Free State freshman Mitch McCune is in trouble as Shawnee Mission Northwest's Eric Wong scores a point. Free State fell to the Cougars, 60-24, Wednesday at FSHS.

With an incomplete roster, Free State High’s wrestling team found itself in a hole Wednesday before any of the Firebirds took the mat.

FSHS had to forfeit its first two matches, and four total, to visiting Shawnee Mission Northwest, and that deficit was too much for the Firebirds to overcome.

Despite a strong finish when Julian Kuszmaul, Joey Cunningham and Pat Coffey each scored a pin to finish the dual with a three-match win streak for the home squad, FSHS fell to SMNW, 60-24.

“Twenty-four points is a lot to give up in a dual,” coach Paul Lappin said of the points SMNW received with the Firebirds not having wrestlers for the 103, 112, 125 and 130 classes. “It makes it tough on us.”

The Firebirds’ strong finish started when Kuszmaul, a 189-pound junior, came out with energy against Grant Berning and won with a pin.

“Julian’s a real strong kid and real aggressive,” Lappin said. “He did exactly what he needed to do. He got our team going and started the momentum to carry us through for the rest of the match.”

Cunningham, a 215-pound sophomore, kept the momentum going by making quick work of Grant Thompson. Then the 285-pound Coffey finished the night by taking his opponent, Gary Calvert, to the mat after a minute-plus stalemate when both pushed back and forth, refusing to budge.

Coffey said he was glad to finish the night with the victory, but wasn’t particularly fond of being the last wrestler out there.

“Oh, I hate it,” Coffey said. “That is my least favorite part – sitting there and just waiting and watching the other guy (his opponent), he looks like he’s getting bigger every time you look over there.”

The other Firebird victory came in the 140-pound weight class. Jack Caywood, making his first appearance since fracturing his right hand in November, also won by pin.

The Firebirds return to the mat Friday at the Blue Valley Northwest Invitational.