Things were looking up for the Lions at the beginning of the second quarter of Friday’s home-opener against Lee’s Summit West.

Quarterback Dante Jackson launched the ball 26 yards into the endzone for a touchdown reception by star wide receiver Ekow Boye-Doe. Up 21-7, with the offense clicking and momentum on their side, nothing was going to stop them from completing a revenge win against the No. 3 team in the state of Missouri. Or so the Lions thought.

In the first two quarters, everything was rolling for the Lions offensively. Jackson and running back Angel Garcia formed a formidable pair on the first few drives, with Jackson scoring a 40-yard run on the first drive and Angel Garcia barreling his way through defensive linemen on the second drive. Jackson and Garcia ran for a combined 264 yards over the course of the game.

However, the offensive efficiency of the Lions never phased Lee’s Summit West. The Titans responded to the Lion’s first touchdown with a 69-yard touchdown run for themselves on their first play. Even when they went down 21-7 after Boye-Doe’s reception in the second quarter, Titan running back Phillip Brooks came back once again by taking it 81 yards to the house.

After trading two touchdowns, the Lions held onto their lead at halftime, the score 28-21 in favor of the home team.

At the start of the second half, one key difference in the Lion’s offense was apparent: the running game. After running backs Angel Garcia and Cole Morris were injured earlier in the game, the Lions lacked the offensive firepower that had so flummoxed the Titans in the first half.

After the Lions scored on a long ball to Boye-Doe in the third quarter, LSW would go on to score 21 unanswered points from Brooks, who ran for 364 yards and had five touchdowns on the night. A Lion’s fumble at three minutes remaining in the fourth quarter would effectively seal the game, bringing the final score to 49-35 in favor of the Titans.

The Lions will play their next game against Shawnee Mission West at their home stadium Sept. 22.