So much for missing last year’s seniors.

Greeted all offseason with questions about which players would replace 2006 stars Ryan and Brian Murphy, Christian Ballard and a mammoth offensive line, the 2007 Free State High football offense has picked up where it left off.

In two games, the Firebirds have scored a total of 84 points. That’s a 42-point average, three points per game more than last year’s team.

“We just have good athletes,” senior tight end Mike Santee said. “Even though we lost a lot of good players, we plugged in athletes to replace them, and we haven’t really missed them that much.”

The same cannot be said on defense, where Free State also plugged several new faces into its starting lineup.

So far, Free State coach Bob Lisher said his team’s offense was well ahead of its defense. But he’s hoping that will change as the Firebirds log more game experience.

“Offensively, it’s about execution,” Lisher said. “We must continue to execute and continue to keep our offense playing at the level it’s at. Defensively, it’s taken a little longer, and we’re still not where we want to be fundamentally, but hopefully it gets better each week.”

As the Firebirds prepare for a Week 3 battle with Leavenworth at 7 tonight at Haskell Stadium, the team’s focus is on the defensive side of the ball.

The Free State defense has played well at times during the first two weeks of the season. Take the stout second-half performance against high-powered Olathe South in Week 1 or the impressive opening three quarters against Shawnee Mission South last week as examples.

Leavenworth enters averaging fewer than two touchdowns per contest, but Lisher said he expects his defense to be tested by the explosive Pioneers.

“Leavenworth is a scary team because they’re so athletic,” Lisher said. “They always have athletes. They may not be as fundamentally sound or as disciplined, but if you let any one of their athletes get into the open field, you could be in trouble.”

For years Leavenworth has been a Sunflower League cellar-dweller. In fact, the Pioneers entered 2007 on the heels of back-to-back winless seasons and once again were picked by league coaches to finish in last place. But this season, with new coach Chad Speer in place, the Pioneers got off to an impressive start. A 20-15 victory in Week 1 over Shawnee Mission North gave the Pioneers their first season-opening victory in years. That went a long way toward changing the culture of losing that had become the norm at Leavenworth High.

In Week 2, the Pioneers were drubbed by Shawnee Mission Northwest, 54-7.

The two different outcomes opened some eyes in the Free State locker room, but only for a minute. As the Firebirds prepared for the unknown that is the 2007 Leavenworth High football team, they looked little at the Pioneers’ and a lot at themselves.

“We train for every team just as hard as any other,” Santee said. “We look at their offense and their defense and then we worry about ourselves. We just want to get better. It doesn’t matter what the other team has done or is going to do, we just want to improve.”

For the first time this season, Free State will enter game day a little banged up. Sophomore lineman Michael Lisher, a starter on both sides of the ball, injured his left knee in the Firebirds’ 57-14 pounding of Shawnee Mission South last week and was questionable for tonight’s game as of Wednesday night.

If the sophomore can’t go, coach Lisher said John Bergman would replace him at center and Josh Hill would slide into Bergman’s spot at left tackle.

Although the Thursday kickoff changes the normal routine, Santee said the Firebirds would be ready.

“Everyone would rather play on Friday night,” Santee said. “Going to school the day after a game is no fun. But, that shouldn’t matter. The effort’s been there and we’ve been practicing real hard. We just need to tighten a couple of things up and I think this week we will.”

Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.