It didn’t take long for Free State High’s football squad to exit the field after a short chat with coach Bob Lisher on Thursday night, with players immediately sprinting to the buses just outside Haskell Stadium.

It was time to end what had been a humbling night against Shawnee Mission West.

The Vikings showed they belong with the elite teams in the state, running up over 450 yards of offense in a 52-7 pounding of the Firebirds.

“We just let down,” Free State H-back Brett Lisher said. “I don’t understand it, but the whole team did. Not just one person, not two people, but everybody. Nobody played with any intensity, nobody came out with any heart.

“We just didn’t do what we could have done.”

West, which entered the game at No. 1 in the Prep Power rankings, wasted no time proving it deserved the status.

It took just three plays to go 84 yards on the first possession, with Kansas University commit Tyler Lawrence hooking up with his brother, Blake, for a 60-yard touchdown score.

But Lawrence wasn’t close to finished. The 6-foot-3 senior completed three more touchdown passes then ran for another score – all in the first half – as West took a 31-0 lead into halftime.

“Any time they needed a big play first half, they got it,” Bob Lisher said. “Those are correctable mistakes, but man we made a lot of them tonight. I didn’t expect that.”

The Vikings turned only to their running game in the second half, though it turned out to be just as effective.

Running back Tristan Pascal capped drives with 41- and 1-yard scores, and J.D. Steffen added a 46-yard scoring dash in the second half to put the Vikings at 52 points with six minutes remaining.

Pascal finished with 18 carries for 198 yards, and as a team West rushed for 310 overall.

“That was a humbling experience, and our kids have to learn from that,” Lisher said. “Obviously, we got outplayed, and I guess outcoached.”

Meanwhile, Free State limited mistakes – only turning the ball over once – but still failed to get anything rolling offensively.

After moving into West territory on the first two possessions, the Firebirds saw four consecutive drives end with three-and-outs.

Quarterback Ryan Murphy also struggled, finishing 2-of-12 for just 21 yards with an interception.

“We couldn’t protect long enough to throw the football, so we couldn’t throw it,” Lisher said. “We couldn’t maintain blocks long enough to run the football very much. They just kicked us.”

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Free State (2-2) was able to accomplish one task, becoming the first team to score off West this season. Brett Lisher finished an 81-yard drive with a two-yard plunge over the pile for the only Firebird score.

“I’ve been taught my whole life to never quit,” Brett Lisher said. “Once we got everybody on our team to realize they should never quit, we got a little bit of a push there.”

West has now outscored its opponents 152-7 in four games this season.

Brian Murphy led Free State with 18 carries for 94 yards. Brother Ryan contributed 83 yards on seven rushes.

Things don’t get any easier for Free State next week against Olathe South during its homecoming Friday at Memorial Stadium. South currently is ranked the No. 1 team in two other 6A polls.

“I know we can do it – I know we can be one of the best teams in the state,” Brett Lisher said. “We just have to show it.”