Overland Park ? The day will come when the tears shed by the Free State High football players, coaches and fans are tears of joy.

Unfortunately for the Firebirds and their faithful, it won’t happen for at least one more year.

For the sixth time in its nine-year history, Free State saw its postseason run end on the same day it began Saturday, the result of a 40-18 loss to Shawnee Mission West in the opening round of the Class 6A playoffs.

Following the postgame handshake, Free State coach Bob Lisher addressed his full squad, then huddled together with his eight seniors as part of an emotional farewell to the 2005 season.

“I’m disappointed for (them). They poured their heart and soul into this season,” Lisher said. “I’m proud they stuck it out when a lot of their classmates didn’t.”

The motivation for doing so was the chance to deliver their alma mater its first-ever playoff victory, a reality kept alive when the Firebirds (4-6) overcame the difficulties of a sub.-500 regular season to win two of three district games and earn a spot in the 16-team state field.

However, waiting once they got there was a Shawnee Mission West team that already convincingly won a head-to-head matchup during the regular season and, armed with a gaudy 8-1 mark, had much loftier goals in mind than a pedestrian first-round playoff win.

The Vikings (9-1) wasted little time moving down that path. After forcing a three-and-out on Free State’s opening possession, linebacker Blake Lawrence – the younger brother of Shawnee Mission West quarterback and KU recruit Tyler Lawrence – broke free and blocked Mike Vaughan’s punt out of the back of the end zone, good for a quick 2-0 lead.

Bad became worse a mere 13 seconds later when David Leonard returned the ensuing free kick 72 yards for a touchdown, giving West a 9-0 lead a shade over two minutes into the contest.

“Our special teams have been a weakness at times all year, and lately they’ve been real good,” said Free State senior Brett Lisher. “I was surprised by (the rough start).

“But after that, you can’t let that get you down. You’ve got to come out and play hard.”

The wake-up call already delivered, Free State appeared on the verge of a response later in the opening quarter when, after the two teams traded punts, the Firebirds abandoned their wide-open spread offense and used a power running game to record three first downs and move into Vikings territory.

The brief momentum shift came to a sudden halt when tailback Brian Murphy fumbled a handoff at the West 41-yard line. It was Free State’s only turnover, but it couldn’t have come at a worse time – compounded when the Vikings answered with a scoring drive of their own to take a 16-0 lead in the opening 13 seconds of the second quarter.

“We were coming back and playing physical football against a physical team and then turned the ball over and destroyed it,” Bob Lisher said.

The damage already done, the final three quarters featured a battle of offensive wills. With star tailback Tristan Pascal sidelined, West turned to sophomore JD Steffen, who racked up 276 yards on 25 carries. Though he only rushed for one touchdown – on a 50-yard scamper in the third quarter – his consistent gains also allowed Tyler Lawrence to strike for a pair of scoring passes via the Vikings’ play-action passing game.

On the flip side, Free State went the aerial route in its quest to battle back into contention and looked good doing it. Quarterback Ryan Murphy finished 16-of-29 for 258 yards and three touchdowns and added his own 40-yard reception on a flea-flicker thrown by his twin brother.

Senior wideout Nick Ayre caught eight balls for 158 yards and two touchdowns, while Brett Lisher hauled in five passes for 86 yards and Free State’s other score.

Still, the impressive statistics couldn’t hide the disappointment in the failure to change the only number that anyone wearing Free State green cared about.

“It’s very hard to come off the field and not get the first playoff victory, because we were the seniors that wanted to get it done,” Ayre said.

“We just couldn’t get it done,” echoed Brett Lisher, before turning his attention to the team responsible for this year’s shortcoming.

“They’re a strong, physical football team,” he said about the Vikings. “I wish them the best, because they’re definitely capable of winning a state championship.”