Olathe ? Danny Schneider had to wait 364 days for the opportunity. And when he got it, he gave himself a reason to grin.

The Free State senior, who was anchoring the Firebirds’ 1,600-meter relay team at Friday’s Sunflower League track meet, dug deeper than ever before to hold off Olathe North’s DaRon Mims down the final straightaway. The Firebirds lost the league title to Shawnee Mission South a year ago after the final event, but this year edged Olathe North by five points for first place at Olathe District Activities Center.

After breaking the tape first, Schneider’s smile was far more than ear-to-ear, as he was embraced and lifted off the ground by a bevy of teammates.

“That’s one of the few races I’ve finished with just a big ol’ smile,” Schneider said. “You know this whole time, I was worried about Mims right behind me, and that’s the worst feeling in the world.

“Right when I crossed the tape, I couldn’t hold back.”

The relay victory made Schneider 4-for-4 on the day, as he also won or helped win the mile, half-mile and 3,200 relay.

Lawrence High junior Scott Penny was just as dominant in the field. Penny ousted rival Brent Sensenich of Olathe North in the shot put by nearly three feet and won in the discus, even though he said he struggled through most of it.

“I really wasn’t catching my spots, but there really wasn’t much other than a couple technique flaws,” he said. “I was a little disappointed on my discus, but I finally got one out on my last throw.”

Add Kameron Demby winning the triple jump and Ramin Zangeneh owning the pole vault, and the LHS boys placed first in four of the seven field events, finishing sixth in the team standings.

Free State High runners Danny Schneider, second from left, Alex Rock, center, and Spencer Martin, second from right, race in the boys 1,600-meter run at the Sunflower League meet. Schneider won the event, and Rock and Martin placed 3-4 Friday in Olathe.

The LHS girls finished eighth but may have pulled the day’s biggest shocker.

The Lions, typically not a top competitor in the girls’ 1,600 relay, took first by a second over Shawnee Mission South thanks to a late-season youth injection.

Three freshmen — Sue Schwartz and twin sisters Jennifer and Kristina Taylor — have turned the Lions into a suddenly formidable threat. They were a bit shocked with how close the race was after having dominated the junior high ranks at South, but the Lions’ upperclassmen helped ease the tension a bit.

“They were like, ‘It can’t get any worse,'” Jennifer Taylor said.

The girls team competition pretty much was between 11 of the 12 league schools, as Leavenworth’s stacked squad showed up with the title practically guaranteed.

But the Firebirds place second, thanks in large part to junior Alysha Valencia.

Lawrence High's Scott Penny prepares to release the discus. Penny won the discus and shot put at the Sunflower League Meet on Friday in Olathe.

Valencia was nearly untouchable, winning the mile by 13 seconds and lapping all but five competitors en route to a win in the 3,200 by 25 seconds. In typical Valencia fashion, she sprinted to early leads and never let up.

But Valencia may have bit off more than she could chew by competing in the 1,600 relay just minutes after finishing the 3,200. As the anchor, she began her portion of the race in first, but burnt out and finished fifth.

“It was cool being in front, and then seeing all those girls pass me … there was nothing I could do about it, and it was really frustrating,” she said. “I was trying to work my legs, and you could just tell they were burnt out.”

Both schools will return to action Friday at regionals.