Call it purpose, combined with a need to bounce back and show their fans who they really are.

That and the Lansing Lions have quite the dual attack of Quinton McQuillan and Henry Myrick.

The Lions (3-1, 2-0) roared out to a 42-0 lead in the first half of their encounter with Kaw Valley League rivals Kansas City Piper (2-2) and never looked back in a 56-24 shellacking on a humid, Friday Homecoming night in Lansing.

McQuillan scored four touchdowns rushing, finishing with 134 yards on 14 carries while Myrick tallied three rushes for scored and finished with 161 yards on only eight carries.

“Our O-line did a great job blocking for me and everybody did their part, it was a team effort,” Myrick said. “(McQuillan) is a great running back and we have great running backs in our backfield and everyone contributes. They all help out equally.

“It feels better (running with a lead), but no matter what the scoreboard says, you still have to go hard all the time.”

The turnaround was notable since the Lions were a week removed from a 30-points loss at Class 6A Shawnee Mission North.

“We are proud of our players and the job our coaches did this week,” Lansing head coach John McCall said. “It’s a great win for our program. Piper is really well coached and have some great athletes. It’s unfortunate we didn’t get to play (against JJ Letcher, suspended for the first half). Our kids come to play and prepare hard.

“It’s a difficult week for our coaches with the Homecoming schedule, because we had something going on every evening. Preparation time is a little less so to come out and get a win like this speaks volumes to our coaches and kids.”

For more, read the LeavenworthTimes.com