The Lawrence Lions will challenge the Shawnee Mission Northwest Cougars on Thursday. Both come into the game bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Lawrence took a loss when they played away from home two weeks ago, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Friday. They enjoyed a cozy 24-6 win over Lawrence Free State.
Lawrence found their leader in sophomore Joey Dooley, who rushed for 114 yards and two touchdowns while picking up 7.1 yards per carry, and also threw for 51 yards and one TD. Ethan Curry helped out on the ground, rushing for 99 yards.
Josh Galbreath
| 10/24/25 vs Lawrence Free State | 10 |
| 10/16/25 @ Shawnee Mission North | 9 |
| 10/10/25 @ Shawnee Mission Northwest | 5 |
| 10/03/25 vs Shawnee Mission East | 7 |
| 09/26/25 vs Mill Valley | 13 |
| + 3 more games |
Lawrence's defense made their presence known, laying out the QB five times. Josh Galbreath was especially locked on to Lawrence Free State's QB and sacked him twice. Galbreath is also crushing it when it comes to total tackles: he's made at least five every time he's taken the field this season. Alex Bart was another major factor on D, picking up a sack and making 12 total tackles (2.0 for loss).
Meanwhile, Shawnee Mission Northwest waltzed into their contest on Friday with two straight wins... but they left with three. They simply couldn't be stopped as they easily beat the Lancers 48-21. Considering the Cougars have won three matchups by more than 19 points this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.
Lawrence better keep an eye on Traimyre Woodruff. He was instrumental in Shawnee Mission Northwest's win, rushing for 249 yards and three scores on only 15 carries. Another player making a difference was Demetric Tyler, who rushed for 52 yards and one touchdown.
Shawnee Mission Northwest was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 367 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've managed all season.
Shawnee Mission Northwest didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off three passes before the game was over. It was truly a group effort as Daquan Smith, Tyler, and Max Rodriguez picked up one apiece. Smith also made nine total tackles, which is notable because Shawnee Mission Northwest is 4-1 when he posts at least four total tackles, but 1-2 otherwise. The Cougars got some further help from Jacob Stirling: he made 15 total tackles.
Lawrence's first victory this season bumped their record up to 1-7. As for Shawnee Mission Northwest, their record now sits at 5-3.
Lawrence lost to Shawnee Mission Northwest on the road by a decisive 26-7 margin when the teams last played on October 10th. Can the Lions avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
