At the beginning of the football season, the biggest question for Free State High was its offensive line.

It was understandable, with only one returning starter — senior Tanner Liba. But in the past three weeks, the offensive line has answered all questions.

The Firebirds have averaged more than 440 yards of offense during their three-game win streak heading into districts. Free State will travel to Washburn Rural at 7 tonight.

“Guys had to learn, and they’ve learned well,” FSHS coach Bob Lisher said. “But there were some bumps in the road early, obviously. They’re playing well now, and coach (Brett) Romme has done a great job with them. We need to continue to make improvements as we go along. We can’t rest on our laurels.”

Two members of the offensive line, senior center Garrett Swisher and junior left tackle Chase Houk, didn’t even play last year. Houk missed last season because of a broken foot in the team’s first padded practice, and Swisher sat out to “focus more on my school work and bettering myself for the future.”

The Firebirds (3-3) didn’t have much of an opportunity to let their linemen adjust to the Sunflower League in the first few weeks against defensive linemen from Shawnee Mission West, Olathe North and Lawrence High, three teams that have combined for an 18-1 record.

“It took us getting hit in the mouth a couple of times to finally understand that this was Sunflower League ball and we needed to step up our game,” Swisher said. “I think we have. We adjusted to our situation and really attacked it.”

Houk added: “Just how big they are, that definitely helped us. Playing those guys first definitely helped us a lot getting used to it all.”

During the middle of the season, the Firebirds added juniors Jay Dineen and Sam Hambleton to the offensive line as guards.

“At the beginning, I was so against going down because I saw myself as like a fullback and wide receiver,” Dineen said. “But then, when I did move down, I liked how I contributed right away and helped make the line better.”

Free State’s offensive linemen know they’ve improved in the past few weeks, especially after producing more than 330 rushing yards in a victory against Shawnee Mission East.

For Houk and Swisher, this season means a little more after not getting a chance to play in the team’s run to the Class 6A state semifinals last year.

“It’s really special,” Swisher said. “You really don’t take a snap for granted any more. You realize what you missed out on. I think it helped me a little bit as a football player seeing the game and also respecting it.”

FSHS probable starters

Offense

LT — Chase Houk, jr.

LG — Jay Dineen, jr.

C — Garrett Swisher, sr.

RG — Sam Hambleton, jr.

RT — Tanner Liba, sr.

QB — Bryce Torneden, sr.

RB — Sam Skwarlo, sr.

H — Zack Sanders, jr.

WR — Logan McKinney, sr.

WR — Daniel Bryant, jr.

TE — Darian Lewis, sr.

K — Kameron Lake, fr.

P — Drew Tochtrop, sr.

Defense

DT — Sam Hambleton, jr.

NG — Darian Lewis, sr.

DT — Jalen Galloway, sr.

OLB — Paul Bittinger, sr.

ILB — Jay Dineen, jr.

ILB — Sam Skwarlo, sr.

OLB — Drew Tochtrop, sr.

CB — Zack Sanders, jr.

CB — Logan McKinney, sr.

FS — Bryce Torneden, sr.

SS — Zion Bowlin, jr.