On the morning line, the Chiefs were favored by 10 points over Oakland and Kansas by 21â2 points over Kansas State. There is no gambling line, however, on the third biggest football game in these parts.

Free State High and Shawnee Mission West, both unbeaten in 11 games, will collide Friday night in Overland Park for the right to play for the Class 6A state championship.

I’m no gambler, but if somebody asked me to establish a line, I wouldn’t hesitate to list SM West as the early favorite by about three points, and that’s not because the Firebirds will have to play on the road. Home-field advantage is a negligible factor in the prep ranks.

SM West does have a clear-cut advantage is one critical area, however.

Olathe East coach Jeff Meyers, whose team lost twice to Free State and once to SM West, mentioned how both teams have “dangerous” offensive players and “big, physical linemen.” But, Meyers added, “West has some special-teams players I think Free State doesn’t have.”

Actually, the Vikings have only one special-teams player the Firebirds don’t have. His name is Jared Witter. He’s the Vikes’ place-kicker and punter, and he’s the Sunflower League’s best at both. Witter led the league in punting with a 43.3 average, and he was nearly automatic on extra points.

On the flip side, if you follow Free State football closely, you’re painfully aware of the Firebirds’ failures afoot.

Punter Caleb Stephens’ strength is a quick release, not distance. Stephens, a back-up defensive lineman, has averaged 32.3 yards per boot, but has punted only 14 times, an average of 1.2 times per game. Witter, incidentally, hasn’t punted much either, averaging about 1 1â2 per game.

Then there is Free State’s place-kicking. I wonder if any other high school coach in Kansas has used four different players on placements. Firebirds coach Bob Lisher has.

As you know, Free State has produced prodigious points packages, averaging more than 40 a game, meaning the Firebirds also have attempted a whole bunch of conversions. Free State has, in fact, scored 68 touchdowns, yet the Firebirds have been successful on just 41 point-after attempts. That’s 60.3 percent. That number includes the dozen times the Firebirds have gone for a two-pointer. They made half of those – all runs, incidentally.

Free State has lined up for a one-pointer 56 times and converted 35. One failure was caused by an errant snap. The other 20 were misfires by a place-kicker.

Junior Jason Sneegas has done the bulk of the kicking. He has made 19 of 30. Philip Ozorkiewicz, who filled in while Sneegas was injured around mid-season, is 6-for-10. Ozorkiewicz also owns the Firebirds’ lone field goal, a 34-yarder. Dylan Holtkamp and Mitch Morrow are 6-for-9 and 4-for-6, respectively, to round out Free State’s kicking quartet.

Fortunately for the Firebirds, their offense is so potent their so-so kicking hasn’t been worth mentioning. Free State never has needed a leg to decide a game.

But in a contest expected to be as close as Friday night’s Class 6A semifinal, somebody’s foot could determine the outcome, and SM West has – at least on paper – the better kicker.