard first quarter touchdown during their football game Friday night in Leavenworth.

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In case you missed it, we’re copying one of the popular features of KUsports.com, “Keegan’s Ratings,” where Sports Editor Tom Keegan ranks KU football and men’s basketball players after every game he attends. These individual rankings are just one person’s opinion, but it’s a good way to look at how each person impacted each game.

Lawrence High football

1. Price Morgan, LB/TE — At linebacker, Morgan made several tackles, including a few for loss. On one SMNW possession in the third quarter, Morgan broke up a pass with a monster hit on first down; helped stuff a run at the line of scrimmage on second down; then made an immediate tackle on a short pass on third down to force a punt. At tight end, he made three catches for 52 yards and a touchdown.


2. JD Woods, RB/CB — Woods stepped up on both sides of the ball Thursday. He ran for 96 yards and two touchdowns, and broke up a potential touchdown pass in the third quarter at cornerback. On the first drive, Woods set the tone with six attempts for 40 yards and a seven-yard touchdown run.


3. Alan Clothier, QB — With defenses focused on stopping Woods, Clothier is starting to make teams pay with his arm. He was 11-for-12 for 147 yards and two touchdowns on Thursday — and the lone incompletion was when receiver Luke Padia just missed keeping his foot inbounds on a Hail Mary before halftime. Clothier’s passing only makes the offense that much more dangerous.


4. Amani Bledsoe, DE — Another dominant performance by the 6-foot-5 defensive end. Bledsoe forced a punt with a tackle in the backfield on SMNW’s first drive of the game. During the Cougars’ next possession, he made a stop at the line of scrimmage and blocked his second punt of the season, which led to a touchdown by Erik Shackelford. He also added a sack in the first half.


5. Konner Kelley, LB/TE — Kelley was flying around everywhere on Thursday. Didn’t matter if was applying pass pressure, making a tackle in the backfield or running down ball carriers downfield. He added a 23-yard catch at tight end.


6. Tanner Green, LB — Like Morgan and Kelley, Green was everywhere on the field — “heat-seeking missiles,” LHS coach Dirk Wedd called them. He had a few tackles at the line of scrimmage and provided pass pressure on blitzes.


7. Dante Jackson, CB/RB — The electric sophomore just knows how to make plays. In the first quarter, he converted a 3rd-and-11 with an 18-yard run, then scored a 17-yard touchdown on a bubble screen just five plays later. In the second quarter, at cornerback, he knocked away a pass in the end zone, saving a touchdown.


8. Trey Moore, RB — “Big Play Trey” Moore ran the ball six times and five of those attempts went for at least 12 yards. His shortest rush was for eight yards, however, he didn’t return to the game after taking a hit in the third quarter.


9. Trey Georgie, DE — On the first SMNW possession of the third quarter, Georgie had a key sack on third down, forcing a fourth-and-long. He finished with two sacks.


10. James Reeder, RB/DB — It didn’t matter what the score was in the second half. Reeder was ready to ball out. He ran for a 27-yard touchdown on his first carry and grabbed an interception in the fourth quarter to keep the Cougars from scoring late.


• Next up: Friday vs. SM South. Record: 4-0.

Free State football

1. Bryce Torneden, QB/FS — It’s not like opposing teams are surprised by Torneden. They know his abilities and still have a lot of trouble stopping him. He ran for three touchdowns and 56 yards, and threw for another 161 yards and a touchdown. It’s impressive how many times it looks like he will be stuffed in the backfield and he finds a way to make a nice gain out of it. He also played well in the secondary, breaking up passes and making solo tackles in space.


2. Sam Skwarlo, RB/LB — With the offense struggling to do much in the first quarter, Skwarlo ran for 75 yards — including a 60-yard TD run — on three carries during his team’s third possession. As usual, he made several tackles at the line of scrimmage and had his name called out a lot by the public-address announcer.


3. Jay Dineen, LB — I had Dineen down for at least three tackles in the backfield on Friday. For most of the night he was patient and closed up running lanes. His only truly negative play was jumping offsides when LV was going to punt in the first quarter.


4. Drew Tochtrop, WR/LB — With Paul Bittinger out with an injury, Tochtrop did a good job stepping up and helping fill that void. He kept Leavenworth’s RBs inside the tackles, allowing his teammates to make tackles while he kept contain. He also made a nice 56-yard touchdown catch on a slant route in the first quarter.


5. Zack Sanders, WR/CB — I had a feeling that Sanders would come back with a big game, and he did exactly that. He caught three passes for 34 yards, ran for another 11 yards and had strong coverage in the secondary. He also did a nice job making tackles to stop Leavenworth’s run game.


6. Jack Flynn, WR/CB — Flynn played well with two catches for 23 yards, a six-yard run on a sweep, some nice downfield blocks and a couple of tackles. His only negative was leaving the game with an ankle/foot injury.


7. Logan McKinney, WR — Right before halftime, McKinney caught a 43-yard pass to the one-yard line, setting up a one-yard touchdown run by Torneden. He also played well in pass coverage.


8. Sam Hambleton, DL/OL — Hambleton had a couple of nice tackles at the line of scrimmage on run plays, but his biggest play was recovering a fumble when a Leavenworth punt returner muffed a catch. Hambleton’s recovery directly led to three points.


9. Kameron Lake, K — The Firebirds had problems with their kicking game all season, which makes Lake’s contributions so critical. They’re hoping he can be the answer after drilling a 29-yard field goal and four extra points.


10. Gage Foster, QB — A lot of people will remember Foster running down the field on the last drive, accumulating 65 yards and finishing with a 14-yard touchdown run. His opponents will remember him launching up for a big hit in the fourth quarter, making a tackle on a short run and sending the LV RB to the turf.


• Next up: Friday at SM East. Record: 1-3.

LHS quarterback Alan Clothier gets a quick pass to the air early in the first half in the Lions' 41-6 victory over SM Northwest on Thursday, Sept. 24, 2015, in Overland Park.

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As always, feel free to comment, email me, or find me on Twitter @nightengalejr.