Free State to put end to streak by Eagles

Time for the obvious statement of the season: The Free State High football team is good.

No kidding, Sherlock. Did it take this long to figure it out?

The 5-0 Firebirds are the defending district champs and their quarterback, Matt Berner, just became the school’s all-time leading passer. The skill players around him are as talented as any in the Sunflower League and the defense has improved each week  from seventh overall to fourth.

Free State beat Shawnee Mission Northwest at the beginning of the season, started Olathe South on its current four-game losing streak, then showed off its running game last week against Leavenworth, rushing for 365 yards.

So, by Week 6, I’m convinced the Firebirds can do it all.

Even beat Olathe North.

Oops, sorry Free State. Didn’t mean to pull out the jinx this early, but it’s true. The Eagles may be riding a 30-game winning streak, and they may have won the last two state titles, but they’ve got weaknesses.

If a team can throw the ball, they can give the Eagles fits. With receivers Bijai Jones, Dain Dillingham, Cole Cruse and tight end Matt Lane, the Firebirds have the weapons.

Even Olathe North coach Gene Wier has said his team isn’t as talented as the Firebirds. The Eagles, loaded in years’ past, don’t have their usual depth or skill.

Of course, Wier is the classic underseller. He said his team was lucky to win its first four games, and his varsity might not be able to beat his JV team even if they knew which plays were coming.

Lou Holtz perfected that shtick 15 years ago, but Wier has a point. Lawrence High had its chances against Olathe North and came up short. The Lions predicate themselves on running the ball. Free State can do both  although, if it’s me, I throw on O-North the entire game.

The kicker is, the last time the Eagles had a winning streak like this was in 1998. They’d just won two straight state titles and 24 straight games, until they played the Firebirds. Free State won that opener, 42-27.

So here’s the pick: Free State 31, Olathe North 28.

Warning! Backtracking and prediction excuses coming up!

Of course, my picks aren’t anything to crow about. After all, before the season I thought Free State would go 5-4.

Nice call.

For those keeping score, I’m way off on Olathe South (prediction: 8-1; halfway: 1-4), Shawnee Mission East (6-3; 1-4) and Shawnee Mission North (3-6; 4-1), everybody else is about right.

But, just for my own self-esteem, I’m not the only guy who’s surprised by Free State.

None of the coaches that responded to our preseason questionnaires picked the Firebirds higher than fifth (only Shawnee Mission West didn’t respond). It took them until last week to get into the AP High School poll, where they sit in fourth, behind undefeated teams O-North, Derby and Hutchinson.

Yes, that means Friday’s game is a biggie.

Big enough to skip the baseball playoff game between Minnesota and Anaheim? Certainly.

Big enough to miss ‘Late Night with Roy Williams’? Maybe. You’ve got time to do both, though you’ll miss the skits and probably the ‘Roy Shuffle.’

But to see a 30-game win streak snapped and the Firebirds off to a 6-0 start would be worth it.

Besides, you can catch the ‘Late Night’ replay on Channel 6.