Overland Park ? Let a guy run for 259 total yards and five touchdowns — just in the first half — and it’s sure to spell trouble.

Well, actually, it’s spelled T-o-r-a-i-n, as in Ryan Torain. Before the Free State High football team could figure out a way to stop the 6-foot, 190-pound running back and kick returner Friday, the Shawnee Mission Northwest senior already had left the Firebirds defense in his dust and sent them back to Lawrence 36-15 losers.

Torain finished with 179 yards on 16 carries, most of which came in an awesome first half. Besides four touchdown runs, including a 72-yard rush in the first quarter, Torain returned a second-quarter kickoff — the only kickoff he returned Friday — for a 93-yard touchdown. This after he originally fumbled the ball at the SMNW 7-yard line.

The kick return was the knockout blow. At the time, Free State had just cut the early deficit to 22-15 after Cole Douglas caught a 3-yard TD pass from Caleb Harvey.

But Free State never came within striking distance again, and a scoreless second half by both teams made the 36-15 halftime score the final.

Torain’s dominance, which paced a Cougar offense that seemingly did whatever it wanted, exposed weaknesses that will surely give FSHS coach Bob Lisher lots to do in practice before next Friday’s home opener against Olathe South.

“Obviously, defensively we have to correct a lot of things,” Lisher said. “Our primary goal is to get our kids to tackle on defense. We didn’t do a very good job of that tonight.”

The Firebirds (0-1) were down 14-0 four minutes into the game before senior Dain Dillingham grabbed a lob from Harvey and scrambled 81 yards for Free State’s first touchdown. Dillingham finished with four catches for 100 yards and the score.

Free State High's Cole Douglas, left, races past a diving Shawnee Mission Northwest defender. The Firebirds lost, 36-15, Friday in Overland Park.

“We had been working on it all week,” Dillingham said of the touchdown. “It was a play designed to get me open, and Caleb threw a great ball.”

Unfortunately for Free State, the Cougars didn’t let up. A 10-yard run by Torain again put SM Northwest up by 14, and after Free State matched, the kickoff return gave the Cougars a comfortable lead.

“We didn’t come out ready to play,” Dillingham said. “We gave up three or four big plays, and you really can’t have that in a game. Especially in the Sunflower League.”

As dominated as the Firebirds defense seemed in the first half, the unit held its own in the second. Torain, though not used as much, only managed 13 second-half rushing yards. All three of SM Northwest’s punts were in the second half, and the Firebirds had a few defensive highlights late in the game, notably two quarterback sacks by sophomore Carl Lisher, one on a SM Northwest fourth down.

“We did a little bit better in the second half,” Bob Lisher said. “We’re a heck of a lot better football team then we showed — if we show up to play. We didn’t do that in the first half. We thought just being on the field was good enough.”

Harvey completed 8 of 22 passes for 129 yards and two touchdowns. The urgency of the 21-point deficit in the second half, as well as the health of running back Will Malcolm, forced Harvey to throw the ball more.

¢ 6Sports video: Free State overwhelmed by SM Northwest

Malcolm, who’s battling a sore elbow and flu-like symptons, contributed when he played, mainly in the second quarter. He finished with 43 yards rushing on eight carries.

“He stepped up and played pretty well while he was in there,” Lisher said. “He still had a little gas in his tank.”

The Firebirds now return home for two weeks, starting with a game against Olathe South next Friday. More importantly, though, the Firebirds have a week of practice.

“We’re going to strap it on this week and practice and definitely come out ready to prove something,” Dillingham said. “Because we didn’t prove anything tonight.”