MERRY HILL – Finding their groove.

Lawrence Academy began the month of October like they ended September: scoring over 40 points – and winning.

In fact, with their 46-26 win over Colonial Carolina 8-Man league member, Halifax Academy, on Senior Night, the Warriors have now eclipsed the 40-point mark for four straight games.

And now that the offense looks to be clicking, they may keep it up through the final two games of the season.

Ryan Lilley was the big man on the night as he scored four touchdowns including one on a kickoff return. Jesse White and J.B. Williams also had touchdown runs and White hit Zach Eubanks with a touchdown pass to account for the Warrior scoring.

On defense, Eubanks and William Nelson had two-and-a half sacks while Logan Mizell and Parks Tripp had a half-sack each and led the team with a dozen tackles each.

“I’ll take as many as you want to give me,” said second-year coach Bo Drake with a grin, referring to whether his team had four or five 40-point games. “The defense is also coming along and we’re actually looking like a real football team where you stop ’em and you score, you stop ’em and you score, which is how the game is supposed to be played.”

Lawrence (2-5) played it well on this particular Friday night in sending the Vikings to their seventh loss in a row.

The National Anthem singer had barely finished clearing her throat before Lilley got things rolling for the home team, taking the opening kickoff on a bounce at the 25-yard line then sprinting down the sideline straight to the end zone and with just 12 seconds gone on the clock it was 6-0, Lawrence.

After stopping the Vikes on their first possession, and recording two of the night’s five sacks, the Warriors went to work again; this time it took two plays to score instead of one.

A punt return set them up at the Halifax 45-yard line and after a two-yard run by Williams, White worked the play fake, catching the Vikings off-guard and sprinted through the defense 43 yards for the night’s second score. A White pass to Williams made it 14-0.

Halifax fared better on their next possession, picking up a first down, but the drive stalled and the ball went over to Lawrence on downs as Nelson sacked the Vikings quarterback on fourth down.

This time Lawrence went 74 yards in nine plays to take a 20-0 lead with just over a minute left in the first period on Williams’ nine-yard sprint to the end zone; and that score held through the end of the quarter.

Halifax finally stopped Lawrence on the Warriors first possession of the second half, but the next time the Green-and-Gold touched the ball they needed just four plays to get six more points highlighted by a one-hand grab by Nicholas Holton on a pass from White.

Lilley finished this one off with his second score of the night, a four-yard plunge that had it 28-0 after Eubanks barreled in for a two-point conversion.

On the next drive Lawrence got their only touchdown through the air: White hit unlikely receiver, Eubanks, in the flat and the big fellow brushed aside tacklers rumbling 49 yards to paydirt.

Halifax finally got on the scoreboard before the half ended but the scoreboard read 34-6, Lawrence.

The Warriors surrendered a touchdown to Halifax early in the third quarter, but then Lilley went 44 yards for his third score of the night.

Later in the quarter, Cody Ambrose blocked a Halifax punt and on the first play from scrimmage Lilley got his fourth and Lawrence’s seventh and final touchdown of the night.

Two late fourth quarter Halifax touchdowns made for the 20-point win as the Warriors closed out their home season.

“Senior Night and they were showing off a little bit,” said Drake. “Next week (at Arendell Parrott in Kinston) will be a big measuring stick, but we’ve got some momentum with a couple of victories so that’s going to help us a lot and hopefully we can get it done.”