Here’s today’s riddle for Free State High football fans: What’s green and white and vanilla all over?

Answer: The Firebirds during Wednesday night’s fall jamboree at the FSHS field.

Five days earlier in a controlled scrimmage at Memorial Stadium, the Firebirds unveiled their new spread offense with often spectacular results. But on Wednesday night, they operated strictly out of the I-formation.

Asked if the presence of scouts from Shawnee Mission North, next week’s opponent, had anything to do with putting his new offense under wraps, Free State coach Bob Lisher smiled and said: “Uh, that might have played into it.”

Junior quarterback Ryan Murphy, who had sparkled in Saturday’s scrimmage by running for more than 100 yards and completing seven of nine passes, was barely noticeable this time.

Free State High's Brett Lisher (14) loses the handle on the football after being hit by Kevin Coleman. The two high schools held fall sports festivals Wednesday. Stories on page 3C.

Murphy threw only three times, completing one for 20 yards to wide receiver Ben Bell. And he carried just five times for 25 yards. His biggest gainer was a nine-yard touchdown run.

Meanwhile, twin brother Brian Murphy, the tailback, was the leading rusher during the two-part, 50-minute, running-clock scrimmage with seven carries for 56 yards, including an eight-yard TD run. H-back Brett Lisher carried three times for 48 yards, including the night’s long-gainer – a 33-yard TD gallop on a counter play.

The first-team offense rushed the ball 21 times, and only four went for double-digit yardage.

Not that Lisher was perturbed by the puny offensive showing. After all, the Firebirds will be using their real formations against SM North in their opener a week from tonight at Haskell Stadium.

But he wasn’t pleased with the overall performance.

Brian Murphy, right, slips away from Shelton Heilman during Free State's football scrimmage. The Firebirds scrimmaged as part of their fall sports jamboree Wednesday at FSHS.

“All I wanted to see tonight was hustle,” Lisher said, “and I didn’t see enough of that.”

The first 25 minutes left him in a particularly bad mood.

“I was upset with that first part,” he said. “We’ve simply got to get more people to the football. I think we need to play harder.”

Also, Lisher felt the Firebirds were waiting for something to happen rather than trying to make something happen.

“We seem to be relying on two or three people,” he said, “and then taking a play off. We can’t do that.”

Still, the first-string defense – composed mostly of players on the first-string offense – made some noteworthy plays against the second-teamers. Linebacker Andy Petz had a couple of hard hits, Brett Lisher contributed a couple of stops, and Bell had an interception. Clark Boatright, a second-teamer playing with the first unit late, also had a pass theft.

At the same time, the second-unit defense had its moments, notably fumble recoveries by junior Andy Neighbors and sophomore Kevin Coleman. Neighbors covered a bad pitch by Ryan Murphy. Coleman picked up a Brett Lisher cough-up and would have carried it about 55 yards for a TD if the play hadn’t been stopped in the controlled situation.

Junior Dale Coons, playing with the first-string late, carried four times for 32 yards, including a three-yard TD run. Senior Andrew Thompson was successful on all four conversion kicks.