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Lawrence High’s Joey Dooley points to the sky after scoring a 31-yard rushing touchdown against Free State.

A near flawless performance by the Lawrence Lions was merely two months in the making. And all it took was a matchup against visiting archrival Free State Firebirds for the Lions to hit on all cylinders in a decisive 24-6 victory on a rain-soaked field Friday night.

“There is not always an immediate return on your investment, and we’ve been investing every single week,” said first-year LHS head coach Jason Thoren, as the Lions moved to 1-7 on the season. “We played with a lot of passion and spirit tonight and I’m just excited for our boys.”

Lawrence marched downfield on its opening possession, capping off the drive courtesy of quarterback Joey Dooley’s 6-yard touchdown run. Working with a short field, the Lions quickly parlayed a fumble recovery into points after Dooley connected with Jaxon Becker for a 21-yard touchdown strike in the left corner of the end zone, staking the Lions to a 14-0 lead.

Tahchuhsee Brewer’s 30-yard field goal in the closing moments of the opening frame put Lawrence on top, 17-0. The Lions tacked on another touchdown late in the half. On the play, Dooley eluded would-be tacklers en route to a 31-yard touchdown scamper to punctuate a 5-play 69-yard drive.

A virtuoso first half performance had Lawrence holding a commanding 24-0 advantage. While the Lions boasted an efficient and balanced offensive attack, the defense also shined bright — preventing Free State from crossing midfield in the first half.

Mac Moore/Lawrence Sports

Lawrence High’s Ethan Curry finds open space to run the ball against Free State’s defense.

The Firebirds finally broke through midway through the third quarter. Quarterback Finn Moore barreled into the end zone from two yards out to finish off a methodical drive, but Free State trailed 24-6 after a failed two-point play. The Firebirds were quickly back in possession after coming up with an onside kick recovery near midfield. But the drive fizzled out after Lions cornerback Caleb Wingerd came up with a fourth down pass breakup.

The Lions’ defense continued to wreak havoc as the half wore on — forcing turnovers courtesy of senior linebacker Josh Galbreath’s strip-sack of Moore, and Turner Juelsgaard’s fourth quarter interception to put the game on ice.

“Our defense, in my mind, played superb the whole game,” Thoren said.

Thoren pointed to the Lions’ defensive stop on the two-point play as “epitomizing” his team’s focus and determination. “Coming up and making that play and stopping [Dooley] tells you everything you need to know.”

Thoren added that he was thoroughly impressed with the play of Ethan Curry on both sides of the ball. Curry, who was tasked with picking up the slack in the run game with Tahj Edwatrds on the shelf, consistently gashed the Firebirds’ defensive line.

Mac Moore/Lawrence Sports

Lawrence High’s Jaxon Becker (2) celebrates his receiving touchdown in the end zone with Josh Galbreath.

“I just saw open gaps and tried to hit them,” Curry said. “I was trying to protect the ball, lower my shoulder, and do as much as I could.”

Curry said the Friday night triumph “meant everything” as the team soon embarks on postseason play. He added that disciplined practices paid dividends.

“When we work together, anything is possible,” he said.

Curry added that social media banter in the leadup to the clash provided further motivation for the Lions.

“There was so much stuff on social media, like ‘these guys are going to run through you’ — and ‘you guys suck,’” he said. “And that fueled us.”

Mac Moore/Lawrence Sports

Lawrence High’s Joey Dooley raises up both his arms and the football after a kneel down late in the team’s win over rival Free State.

Dooley credited the offensive line for a dominant performance as Dooley and Curry combined for 200 yards on 26 carries.

“We were able to capitalize in the run game because our offensive line dominated in the trenches,” he said.

Free State head coach Kevin Stewart said his squad appeared to be running on empty, but was “still giving everything they had despite grappling with “a ton of injuries and no depth.”

“We’ve got guys playing both ways,” Stewart said. “And it was pretty obvious to me, and anyone else who has watched us from week one to week nine. But our guys are still battling.”

The Lions, Stewart said, had their way in the trenches, as running back Dooley and Curry wore down the Firebirds’ defensive line. On the flip side, Free State was unable to generate much offensively from its vaunted rushing attack, mustering just 65 yards on the ground in the first half. Moore finished with 121 yards on 25 carries, while completing 7-of-26 passes for 81 yards.

“We were outplayed at the line of scrimmage,” said Stewart, as his team moves to 5-3 overall. “They played better at pad-level and were more aggressive.”

Mac Moore/Lawrence Sports

Lawrence High’s Jason Thorne smiles as he celebrates with players after his team earned its first win of the season by beating rival Free State in the last week of the regular season.

Mac Moore/Lawrence Sports

Lawrence High players celebrate a victory by locking arms around each other while the high school’s band plays the school’s fight song.