After three weeks of football practice, Bob Lisher is ready for a change.

Not that Free State High practice bores the head coach by any means. But when the first Friday night of the season arrives and the weather cools, it becomes an ideal setting for high school football.

“Every coach this time of year is anxious to get going,” Lisher said. “Our team is tired of hitting each other. We’re just looking forward to having a chance to go up against somebody else.”

Free State will receive that opportunity tonight in a 7 p.m. kickoff against Leavenworth at Abeles Field.

The Firebirds didn’t face the Pioneers last season, but Lisher scouted a tape of Leavenworth’s scrimmage this year, along with game film from the end of last year.

“They return seven players on both sides of the ball,” Lisher said. “They’re a very capable football team with a lot of experience and talent returning.”

Despite Free State playing on the road, Lisher said he didn’t tell his team anything different about playing away from Lawrence.

“The field’s still 120 yards long,” Lisher said. “It’s a challenge to go into someone else’s place and execute well enough to win. But that’s the fun part.”

To execute properly, Free State can’t turn the ball over offensively. Lisher said during last year’s season opener, the Firebirds had three bad snaps in a row on one drive. They had problems with botched and over-the-head snaps at this year’s fall scrimmage also.

“When you play in front of people, the adrenaline kicks in a little bit,” Lisher said about the poor snaps. “Hopefully, we’ve cured that.”

Sunflower League coaches picked Leavenworth to finish last in the league this season. Free State senior wide receiver/cornerback Clark Boatright said the Firebirds ignored that ranking, and still had to establish a physical tone against Leavenworth that would last the rest of the season.

“I think we’re going to focus a lot more on the ground game early, because that’s where a lot of our experience is at,” Boatright said.

Free State will run the spread offense, operating out of the shotgun formation often. The ground game will feature the electrifying speed of senior quarterback Ryan Murphy and senior running back Brian Murphy.

“We need good blocking up front and good holes for Brian and Ryan,” senior wide receiver Ben Harvey said. “The main thing is getting good blocks and maintaining blocks.”

Defensively, Free State will look to improve upon the 25.5 points per game it gave up to opponents last season. Boatwright, a cornerback on defense, said the Firebirds have made a point in practice to become physically tougher. Creating turnovers will be a priority.

“In the secondary, we’re focusing on everything in front of us,” Boatright said. “When the ball is in the air, the ball is ours and we need to go get the pick, and give the ball back to our offense. That’s what we’re focused on, just flying around, hitting hard and being a violent team.”

Free State is 4-5 all-time in season openers. The Firebirds defeated Shawnee Mission North, 27-9, in last season’s opener in Lawrence.