Free State High assistant football coach Brett Oberzan works with defenders, Thursday, June 12, 2014, at FSHS.

Free State High’s football team will be without one of its most familiar faces next year.

Defensive coordinator Brett Oberzan, who spent the last 11 seasons at FSHS, accepted the head-coaching position at Shawnee Mission South on Friday.

“I’m very excited to get the opportunity to do this,” said Oberzan, a 1987 graduate of Lawrence High and a former wide receiver for the Lions. “I’m most looking forward to get a program started, getting Shawnee Mission South football rolling.”

Despite numerous injuries to Free State defensive starters this season, the Firebirds limited opposing teams to just 168 rushing yards per game, which ranked fourth in the Sunflower League. The Firebirds were also in the top half of the league in pass defense.

In their playoff run to the state semifinals, the Firebirds held teams to an average of just 17 points per game during their six-game win streak.

“For the most part, I gave him free rein defensively because he earned it,” FSHS coach Bob Lisher said. “He did a great job putting the defense together, especially when we had some injuries.”

Oberzan takes over at SM South after Ryan Lonergan resigned in early December, after leading the Raiders to a 13-24 record over four seasons.

Oberzan, who also helped coach receivers at Free State, said he’ll miss the players he coached, many of whom went to Twitter to express their excitement for their former coach. He’s also glad to stay in the Sunflower League, “one of the best leagues in the state.”

“The young man has worked really hard for me for the last 11 years, and two years at Blue Valley North,” Lisher said. “He’s a tireless worker and very dedicated to doing things right. Glad that it happened where he has an opportunity to show people what he can do.”