Any way you measure it, the Sunflower League rules Kansas high school football.

Olathe North has won five of the last six Class 6A state titles. Lawrence High won nine titles in a 13-year span. Heck, a Sunflower League school has played for the state title every year since 1969.

Facts are, players from the 11-team league with schools from Lawrence, Leavenworth and suburban Kansas City produce the biggest, baddest teams around.

Just ask the guys that play in it.

“From what I’ve seen, I’m sure it’s got the most talent in the state,” said Free State High senior wide receiver Ben Gray, a 6-foot, 170-pounder. “From top to bottom, every team has guys that are really big and strong and fast.

“A few of them are really big.”

Lawrence High’s Brandon McAnderson, an All-League running back and linebacker, certainly qualifies for the latter category.

A 6-foot, 210-pounder, McAnderson’s a load to bring down. His hits are punishing.

“It’s not for everyone,” McAnderson said. “Only the toughest can handle it.”

That’s what Lawrence and Free State deal with every fall: Competing in a brutal league only the toughest can handle.

Both teams will open their seasons tonight. LHS will travel for a 6 p.m. tipoff at Leavenworth, while Free State will play host to Shawnee Mission Northwest. Kickoff for the Firebirds’ opener will be 7 tonight at Haskell Stadium.

Leavenworth has lost 19 straight games. The Pioneers have lost 22 in a row to Lawrence, their last win coming in 1975.

Still, LHS coach Dirk Wedd refuses to take the Pioneers lightly. He knows the caliber of teams they’ve been playing.

“It’s been a district game forever, so it’s a little weird to be opening with them,” Wedd said. “But it’ll be good test for us. Defensively, we’re going to have to be very sound and hopefully get the offense going.”

SM Northwest, the Firebirds’ first opponent, went 3-6 last season, but impressed several coaches during the seven-on-seven summer league.

The Firebirds haven’t played the Cougars since Free State’s inaugural season in 1997; FSHS lost 40-0.

“Offensively and defensively, they do a lot of the same things they did back then,” said Free State coach Bob Lisher. “But personnel-wise, they bring a lot more. We’re going to be on the short end of the stick experience-wise, but our guys know how to fight and compete.”

The Cougars’ big weapon is tight end/wide receiver Beau Gadwood, who also plays some quarterback. He’s just one of the weapons SMNW features.

Passing and running the ball equally well is typical of the Sunflower League. Of course, the league hasn’t been that way until recently.

“Say, in 1990, everybody ran the ball,” Wedd said. “Probably about 1994, Olathe South was the first one to air it out. Now, everyone throws the ball more than they did.”

Shawnee Mission South and SM North are the only teams that averaged more than 200 yards passing last season, with Olathe South at 196. Everyone else averaged less than 122 yards passing per game, with LHS at the bottom 45.4 ypg.

Expect the balance to be even greater as teams work with each other during summer football.

“It used to be smash-mouth. Now it’s becoming more diverse,” Lisher said. “When I was a defensive coordinator at Lawrence High, you came across very few teams that threw the ball. Three and four wide receivers were rare. It used to be if your threw 10 times a game, that was a lot. Now, 15 to 20 times a game is average.

“But you still better be able to stop the run.”

Olathe North, Olathe South and Lawrence all averaged more than 218 yards rushing last year, while only Shawnee Mission South averaged less than 115. The passing game has the big-play potential, but Wedd points out what has worked recently and in the past.

“Olathe North is notorious for running the football, and the year they didn’t win it (1999), Garden City won it and they had about 3,000 yards rushing that year,” Wedd said. “The fact is, in Kansas, it gets pretty cold in the month of November. It’s nice to throw the ball in June and July in shorts and T-shirts when its nice.”

By the end of the season, some teams have been beat up, but others have thrived. When the playoffs roll around, there’s no question what the league’s biggest benefit is.

“What it does is prepares you for the postseason,” Wedd said. “You’ve played the best, and you know where you’re at.”