Firebirds fierce

Murphy twins pile up offense in FSHS win

A double dose of the Murphy twins was too much for Shawnee Mission North.

Tailback Brian Murphy ran for 146 yards and three touchdowns, and quarterback Ryan Murphy contributed 128 yards of offense as Free State High thumped the Indians, 27-9, in Sunflower League football Thursday night at Haskell Stadium.

“I told our team that four or five plays would decide it,” SM North coach Ryan Majors said, “and the Murphy boys had a part in two or three of them.”

Actually, in touchdown terms, it was three of four as Brian Murphy sprinted for 55- and 47-yard scores, plus a five-yard TD burst.

Brett Lisher accounted for the Firebirds’ other score late in the first half when he picked a fumble out of midair and carried it into the end zone to give Free State a 13-0 advantage at the break.

“When everybody goes to the ball on defense, good things happen,” Lisher said. “I just got lucky and grabbed it.”

SM North quarterback Bryce Burrows had handed off to tailback Pierre Jackson, but Jackson was surrounded and opted to lateral to Burrows, who bobbled the ball into Lisher’s mitts.

“When I got it in my hands, I was surprised,” Lisher said. “I just turned around and ran away from them.”

Brian Murphy didn’t have to turn around to run away from them. He ran right at them and away from them on his two long TD jaunts.

“The line just came out and blocked hard,” Murphy said. “Those were huge holes. I just saw them and hit them, and with my breakaway speed I knew they wouldn’t catch me.”

Brother Ryan didn’t score but still contributed three big plays – a 44-yard return of the opening kickoff, a 50-yard gallop that set up Brian’s five-yard TD run and an interception.

Nick Ayre also had an interception – a spectacular leaping, one-handed grab – as the Firebirds’ defense did a number on the inexperienced Indians.

Free State, thumped 35-13 by a senior-laden SM North team last season, held the Indians to a mere 112 yards of offense Thursday – 34 in the first half.

“We got a little bit worn down in the second half,” Free State coach Bob Lisher said. “We had a lot of guys going both ways, and some of them cramped up.”

Lisher’s son Brett was one of them. He logged only about 10 plays in the second half. Ryan Murphy also had cramping problems, so Lisher used him only on offense. Junior Clark Boatright spelled Murphy on defense. Meanwhile, Dale Coons, another junior, filled in for Lisher on both platoons.

Young Lisher, one of only eight seniors on the roster, was limping noticeably afterward, but he was smiling, too.

“It’s good to open with a win,” he said. “This is the first time I’ve opened with a win since I’ve been at Free State.”

His father, however, wasn’t as pleased because the Firebirds were tooted for eight penalties, lost a fumble, had a punt blocked and looked ragged at times in their newly-installed spread offense.

“We can improve on a lot of things,” the elder Lisher said. “Penalties and securing the football and consistent blocking. We have a lot of work to do.”

The Firebirds will face a much more rugged opponent next week when they tangle with Olathe East, one of the Sunflower League preseason favorites. That game will be at 7 p.m. Friday at Olathe’s College Boulevard Athletic Complex.