Albert Einstein, as everyone in Physics 101 knows, devised the theory of relativity while attempting to reconcile the laws of mechanics with the laws of the electromagnetic field.

The problem is that Einstein died in 1955, and we cannot use his superior brain to reconcile the laws of the Kansas State High School Activities Assn. with the laws of the level playing field.

In the state prep playoffs system, the equivalent of E equals MC squared is Y equals NK squared – the Y standing for You and the NK for Never Know.

Dirk Wedd, Lawrence High’s football coach, remembers a few years back when he had the Lions first-round foe all figured out following the Friday night regular-season finale.

“On Saturday morning, we had their films, and we were breaking them down,” Wedd said. “Then about noon the state called and said we were playing someone else. : It’s not simple.”

Still, here’s what we know about the eastern half of the Class 6A playoffs:

¢ Lawrence High is in. Even if the Lions lose Friday at Topeka High – which likely won’t happen – they will play a first-round game Nov. 4 at Haskell Stadium.

¢ Free State must defeat Washburn Rural on Friday at Haskell Stadium to extend its season.

¢ Lawrence High’s Nov. 4 foe will not be Free State – even if the Firebirds knock off the Junior Blues – because the state does not match members of the same district in the opening round.

¢ The winner of Friday’s Olathe East-Olathe South game, a titanic battle of unbeatens, will determine the No. 1 seed. Lawrence High will be seeded No. 2, but nos. 3 and 4 are up in the air.

OK, now it’s time to speculate about the Lions’ Nov. 4 foe. Last year, Lawrence High was sent to Blue Valley Northwest for its playoff opener. Don’t be surprised if there’s a flip-flop this year. BV Northwest looms as the Lions’ most likely foe. But it could be Blue Valley North.

Meanwhile, should the Firebirds advance, they probably would have to again play Shawnee Mission West, a squad that clobbered the Firebirds, 52-7, in the fourth week of the season. But that’s iffy, too.

Free State coach Bob Lisher thinks his team would meet either SM South or SM East but, as he conceded, “Things could get screwed up. It’s still way up in the air.”

Lisher isn’t counting his chickens, either. The Firebirds have to dispose of Washburn Rural first, and the Junior Blues may be the most fundamentally sound team in the district. Two weeks ago, Rural played almost mistake-free in a 21-13 loss to the Lions.

Then again, Free State pushed across four touchdowns Friday against Lawrence High, and that’s twice as many as any other team has managed against the Lions. It’s possible LHS and Free State could meet again in two weeks, but not probable.

With a 7-1 record, LHS is one of the state’s elite 6A teams. Only six of the 32 schools in 6A have one or fewer defeats going into the last Friday of the regular season.

Free State’s record is 3-5, but the Firebirds have played a murderous schedule. If they survive Washburn Rural, the ‘Birds have enough weapons to catch, uh, fire in the playoffs.