Lawrence edges Olathe North in battle of unbeaten teams

Two teams that traditionally spend most of their focus on the ground put on quite an air show during the last five minutes of their football game on Friday night.

Both Lawrence and Olathe North lofted Hail Mary passes that gave them each a lead during the final minutes of the game.

But it was Lawrence’s final effort with 4 seconds remaining that lifted the Lions to a 31-28 victory over Olathe North in a battle of undefeated teams.

Lawrence quarterback Alan Clothier chucked up the final heave and receiver Luke Pedia, who was sitting in the left corner of the end zone, secured the ball over an Olathe North defender.

“Alan just put the ball on the money,” Pedia said.”We practice it every day. It’s just a feeling of relief that all those fades pay off.”

It was a devastating loss for Olathe North, considering the Eagles had just scored 21 straight points to take the lead. After the game, Olathe North coach Chris McCartney was visibly shaken from the outcome.

“We need to take this to heart,” McCartney said. “It’s tough to swallow. We’ve got to bounce back, because we’ve got another game next week that means everything.”

All three late scores by Olathe North were from quarterback Matt Wright to Isaiah Simmons. None, though, was more dramatic than the final touchdown.

With Olathe North trailing by three, Wright heaved a pass to Simmons, who used his 6-foot-4 frame to box out Lawrence defenders and pull down the 35-yard touchdown with 1 minute, 2 seconds remaining. The Olathe North sideline went nuts after the dramatic 17-point fourth-quarter comeback.

“He’s hard to stop,” McCartney said of Simmons. “He’s an excellent athlete. He’s a great leader. Things like that happen to those guys who work hard and that’s exactly what he gets.”

Simmons finished the game with 125 receiving yards and three touchdowns. The other key element for Olathe North was running back Vinnie Shabazz, who ended the game with 122 yards and a touchdown.

As Olathe North players knelt down in a circle after the game, the Lawrence student section and players stormed the field.

Olathe North players said they want to go out on the field next week and prove themselves again. A matchup with Olathe Northwest will be the nesxt test for the Eagles.

“It’s about how you respond,” McCartney said. “We’re going to bounce back. We’re going to be fine. Right now we’re pretty disappointed. That’s a hard loss. We’ve got to respond the right way. I’m sure we will.”

This story was originally published October 23, 2015 at 11:31 PM with the headline "Lawrence edges Olathe North in battle of unbeaten teams."