OLATHE — It was a different Lawrence High football team that exited the locker room at halftime Friday at Olathe District Activity Center.

After a lackluster first half when the offense couldn’t find a rhythm and the defense struggled to slow down Olathe North’s run game, the Lions just knew they needed to raise their intensity.

And that’s exactly what they did.

The Lions responded with three unanswered touchdowns in the second half and the defense stood its ground in a 28-7 victory.

“We had a long talk in the locker room,” LHS senior running back Trey Moore said. “That’s not how we play in the first half. We are a way better team than that. We just had to kick it up and we showed our true potential in the second half.”

In the second half, the Lions (4-1) were dominant on defense against Olathe North’s old-school flexbone offense, which featured almost exclusively run plays. The Eagles only attempted two passes — both incomplete.

When the Eagles drove across midfield on their first drive of the third quarter, LHS senior defensive end Jake Unruh made a tackle in the backfield for a six-yard loss. On the next play, senior defensive tackle BJ Murry sacked O-North quarterback Mason Myers and forced a fumble that was recovered by the Eagles more than 20 yards down the field.

That defensive stop helped spark the offense. LHS junior quarterback Dante’ Jackson ran for a 14-yard pickup on 3rd-and-10, then threw a 30-yard pass to junior receiver Jalen Dudley. One play later, Moore rumbled his way into the end zone on a four-yard run.

Moore, who sat out last week with a hand injury, added a 23-yard touchdown run when he went untouched on an option pitch near the end of the third quarter. He finished with 110 yards on 23 rushing attempts.

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