Blue Valley High School junior quarterback Anthony Abenoja (7) rushes for a touchdown Nov. 7, 2008, during the Tigers' victory against Lawrence High School. Free State will key on Abenoja and Blue Valley's potent offense at 7 tonight in the Class 6A semifinals.

Judging by the attitudes on display earlier this week, it was clear that having the weekend to enjoy its 10-6 victory against Olathe North last Friday was more than enough time for the Free State High football team.

On Monday, FSHS coach Bob Lisher rallied his troops and got back to work. His message was short and sweet.

“Blue Valley,” Lisher told his players. “It’s a completely different approach than last week. Let’s go to work.”

In many ways the briefing was short because it had to be. When you’re still playing football in late November — a feat Free State has experienced just twice in 12 seasons — practice time is precious as daylight disappears earlier and earlier each night.

But the fading sun was not the only reason Lisher kept things short. His team is hot right now. And every time the Firebirds get together — be it for practice, film sessions or on game nights — the only thing on their minds is working hard and getting better.

It’s that attitude that has taken Free State to where it is today — on the brink of a berth in the state championship game. Standing in the Firebirds’ way is Blue Valley, a 10-1 team that has not lost since early September. When the two teams lock horns in the Class 6A state semifinals at 7 tonight at Blue Valley High, the Firebirds will see a drastically different offensive attack than they did a week ago at O-North.

“They like to go five wide and spread teams out so we’ll have to be very solid with our pass defense this week, whereas last week we had to focus more on the run,” Lisher said.

That’s not an understatement. Saying the Firebirds will have to be solid against the pass to succeed is akin to saying humans need oxygen to breathe. The defense has to be sharp for the Firebirds to have a shot. The players know that. And they’re banking on it happening.

“I think our secondary’s the best in the league,” senior linebacker Joe Riordan said. “We’ll see.”

When asked if he was looking forward to facing a new style of offense like Blue Valley’s wide-open aerial attack, Riordan did not hesitate.

“It’s really exciting,” he said. “Because I might get to blitz.”

Mark that down as a microcosm of the Firebirds’ mindset as they attempt to earn their first berth in the state championship game in school history. They’re fired up. They’re hungry. And they’re ready to run through walls to get the job done.

Knowing that, Lisher has done his best to emphasize what’s important.

“Our focus, again, will be on ourselves and making ourselves better so that when we show up we know our assignments, we’re ready to go fundamentally and we can attack them where we feel they’re the weakest,” Lisher said. “Basically, we’re trying to see how our schemes can attack their schemes and that’s the way it is every week. We don’t really compare scores. They did defeat Olathe North, but it was a 42-41 game, not a 10-6 game, so it’s hard to compare in that regard.”

Just that score, 42-41, illustrates what the Firebirds are up against tonight. The Tigers like to score and they like to score quickly. What’s more, they have half a dozen impact players on offense.

“Their receivers do a great job of catching the ball and after they catch it they make yards,” Lisher said. “And that’s the scary part.”

There’s nothing scary about tonight’s opportunity. The Firebirds know what it’s like to be the underdog. They’ve played that role in both playoff games thus far and are looking forward to the challenge of pushing past one more quality team on their way to state.

“To win a state championship you have to beat the best,” Lisher said. “Right now we’re playing pretty good and they’re playing pretty good, as well. That’s the way you want it. You want everyone to be healthy, you want to go against the best they have and you want them to go against the best you have. Then you just see what happens.”