Free State High football players work through a drill during camp at the Firebirds’ new field. The four-day camp ended Thursday.

Free State’s Shawn Knighton, left, and Kirk Resseguie run through a drill Thursday at FSHS.

Last summer, like all 32 Class 6A football teams in the state, the Free State High Firebirds talked about winning a state championship.

But this summer, after advancing to last year’s state title game and finishing as the Class 6A runners-up, the Firebirds are doing a lot more than talking about winning a title. They’re working toward making it happen.

“Before, it was something we dreamt about,” said senior-to-be Camren Torneden, who started at quarterback for the Firebirds most of last season. “But now that we know what it takes to get there, we’re hungry to finish the job.”

That was the prevailing theme at this week’s team camp, where more than 50 Firebirds and the FSHS coaching staff ran through drills, worked on schemes and refamiliarized themselves with Free State football Monday through Thursday.

“We’re trying to develop a program here,” FSHS coach Bob Lisher said. “We don’t have seasons, we have a program. Because of that, we tried to continue on what we did last year out here this week.”

For some, like Torneden and lineman Michael Lisher, the camp was less about becoming familiar with the Free State way and more about the transition from junior starter to senior leader.

The early returns show that both players are taking their new roles seriously.

“When we first got together, the coaches talked to us about how last year’s seniors were defined by being the first to get to the state title game and how this year’s seniors should strive to be the first to win it,” Michael Lisher said. “That’s really the most important thing about being out here right now. It doesn’t really feel different, we’re just trying to help the younger guys get used to the way things are done around here.”

Across town at Lawrence High, the Lions conducted their team camp this week, as well. Unlike at Free State, Lawrence’s camp, which concludes today, has been more about incorporating a large group of newcomers into one of the most tradition-rich programs in the state.

“It was very much an introduction to Lawrence High football and what it means,” LHS coach Dirk Wedd said. “The seniors did a great job with leadership, showing those younger guys the way things are done around here, and I was very pleased with the effort and energy everybody had all week.”

The Lions welcome a class of 47 sophomores to the program, one of the largest classes in recent memory at either school. However, before he anoints any of them starters or impact players, Wedd said many of the newcomers have to prove themselves on the field to the coaching staff and their teammates.

“We have a lot of young kids who have to crawl before they can walk and walk before they can run,” Wedd said. “But we feel very good about where we’re at and what they’ve done. They’ve all been away from the game for six to eight months, and this camp was just a good way to get them back into football a little bit.”

Both LHS and Free State will have several other organized camps throughout the summer, from seven-on-seven drills and youth camps to team camps, in which the coaches take a group of players on the road to compete against other teams in pads.

Free State will attend the Northwest Missouri State University team camp this weekend. Lawrence High also will be in action this weekend, as the Lions head to the team camp at Emporia State University.