It was one of those seasons they’ll be talking about forever on Lawrence’s west side.

After losing eight starters from a 7-3 team in 2007, the 2008 Free State High football team rolled into the season with big expectations and even bigger question marks.

A slow start that produced records of 1-2 and 3-3 temporarily stalled the Firebirds’ run, but during the final seven games of the season, Free State was as hot as any team in the state.

“Coming into the season, we felt that we could be a pretty good football team,” Free State coach Bob Lisher said. “Preseason, we were picked number three in the league. We knew Olathe North and Olathe East would probably be the top picks, but we thought we had an opportunity to compete with them.”

That thought came to fruition during the Class 6A state quarterfinals, when the Firebirds avenged a regular season loss to Olathe North by knocking the Eagles out of the playoffs.

The 10-6 playoff victory featured one of two postseason drives that will go down in Free State High football lore. A 90-yard, 14-play march into a stiff wind delivered the game-winning touchdown and propelled the Firebirds into the state semifinals.

The following week, the Firebirds delivered an encore of sorts, an 80-yard, 17-play fourth-quarter drive that beat Blue Valley, 14-7.

Despite recording just two playoff victories in 11 previous seasons, Free State picked up three more in 2008 and advanced to the first state title game in program history.

At Washburn University’s Yager Stadium in Topeka, the Firebirds’ magical run came to a close via a 19-14 loss to Junction City.

Although they lost, several Firebirds left the Yager Stadium field with a great sense of pride.

“The thing I’ll remember most is us coming together after being 3-3 and just getting things going from there,” senior Chucky Hunter said. “We learned how to fight back from adversity and we never gave up. We weren’t quitters.”

While the season will go down in history for the accomplishment of the team, it also will always have a special place in Hunter’s heart.

As expected, Hunter led the Firebirds in rushing and, as a senior, emerged as a team leader. Hunter’s 1,707 yards on the ground established a new Free State High single season record.

Running mate Camren Torneden’s 2,404 total yards — 1,362 rushing and 1,042 passing — established a new weapon and were the most since Ryan Murphy’s 2,947-yard season in 2006.

“That means a lot,” Hunter said. “I’ve put in a lot of hard work and basically dedicated myself to Free State for these last three years. It’s great to leave here knowing that I’ve been a part of something special. I remember going to basketball games and walking in and looking up at the records on the board. Every time I did, I thought to myself, ‘I’m gonna break that, I’m gonna break that.’ So it’s definitely something I always had in my mind.”

The Firebirds lose 21 seniors from this year’s team, including four offensive lineman, four linebackers and two of three defensive linemen.

The Firebirds return Torneden at quarterback and a host of others who played key snaps for the state runners-up along the way.

That, along with the experienced the underclassmen gained this season, has Hunter believing the team will be in good hands.

“I expect them to win ballgames and to compete,” Hunter said. “They’re all competitive and they know what it takes. They’ve been a part of it and they know what they need to do.”