When Free State opens the boys swimming season Thursday with a quad at Lawrence Indoor Aquatic Center, the defending state champion Firebirds will be without four of their top competitors.

Seniors Anthony Portela, Chris Sellon, Nathan Schriner and sophomore Chase Torgerson are training with the Lawrence Aquahawks for the Kerr McGee Pro-Am Dec. 20 in Oklahoma and won’t join the Firebirds until after winter break.

“It’s a really big meet with top-quality competition,” said Portela, who won the 100 butterfly and was a member of the Firebirds’ two winning relays at last year’s state meet in Manhattan. “There were a couple of Olympians there last year.”

Sellon and Torgerson also brought home first-place medals from Manhattan, and Schriner also was a member of the first state championship team — in any sport — in Free State’s short history.

FSHS lost 10 seniors from that squad, so the Firebirds’ less-experienced swimmers will have three December meets to prove themselves before the Aquahawks rejoin their high school team. Seniors Marshall Taylor and co-captain John Armstrong likely will carry some of the load.

“We’ll be watching,” said Portela, who has narrowed his college choices to Minnesota, Indiana, California-Santa Barbara and Wisconsin. “Our team is fast enough and strong enough that they don’t need us.”

The Firebirds will need the Aquahawks — including freshmen Mitchell Moore and Danny Wolff — in time for the Sunflower League and state meets in February. Free State must replace standouts Alex Brunfeldt (Indiana) and Chris Wolff (New York University), who have both moved on to the college ranks.

“It’s going to be very difficult,” said Sellon, who has made recruiting visits to Denison University in Granville, Ohio, and Grinnell College in Iowa and also plans to visits NYU and Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas. “They work very hard and were great swimmers. We’ll try to emulate them and hope things turn out like last year.”

The Firebirds open the season at 3:30 p.m. Thursday against Shawnee Mission South, Blue Valley and city rival Lawrence High at FSHS.

Free State senior swimmer John Armstrong, left, and Lawrence High senior diver Nick Leet hope their respective squads do more than just tread water this season. Both teams open the season Thursday at Free State.

LHS coach Ryan Adams has 25 swimmers on his roster, but 19 of those are freshmen and sophomores.

‘We’re going to rely on seniors a lot early,” Adams said. “The first meet or two we’ll be trying to figure out what we’ve got. It will be a learning experience for most of the team.”

Senior Nick Leet, who placed third in state diving last season, is the Lions’ only returning state qualifier. Other seniors Adams will count on are Eric Marlow, Zach Colwell and Brian Workman. Junior Jason Smarter and sophomore Marcus Barnoskie also will be expected to contribute.

Like Free State, LHS will get a boost in January when freshmen Aquahawks Alex Boyer and Zach Henderson join the team.

Adams also is pleased to have four divers, including Leet, on the roster.

“We’re going to see some good things out of LHS diving,” he said. “With Nick, it’s like having two coaches on the deck.”