It was important for Free State’s Anniston Clark to earn a win over Lawrence in her final high school season. But what made Thursday’s win memorable was doing it alongside her sister, Bryna. Anniston and Bryna only have one year together at Free State, and with their age difference, this season is the only time that they’ve been able to play volleyball together in an organized manner. So the sisters are ...
The Lawrence football team is feeling pretty good. The Lions have won two straight for the first time since midway through the 2024 season, and they will host a winless Olathe East team on senior night. But Lawrence coach Jason Thoren doesn't want the Lions to let up on the gas pedal in this game or any other this year. "You can't ever let down in football," Thoren said. "That's been the message all week. It's ...
Despite being a legendary place for basketball, Lawrence is just as much a football town. It’s palpable at Lawrence High and Free State football games. The history goes as far back as Al Woolard in the '50s and '60s, where undefeated seasons became the norm. Coaches Bill Freeman and continued that success until the late '90s, where the town became a two-school city, and the football success in Lawrence was ...
The Free State and Lawrence volleyball teams circle the City Showdown every year, and for the third year in a row, the Firebirds were the ones to get the glory. Free State never trailed against Lawrence as the Firebirds went into Lawrence High and came away with a 3-0 win. “We did a nice job of not letting our mistakes turn into multiple points,” Free State coach Joel Grillot said. “We fell into that ...
The first flag football City Showdown went about as expected, with large, raucous crowds, momentum swings, highlight plays and a season-defining win for one team. That team was Free State, which made local history on Wednesday by holding off a late push from Lawrence to win 22-13 at home. “It’s amazing,” sophomore quarterback Quinlynn Vail said. “(The seniors can say) they never lost to LHS… we knew ...
It’s tough to score in a soccer overtime. One goal ends it, and teams are just as cautious of giving up the game-winning goal as they are looking for the winning opportunity. It took 9 minutes, 53 seconds of overtime for the best scoring opportunity to appear for Lawrence boys soccer, and as the team set up its corner kick, Senior Gavin Hayes knew it had to be him, and it had to be there. “I told myself, ...