LOUISA — What a difference a year can make.

Just one year after Lawrence County went winless while finishing at the bottom of its Class 4A district, the Bulldogs won their first district title since 2001 while sporting a perfect 9-0 record after holding off Boyd County 26-16 Friday night.

In a game that was expected to be a high-scoring affair for Lawrence County, Boyd County came out and gave one of its best defensive efforts and all around games of the season while doing something only one other team has been able to do against the Bulldogs this year — keep the game close.

Lawrence County opened up the game with an 11-play 70-yard drive led by its strong offensive line and running backs, but that would be the only time the Bulldogs scored in the first half.

Boyd County was able to withstand the Bulldog attack for the rest of the half, and a 33-yard field goal by Eli Malloy pulled the Lions to within 6-3 at the half.

However, Lawrence County once again went to its senior fullback Shane Pack as it has done all season, and Pack didn’t disappoint, leading the Bulldogs in the second half, and finishing with 162 yards on 28 carries to go along with his four touchdowns.

“Kids get tired late in the game and that’s when Shane steps up,” Lawrence County head coach Luke Salmons said. “He only plays one side of the ball and it seems like he always turns it on and is one step faster than everyone else in the second half, and tonight was no exception. You also have to give a lot of credit to our offensive line and running backs for their blocking allowing us to make those plays. That’s what we’ve stuck with all year.”

But Boyd County did not got down without a fight, as the Lions hung in all game with solid defensive play that kept them within reach. The Lions responded to Pack’s second touchdown of the game in the third quarter with an 84-yard kick off return by Malloy to bring the score to 12-10.

Although the Bulldogs answered the call with their own touchdown drive, and on a short kick on the ensuing kickoff that bounced over a Lion receiver and was recovered by Lawrence County, setting them up to score another touchdown, sealing the game at 26-10.

“Boyd County brought a great game plan and they played really well.” Salmons said. “They were very emotional last year in our district matchup, so we knew this year we had to come out and match that intensity, and our kids did a great job. We’ve been preaching to them they have to hang in there all game for all four quarters and keep battling, and that’s what they did tonight.”

Lawrence County’s district title came in fairly convincing fashion, as only two of its games were decided by less than 15 points, and that came in a 36-30 win against Sheldon Clark in its second game, and the 10-point win against Boyd County. The Bulldogs managed to roll over its opponents in between, winning by margins of 55, 35, 39, 48, 40, and 15.

Salmons was happy for his team after the game, especially after going through last year’s tough season.

“It’s all about the kids,” he said. “They’ve worked just as hard this year as they did last year, and we’ve managed to keep them together and focused on that goal of winning a district championship, and here we are.”