Mac Moore/Lawrence Sports
Free State’s season came to end after Shawnee Mission Northwest’s Trai Woodruff put on a standout performance during the regional championship game Nov. 7, 2025 at Shawnee Mission North High School.
OVERLAND PARK, Kan. — Trai Woodruff saved his best for last.
The Shawnee Mission Northwest senior scrambling quarterback tallied five touchdowns and 334 rushing yards — four scores coming in the second half — to lead the No. 3 Cougars to a 38-31 victory over the No. 6 Lawrence Free State Firebirds in the Class 6A regional round Friday night inside the Shawnee Mission North stadium.
For a second straight week, Woodruff terrorized a Lawrence opponent, as the Cougar signal caller rolled up six rushing touchdowns against Lawrence High in a 50-40 first round affair.
Free State’s effort was not without a valiant effort, as the Firebirds jumped out to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter with junior quarterback Finn Moore going for a short touchdown run before connecting with Maddon Brittingham on a 72-yard touchdown pass.
Shawnee Mission Northwest, which improves to 7-3 and will face Gardner Edgerton in the sectional round, cut the lead by way of Woodruff’s first touchdown run, a short that cut the lead to 14-7.
The two sides traded field goals for a moderate second quarter, providing a 17-10 Free State advantage at the break.
The second half was all Woodruff and Northwest.
Woodruff broke free for a 73-yard touchdown run on the first play of the third quarter and added a short touchdown run later in the frame to give Northwest its first lead, 24-17.
Between those two scores, Brittingham suffered an injury that took him out of the game the rest of the way.
Moore still answered with a 32-yard scoring run, his third touchdown of the night, to even the score at 24 heading into the fourth quarter.
But Woodruff went back to work, scoring two more rushing touchdowns, including a late 47-yard scamper late to seal the 14-point victory.
Moore tallied 135 yards on 16 rushing attempts.
Please be sure to return to Lawrence Sports soon for an updated story that will look a little closer at this game and a lot closer at the Firebirds season overall.
