Wichita ? Free State High could claim its first team state championship this weekend.

And it might not come on the baseball diamond.

The Firebird girls track and field squad comes into today’s Class 6A state meet at Cessna Stadium after earning Sunflower League and regional titles in the last two weeks. So what’s the secret to another week on top?

“Just to compete the way we have all year,” FSHS coach Steve Heffernan said. “We don’t have to go in there and pull a rabbit out of a hat. We’re going to be in the thick of it on the girls’ side right away.”

FSHS claimed five individual titles in the regional May 23 at Shawnee Mission North and could match that during the two-day meet. Class 6A, 5A and 4A field and running events begin at 3 this afternoon, while 1A, 2A and 3A begins at 8:30 this morning.

Heffernan is optimistic about the Firebirds holding off Manhattan, Maize, Hutchinson and Olathe East, mostly because of Free State’s depth and talent.

“We have hurdlers, throwers, jumpers, runners; we’ve never had that kind of depth and mix before,” Heffernan said.

The Lawrence boys, on the other hand, also are coming off league and regional titles, but will be hard pressed to catch Overland Park Aquinas for the state crown.

The Lions were seventh last year. LHS coach Jerry Skakal is optimistic about the team’s first title since 1997, but knows it comes down to today’s preliminary performances.

¢ 6Sports video: Lions go to State track meet

“We get a chance to do a little better, we got a chance to do a little worse,” Skakal said. “We’ve got to start on the correct foot and get things going.”

The Lions, who qualified 19 boys, should be mixed in at the top of the standings with Wichita Heights, Hutchinson, Blue Valley North, Free State and Shawnee Mission Northwest.

They had regional winners in seniors Dylan McClain (3,200), Derrick Newman (shot put) and Brandon Womack (javelin), and the boys’ 4×400-meter relay team.

FSHS, whose regional champs include senior Adrian Ludwig (800), junior Tyree Payne (discus) and the 4×800 relay team, finished third last year. Heffernan is hoping if a few individuals falter, the Firebirds could duplicate that finish.

“A few of the teams are depending on good individuals, not great individuals to score for them,” he said. “If they have a bad day, we can move in there.”

That’s Skakal’s theory with his girls’ squad.

The Lions were seventh last year and take largely the same group this year. They didn’t have any individual winners at regionals, but could notch some second- or third-place finishes from seniors Audrey Pope (300 hurdles), Magdalen Obiefule (discus) and Shari Lassiter (100 and long jump), or freshman Amy Magnuson (long jump and 100 hurdles).

“Last year, when we came in, our focus was to just go down and run our race,” Skakal said. “Nobody expected anything out of us and we took second. Nobody expects anything out of us again this year, so we’ll see what happens.”

Heffernan expects three girls — juniors Lauren Abney (javelin) and Sam Frisbie (high jump) and freshman Alysha Valencia (1,600 and 3,200) — to contend for state titles after winning regional crowns. Junior Lacey Baxter, who won the pole vault, could finish in the top three.

If any of those girls do win, they would join Jamie Reed as the school’s lone girl state champion. She won the high jump in 1999.

But the team title is the focus — and Heffernan wouldn’t be surprised to win it.

“The thing that’s amazed me is their ability to set school records at every meet,” he said. “Just when I think we didn’t have a good day in the 4×100, Kristin Baker goes and throws 121 in the discus, which was huge. It’s just been that kind of year.”