Free State High senior Andy Petz and Lawrence High senior Nick DeBiasse were recently named to the Greater Kansas City Football Coaches Association Scholar Athlete team.

UMKC will hold a banquet for the top 11 selections from Kansas and Missouri. Six of the 22 will receive a $1,000 scholarship.

Petz and DeBiasse both did the bulk of their work on the gridiron as linebackers last fall.

“First of all, Andy’s a hard-working young man, and we had one heck of a football season – he really anchored our defense,” Free State coach Bob Lisher said of Petz and the Firebirds’ perfect 9-0 regular season. “He’s also has a 4.0 GPA and scored high on ACTs.”

“He’s the epitome of a young man that excels on the athletic field in football and baseball and also academically,” Lawrence High football coach Dirk Wedd said about DeBiasse. “He’s had a perfect GPA, and being ranked No. 1 in his class at Lawrence High is pretty special. Hopefully, he’ll continue that the last semester and be a valedictorian.”

¢ Added fuel for the fire: Friday’s boys basketball game between Lawrence High and Free State will have extra meaning for the Lions beyond the usual rivalry fare.

Shawnee Mission East and LHS are atop the Sunflower League standings with 8-1 records. East has league games remaining against Olathe East and Shawnee Mission South, while LHS visits Shawnee Mission North tonight before playing host to Free State in a game that potentially could decide the league championship.

One problem, though. LHS needs East to lose. The Lancers beat the Lions, 53-33, on Jan. 9, thus owning the tiebreaker.

¢ They’re free, after all: After struggling early in the year from the free-throw line, the Lawrence High boys connected on 27 of 33 from the charity stripe during Friday’s 59-57 win at Leavenworth.

The clutch shots, especially during the fourth quarter, served as a major reason why LHS eked out the victory in a battle of two one-loss Sunflower League squads.

¢ Another set of eyes: “The Jungle” welcomed a notable observer Tuesday during the Lawrence High girls basketball team’s 61-24 win against Olathe North.

Kansas University women’s basketball coach Bonnie Henrickson attended the game.

Sitting next to LHS coach Kristin Mallory’s husband, Henrickson said she came to support her coaching friend. The two hold basketball camps together during the offseason.

¢ Bulldogs go back-to-back: Baldwin High won its second straight Class 4A regional wrestling title Saturday at BHS.

The Bulldogs scored 166 points to outlast Santa Fe Trail (154) and Chapman (152). Baldwin qualified eight wrestlers for the state meet, including regional titlists Alan Callahan (112 pounds), Nick Rockhold (119) and Kevin Callahan (130).

Prior to its back-to-back victories, the last time Baldwin won a regional wrestling title was in 1989 when current Baldwin coach Kit Harris was a junior and his dad, Dan Harris, was coaching the squad.

¢ Swanson signs: Eudora High’s Kent Swanson has signed a letter of intent to play football at Mid America Nazarene University in Olathe next fall.

Swanson was a Journal-World Super 25 selection as a quarterback last fall while leading the Cardinals to the Class 4A state quarterfinals.