In about two weeks, Lawrence High and Free State football teams will open their seasons with their first day of practice. But both schools have competed at team camps, padded camps and scrimmages throughout the summer.


In June, the two schools spent two days at the University of Kansas team camp, along with about 15 other teams around the area. They also participated in Baker University’s padded team camp, which they hosted on their own fields. Along with the two city schools, Shawnee Mission East, SM South, St. Thomas Aquinas and Leavenworth were at the Baker camp. Here’s some of the things that caught my eye throughout the summer, starting with the Firebirds:


The quarterback competition is becoming more clear with Dallas Crittenden as the frontrunner to start in Week One. On the last day of the Baker team camp, FSHS coach Bob Lisher said the quarterback competition would continue into the fall practices, but the QBs are ranked. As I wrote earlier in the summer, Crittenden, who transferred from Topeka Hayden, took the majority of the snaps with the first-team offense. He has a strong arm and is becoming more comfortable as a dual-threat QB.


Free State junior Gage Foster took reps with the second-team offense and played some running back on the first team, so he will likely find a role on the offense whether it’s at quarterback or running back. Sophomore Jordan Preston has worked with the JV offense, giving him regular reps.


The Firebirds should feature a strong defense, anchored by Jay Dineen at middle linebacker. If the end of last season was any indication, once they became more comfortable in their “50” defense, they thrived. Some players are in new roles, but they have plenty of star power returning in Kansas commit Dineen, Zack Sanders, Daniel Bryant, Zion Bowlin and Noah Kema.


In the backfield, Bowlin and Foster appear to be in line for the most carries. Of course, that could always change because both of them have big roles on defense and don’t want to exhaust themselves. But they lined up the most with the first team offense. Jax Dineen, Craig Travis and Gabe Del Valle should have the opportunity to work their way into the offense, too.


The Firebirds will have a nice mix of returners on the offensive line. The Firebirds bring back Chase Houk, Sam Hambleton and Jay Dineen. All three of them started for the majority of last season and continuity is a big piece for any offensive line.



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Now for thoughts on Lawrence High:


Dante’ Jackson is making steady progress at quarterback. The 5-foot-7 junior looked better and better as the summer continued. He showed off his playmaking skills last season as a punt returner and slot receiver, but obviously the biggest adjustment is learning to throw and run an offense. Along with learning the position for the first time, he will be asked to run a no-huddle offense. But if the enthusiasm by his teammates is any clue, he should be more than ready by the first game on Sept. 2.


Speaking of Jackson, he showed a nice connection with his receivers, in particular Ekow Boye-Doe. Obviously summer scrimmages don’t exactly translate to games, but Boye-Doe was on fire every time I saw him play. He made some nice catches over the middle and caught some passes through traffic. Harrison King and Jalen Dudley also made some nice plays at receiver.


Opposing coaches were raving about the potential of senior defensive lineman Jacob Unruh. With the Lions moving to platoons for the first time, Unruh can save all of his energy for the defensive side of the ball. He wrecked havoc on the limited contact scrimmages, shedding blockers and finding his way into the backfield. Along with Unruh, senior BJ Murry looked strong on the defensive line.


Watching younger players turn into seniors, it’s interesting to see who turns into the vocal leaders of the team. On offense, one of the loudest voices was senior running back Trey Moore, who missed several games at the end of last year because of a fractured scapula in his left shoulder. Moore was a great backup running back for the past two seasons, and should be prime for a big season. On defense, senior Cade Burghart isn’t as vocal as some of his teammates, but sets the tone by showing his younger teammates the right way to complete drills and everything else.
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