Isabelle Waisner never imagined she would score the game winning point against Free State her senior year. 

But on October 5, with mere seconds left on the clock, Waisner won the third and final set, ending with the gymnasium erupting in cheers for the Lion win. 

“I was so excited,” Waisner said. “Winning the game senior year and on senior night was so amazing. In past years we’ve lost to them by a lot, so it felt good to actually compete this year.”

The first set was won by Lawrence, with Free State tying it up in the second set. As the third set came to a close, Waisner scored the game winning point in the final seconds, ending with the crowd of Lawrence High fans erupting in cheers. 

“It felt great. I had the game winning point in the third set so I was especially excited. Both teams really wanted to win, too,” Waisner said. “Both sides had a lot of hard work and excitement.”

To many of the players, this match was meaningful to finally beat their rival after a previous pattern of losses. 

“It was really important actually, because we haven’t beaten them in three years, since my freshman year. I kind of just wanted to get that final hurrah,” senior Seenane Brewer said. “It meant a lot.” 

The past three years, Lawrence unfortunately fell to Free State, giving the team an unfortunate streak of losses for the City Showdown. With that being said, no teammate had an ounce of doubt that they could band together and win.

“Going into the Free State match, we knew it would be a tough battle,” Waisner said. “We were confident we could win, even if we’ve lost before. We worked super hard for it.”

While upperclassmen were focused on winning, they were also focused on lifting up their younger, less experienced teammates. 

“I wanted to be the best role model I could be on the court,” Brewer said. “I try to just stay composed and play my best for my team.”

While soccer fell against State with a score of 0-1, volleyball and football bringing home wins helped boost student camaraderie and excitement for the rest of the fall season.

“It was so loud, a lot of people came out to support us,” senior captain Brecken Ostronic said. “Our main goal was to beat them, and we did just that. Now we’re ready to keep the season going strong.”