For Free State wrestling coach Paul Lappin, going up against Olathe South was a case of dejà vu. After all, Lappin coached the Falcons for two years before entering his first season in 2006 with the Firebirds.

“I knew most of the kids on the team, knew what we were up against and knew it was going to come down to the wire,” Lappin said of Olathe South’s narrow 33-27 victory Wednesday night at Free State High. “But these are my guys now, and they’re used to me, so it wasn’t weird at all.”

Lappin wasted little time in his first season trying to instill mental toughness into his Free State wrestlers. Just ask senior Josh Fowler.

“I’ve learned to finish matches and don’t stop attacking, no matter what the score is,” Fowler said. “Just keep fighting and don’t give up.”

Fowler, who competed in the 152-pound class, defeated Olathe South’s Jeremy Potter, 7-3. Fowler notched a takedown and two points with just eight seconds left in the second period of his match.

Fowler said facing Potter was particularly difficult since the two wrestlers had similar styles. On the mat, the two seemed to react instantly to attacks. As a result, the match went into three periods.

“At that point, it’s more of an endurance match,” Fowler said. “Who can outlast who? That might have been what it came down to. I think I wrestled one of my better matches this season.”

Free State's Josh Fowler, left, grapples with Olathe South's Jeremy Potter. Fowler won his match, 7-3, Wednesday at FSHS.

Fowler said there were areas of his game he’d still like to improve, like getting into better shape, being more confident on his feet and finishing more shots.

Lappin took notice of Fowler’s hustle, though. The Free State coach repeatedly got out of his chair and stood at the edge of the mat, advising and encouraging the senior.

“He wrestled tough, and I was proud of him,” Lappin said of Fowler. “We had a talk about it after last weekend, and he picked it up. He was one that fought to the end and finished the match.”

Lappin pinpointed an area for Free State improvement Wednesday. The Firebirds lacked energy on the mat, particularly down the stretch. Olathe South notched pins, and consequently 12 points, on the final two matches.

Lawrence Free State Firebird junior Alex Hardman works on pinning Olathe South Falcon Dominique Lujan at Free State High School. Hardman won the match with a pin, but over all the Firebirds fell to the Falcons, 33-27.

“We started out great, but during the last few matches, we had kids quitting, and you can’t have that in a close duel,” Lappin said. “Technique-wise, they’re doing exactly what we’ve taught them so far, but right now, it’s a mental attitude. They just have to get it through their heads that they’re wrestling for six minutes non-stop – not until they’re tired.”

Aside from Fowler, senior Andy Neighbors, who competed in the 189-pound class, was another bright spot for Free State. Neighbors wrestled Olathe South’s Eric Rose in the first match of the night and didn’t waste any time in giving the Firebirds six points. He pinned Rose in the first period.

“I just did a half,” Neighbors said of his move to pin Rose for the victory. “I was pretty pleased.”

After Neighbors’ match, Olathe South was victorious in six of its final nine matches.