Congratulations are in order for both the Lawrence High School and Kansas University football teams for their just-completed seasons.
The Lawrence Lions won an unprecedented fourth straight Class 6A state championship, finishing the season with a 12-0 record. This was Lawrence’s seventh state title in the past nine years.
This is a tribute to the players, the coaches and the tremendous community support the team enjoys. The Lions are a marked team in every game. Opponents probably play the best games of their seasons against the Lions because every team wants to beat the “state champs,” particularly because the Lawrence team has compiled such an outstanding record.
Many coaches and players are quick to point out it is easier to reach the top, win a league or state championship, than it is to remain on top for any length of time. The Lions, through a sense of pride and commitment by the players and superior coaching and proper motivation, have been able to achieve what no other team in Kansas high school football history has been able to accomplish.
The KU team also had a good season. It wasn’t too long ago that many KU sports fans would say something like: “I really don’t expect or want KU to have a football factory like Nebraska, but I would like to see the time when the Jayhawks have a competitive team and could win six, seven or eight games a season. Maybe once in a while, we might even do better and win a championship or go to a bowl game.”
This year, the Jayhawks compiled a 7-4 record and with a bit of good fortune could have had an 8-3 or even a 9-2 record. This year’s team posted the best win-loss record since 1981, and there is every reason to believe Coach Glen Mason has the player depth and recruiting possibilities to field another highly competitive team next year.
KU players, coaches and fans are disappointed with the loss of the final three games, particularly the season finale against Missouri. “Ifs” don’t count, but seniors on this year’s team, as well as the coaches and fans, have every reason to wonder if the Jayhawks might not have won the game “if” Chip Hilleary, one of the league’s top quarterbacks, had not been knocked out of the game early in the first quarter.
However, this all is water over the dam.
KU closed the regular season with a fine winning record of 7-4, and LHS won its fourth straight state title.
Congratulations to both the Lions and the Jayhawks, particularly the players who practiced for hours, sacrificed many pleasures and suffered the hurts and injuries that come with the game of football.
