LJWorld.com

Posted by Matt Tait October 21, 2008 at 11:34 a.m.

Lions and Firebirds to meet 3 times this week - Be there!

Monday afternoon the Free State High soccer team played host to Lawrence High in the second city showdown of the fall season. The first, a girls tennis clash won by LHS, took place back in September and was sparsely attended. But Monday's soccer game, which featured two tough teams and a standing-room-only crowd, set the tone for what should be one heck of a week. After battling through 80 minutes of regulation and two 10-minute overtimes, the Lions and Firebirds left the field with a 1-1 tie.It was heated, it was physical, it was intense and it was a joy to watch. Get this, one Lawrence High player wore green shoes and one Free State forward wore red. Weird, sure. But the color of their cleats hardly had an impact on the outcome of the game. The way they and the rest of their teammates played on Monday, they could have been barefoot and the game still would have been a battle. It ended in a tie, and the schools currently sit tied in this year's World Company Cup standings with 2.5 points apiece. They'll get a chance to break that tie later this week - twice. Thursday, the LHS and Free State volleyball teams will square off in a dual match at Free State High. Nancy Hopkins' Firebirds have the better record (22-14 vs. 9-23) and enter the game with two victories against the Lions already this season. The most recent came last Saturday at the Emporia Tournament, where FSHS swept LHS in two sets. But this one's head-to-head, it's the last regular season match of the season for both teams and it figures to be played in front of a high-energy group of fans. If you're not already planning to go, you should. One night later, on Friday, the Lions and Firebirds will hit the gridiron for the marquee matchup in this week of the rivalry. LHS enters the game at 3-4 on the heels of a 28-7 victory over Olathe Northwest. Free State enters at 4-3 with the memory of a 55-21 pasting of Leavenworth fresh on the minds of the players. The winner will have the inside track on a district title, and therefore will have a leg up in the quest to host a first-round playoff game. It's a huge game without all that on the line. It's even bigger because of it. But this time, with both schools expected to have their own on-campus stadiums for the 2009 season, the game will be even bigger than ever before. Depending on the outcome, it's possible that this could be the final time the Lions play at Haskell Stadium as the home team. There have been a ton of big games and big crowds in the storied history of high school football at Haskell Stadium. Wouldn't it be great if Friday's crowd was the biggest? Again, if you're not already planning to go, you should mix it into your plans. It's going to be a great week for the LHS-FSHS rivalry. And it's only just begun. Still searching for Hidden Heroes_Have you seen someone go out of their way to help make the local high school sports scene click recently? Have a story about a super fan, a player or a devoted parent who has helped any of the local high school teams in some extraordinary way? We want to hear about it._Check out The Dividing Line's [Hidden Heroes blog][1] and clue us in about the person you've seen who makes Lawrence's high school sports scene spectacular. [1]: http://www2.ljworld.com/blogs/dividing_line/2008/oct/13/hidden_heroes/