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KANSAS CITY — A year after falling by just five points in the opening round of the playoffs to Staley, Lafayette had big plans to exact revenge along with pulling off a major upset.

But on Wednesday in the regional round of the Class 4 playoffs, the undefeated Staley Falcons had none of that.

Lafayette (5-6) saw its season end with a 34-0 loss at the North Kansas City District Activities Complex.

“I’m proud of our kids,” Lafayette coach Paul Woolard said. “Our kids did what they needed to, to have a chance, but there’s a reason Staley’s ranked No. 3 in the state. They are a very good football team.”

The Fighting Irish discovered that early on when Staley marched down the field on the opening drive of the game.

Staley went to its bag of tricks to score its first touchdown. Receiver Arec Tucker took the ball on an end around and then optioned the ball off to running back Evan Campbell, who scored from 25 yards out.

That score was the start of a big night for Campbell, who gave the Irish defense fits. The junior back finished with 130 yards rushing on 18 carries and also 109 yards receiving thanks to an 88-yard score on a swing pass, his third touchdown.

But for as good as the Falcon offense was early on, the Irish defense forced four turnovers, including a key stop late in the first half.

With a 20-0 lead, Jaron Warner stepped in front of a pass from Michael Rich on the Irish 7-yard line. Warner returned the ball into Falcon territory before he was run down by Rich.

“That was a big play for us going into the half,” Woolard said. “It was really big for Jaron because they had kind of been picking on him in the first half.”

That was the lone interception for Rich, who finished with a big night, completing 15 of 23 passes for 258 yards and three touchdowns.

Offensively, Lafayette wasn’t able to find the same success as the Falcons. In the first half, Lafayette mustered just 31 yards of total offense but finished the game with 152 yards.

Quarterback D.J. Adams finished 13-for-28 with 124 yards and a pair of late interceptions.

Adams did lead the Irish into Falcon territory several times, including the opening drive of the game. But a sack, one of five in the game, and a bad snap on that drive ended any chance of tying the game early.

Still despite the loss, senior Bryston Cook thinks the season as a whole was a big step in the right direction for the North Side.

“This season hopefully will be a building block for the younger guys,” Cook said. “This was a good season for our team and our school to go forward from.”