Olathe ? Bob Lisher was never in the military, but the Free State High football coach nearly executed an about-face.

Moments after the results of the Sunflower League football coaches poll were revealed at the conference kickoff dinner Tuesday night, Lisher was ready to beat a hasty exit.

“I saw the poll, and I just about turned around and went home,” Lisher told a crowd at the Olathe Holiday Inn. “That was scary.”

The Firebirds, despite a 4-6 record last season, were in second place in the poll compiled by The Olathe News.

Shawnee Mission West was first with 107 points and five first-place votes. The Firebirds were second with 103 points and four first-place votes. Olathe East, last year’s Class 6A state runner-up, was close behind with 102 points and two first-place ballots.

That second-place finish may have seemed high, yet there is little question the Firebirds project as a first-division team and perhaps a title contender because Lisher has practically everyone back from last year’s team, including quicksilver twins quarterback Ryan Murphy and running back Brian Murphy.

“The Murphys are great kids,” Lisher said, “and they’re pretty good athletes, too.”

Free State High football coach Bob Lisher talks about his squad. Sunflower League coaches took part in a media event Tuesday in Olathe.

Ryan Murphy led the Sunflower League in total offense last season.

“He threw for 1,600 yards,” Lisher said, “but the two guys he threw to for 1,300 yards are back.”

In other words, Lisher is concerned about who will replace graduated Brett Lisher and Nick Ayre.

Meanwhile, Lisher has most of his defenders back, too – including lineman Christian Ballard, who has made an oral commitment to Kansas University – yet the Firebirds’ defense was hardly impenetrable in 2005.

“We have eight starters back on defense,” said Lisher, who has been the ‘Birds coach ever since the school opened in 1997, “but we gave up 380 yards and 30 points a game. What does that tell you?”

Obviously, it told the other league coaches that a year of experience makes a big difference.

On the flip side is Lawrence High coach Dirk Wedd, whose 10-2 team from a year ago was virtually gutted by graduation. Wedd can count his returning starters on the fingers of one hand.

“We’re not very good right now,” Wedd conceded. “We’re pretty soft right now. We lost 19 starters, and our senior class has to grow up. Whether that will happen, I don’t know.”

Wedd has unknowns at just about every position except guard, where senior Nick DeBiasse earned first-team All-Sunflower League honors last year, and Paul Finch returns after missing the last 10 games of his junior year with a knee injury.

Lawrence High's Dirk Wedd talks about his squad.

“Both are outstanding kids,” Wedd said. “We had some great kids like (Scott) Penny and (Nolan) Kellerman, but we thought Finch was probably our best player going into the season. He brings a lot of noise on Friday nights.”

Despite the personnel depletion, the Lions weren’t predicted to go into a freefall this fall. The coaches tapped Lawrence High for sixth place, just one point behind fifth-place Olathe South.

“At times this summer, I thought we’d be a good football team,” said Wedd, who will begin his eighth season as head coach when preseason drills begin Monday. “At other times, I didn’t know.”

Notes

Aaron Barnett, who coached Eudora High from 1998-2000, is one of four first-year head coaches. Barnett left Washburn Rural to take over at Shawnee Mission Northwest. : Two of the new head coaches – Leavenworth’s Rick Pollard and Shawnee Mission South’s Brandon Claypool – were offensive linemen together at Pittsburg State : Olathe North’s Pete Flood is the other newcomer. : SM North District Stadium, closed all last season for refurbishing, is back on line. SM North, like the district’s other stadium at SM South, now has artificial turf. : Although there had been speculation Haskell Stadium might have artificial turf this fall, it’s likely all the Lions’ and Firebirds’ home games will be on grass.