Almost forgotten in Free State High’s dream football season has been the Firebirds’ remarkable one-year turnaround.

This year’s 11-0 edition is composed basically of the same players who struggled to a 4-6 record in 2005.

Ask Bob Lisher, the only head football coach the school has had in its 10 years of existence, to explain the about-face, and he gives a simple answer.

“I think we’re a year older and more experienced,” Lisher said, “and our kids are more confident.”

The bulk of this year’s seniors saw considerable action during the 2005 season, mainly because Lisher had only a handful of seniors on that roster.

However, maturity doesn’t completely explain how the Firebirds went from averaging 22.2 points a game in ’05 to 41.7 this fall. Or transitioning from surrendering 27.0 points to a stingy 12.8 in ’06.

The offensive flip-flop can be explained by Lisher’s decision to implement a wide-open offense to take advantage of the skills of the Murphy twins prior to the ’05 season. Familiarity has helped boost the new offense to a higher gear this fall.

Then there was the Firebirds’ leaky defense.

Over the summer, Lisher made a switch to what is called a 3-3 stack defense. More or less, that means using three linemen and three linebackers instead of five linemen and two linebackers.

“We went to a lot of clinics and to a lot of places to get the basics down,” Lisher said. “You’d listen, then you’d spend three or four hours talking one-on-one about it.”

While his decision to change offenses a year earlier had been made in large part because of the presence of Ryan and Brian Murphy, Lisher says personnel didn’t dictate the switch in defenses.

“The one thing about the 3-3 is it’s not a read-and-react defense,” the Free State coach noted. “You attack.”

Now with the Firebirds scheduled to meet Shawnee Mission West, also 11-0, in a Class 6A state semifinal Friday night at SM South District Stadium, the focus will be on that restructured defense because of last year’s two meetings between the two schools.

SM West pounded the Firebirds, 52-7, during the regular season, then clipped their wings, 40-18, in the first-round of the 6A playoffs.

Like Free State, the Vikes have a raft of returnees. In fact, Lisher says SM West “is pretty much exactly the same” as its 2005 edition.

The most notable difference is at quarterback, where Blake Lawrence has replaced brother Tyler Lawrence, now a freshman on Kansas University’s football team. Then again, the only noticeable difference is that Tyler is left-handed and Blake right-handed.

“Blake’s a little bit faster,” Lisher said. “He throws darts, and at free safety he puts a lot of hits on people.”

The younger Lawrence is headed to Nebraska University, where he is projected as a linebacker.

If there is an X-factor in Friday’s game, it’s in the kicking game, where SM West boasts Jared Witter, the Sunflower League’s leading punter and place-kicker. Punting and place-kicking are not Free State strengths.

“We’ll continue to work at it, work at it, work at it,” Lisher said of the kicking game. “Hopefully, it’s corrected.”