Bob Lisher’s jaw didn’t drop. His eyebrows didn’t reach his hairline. He didn’t have to sit down.

“I didn’t pay much attention to it,” said Lisher, Free State High’s football coach. “To each his own.”

Nevertheless, Lisher admitted he was surprised when he read Olathe East coach Jeff Meyers had guaranteed the Hawks would dispose of the Firebirds in Friday night’s Class 6A playoffs quarterfinal.

“I’ve been doing this a long time,” said Lisher, now in his 10th season at Free State, “and I’ve never seen a coach say that. I’ve seen it in the pros, but not in high school.”

Meyers conceded he had never guaranteed a victory before, yet in the euphoria of a 33-7 romp over Olathe South last week the Hawks’ coach went out on a limb.

“There’s no team that I’ve wanted to play worse a second time in a season than (Free State),” Meyers said. “So, I’m guaranteeing a win.”

Meyers’ optimism was no doubt fueled by the first Olathe East-Free State meeting nine weeks ago at Haskell Stadium. On that night, the Firebirds bolted to a 33-14 halftime lead, then survived a Hawks’ comeback with Ryan Murphy and Brian Murphy on the sidelines with body cramps.

“It wasn’t only Brian and Ryan,” Lisher said. “A couple of other kids were cramping, too.”

Free State’s subs survived a late O-East rush, but no telling what would have happened if the clock hadn’t run out in the nick of time.

“Those guys have to play,” Lisher said of his back-up players. “We have to make sure that doesn’t happen again.”

As the weather cooled and as steps were taken to enhance hydration, the cramping disappeared and the Firebirds raced to a 10-0 record, the best in the school’s decade of existence.

Free State was averaging about 45 points a game until last Friday, when a stubborn Shawnee Mission East team nearly brought the Firebirds’ season to a stunning end. Eventually, Free State prevailed, 20-9.

“It was a combination of things,” Lisher said in reflecting on the first playoff win in school history. “There were several plays where we didn’t execute, and (SM East) made it tough on us.”

Olathe East, however, didn’t make it tough on the Firebirds until the fourth quarter when the two schools met in the second week of the season. The Hawks had no answers for the Murphy twins in the first half. Brian Murphy ran for three touchdowns and Ryan Murphy threw a 73-yard touchdown pass to Craig Rosenstengle and broke an 86-yard kickoff return.

Meanwhile, O-East running back Dee Bell, who went on to lead the Sunflower League in rushing with 1,510 yards, rambled for 220 yards on 34 carries against the Firebirds. Bell scored only one touchdown, however.

Friday’s rematch will be at 7 p.m. at Olathe’s College Boulevard Activities Complex. The winner will face the survivor of Friday’s Lawrence-Shawnee Mission West clash in a Nov. 17 semifinal at a site to be determined.