There might not be a bigger fan of expanding the high school football playoffs than Free State High coach Bob Lisher.

Especially since the Firebirds play Topeka Washburn Rural at 7 p.m. tonight at Rural for a chance to qualify for the playoffs as the second team out of District 4 in Class 6A.

“Anytime you get more teams involved and give more teams a chance to play an extra week of football, I think it’s good for the state of Kansas,” Lisher said. “We’re excited about it. I’m sure every team is.”

It would be the third time Free State (6-2 overall, 1-1 district) has made the playoffs in the school’s six-year history.

Another trip would involve the Firebird offense once again establishing its potent passing game, and complementing that with a consistent rushing offense.

“We have to have a balanced attack,” Lisher said. “When we prepare for a team, we’re far more effective when we can run at them.”

A balanced attack would be nothing new, though. FSHS averages 355 yards total offense a game, with 173 through the air and 181 on the ground. But it’s the passing game, mostly through big-play receivers Bijai Jones and Dain Dillingham that has sparked the Firebirds’ offense this year.

Although neither player caught a touchdown in Free State’s 42-26 loss to Lawrence High last week, Junior Blues coach Aaron Barnett knows they could be a big part of the game tonight.

Barnett, whose team went from 1-8 last year to 5-3 this season during his first year at Rural, doesn’t have many complicated schemes on offense or defense. The Junior Blues will rush the football a lot on offense and they’ll hound the ball carrier on defense. But Barnett’s wary of the big-play potential the FSHS receivers have.

“We don’t have a game-breaker,” Barnett said, “not like Lawrence High has with those two backs. They can break one at any time. It’s the same with Free State’s receivers.”

What the Junior Blues do have is junior running back Josh Kulick, who has rushed for more than 1,000 yards this season. He’s a bit undersized at 5-foot-9 and 170 pounds, but that’s deceiving. His balance and elusiveness keeps him from going down easily.

And on what might be a slippery, muddy field, Kulick could become a huge weapon.

“That makes him that much more dangerous,” Lisher said. “Our kids have to wrap up on their tackling. We’ve had problems with that sometimes in big games. You just have to have the discipline to make sure you do that.”