Bonner Springs, Kan. — An avalanche of first-quarter mistakes buried the Lansing football team Friday night.
 

Visiting Bonner Springs to decide its district championship, the Lions gave up 28 points in the opening 12 minutes of play and never could recover. Two and half hours later, the Braves walked off the field with a 35-21 victory over Lansing.
 

“They came right out and got up on us a couple touchdowns and you just can’t do that in games like this,” head coach Bill Pekarek said. “Our kids, from the middle of the second quarter on, fought hard and played hard, we just need to play that way in the beginning.”
 

Right out of the gates, the Lions struggled. On the opening kickoff, Bonner Springs returned the ball all the way down to the Lansing 32. A minute later, Jordan Jackson connected with Stevie Williams for a 15-yard touchdown strike.
 

On the Lions’ first possession, the squad fumbled the ball on its own 41. The Braves made quick work with the gift, utilizing a fake punt on a long fourth down to set up a six-yard TD run by J.J. Jackson, putting the home team up 14-0 five minutes into the contest.
 

In its second series, Lansing strung together a collection of first downs before stalling at the Braves 32. After a fourth down pass from Joe Schneider fell incomplete, Bonner Springs took control and threw up seven more points on the ensuing drive thanks to a 54-yard bomb from Jordan Jackson to Williams.
 

Down 21-0, the Lions needed a spark and got it from a long 30-yard run by Nick Hughes. That trot led to a two-yard sneak by Schneider for the Lions’ first TD of the night. The extra point was muffed, leaving the score at 21-6 with 51 seconds remaining in the first.
 

Bonner Springs wasn’t done in the opening quarter however. Thanks to a Lansing penalty right before the period’s end, Jordan Jackson threw yet another TD pass, this time to Joseph Dooley for 20-yards. After the extra point, the first quarter mercifully ended with the home team holding a 28-6 advantage.
 

Unfortunately, things didn’t change too much for Lansing to start the second quarter. The Lions went three and out and then punted, which was followed by yet another Bonner Springs’ touchdown pass — a 63-yard strike from Jordan Jackson to Williams for the duo’s third TD connection. The completion extended the lead to 35-6.

 

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