photo by: Carter Gaskins

Free State quarterback Malik Berry (5) attempts to escape a tackle by from Shawnee Mission East Sam Schlot (31) Friday at Shawnee Mission North. The Firebirds remain undefeated with a 36-30 win over the Lancers.

OVERLAND PARK — On the final play of the first half, junior quarterback Malik Berry received a low snap. It did not matter.

Senior receiver Keenan Garber had three Shawnee Mission East defenders around him in the end zone. It did not matter. Berry launched the ball up to his favorite receiver, and had total confidence in what would happen next.

Garber miraculously came down with the grab for a 32-yard score, and the point-after attempt gave Free State its first lead of the night Friday at Shawnee Mission North.

“I say this was our best win, because we had to come together as a team,” Garber said following the 36-30 victory. “We had to fight through adversity the whole game. That was a really good team that we played.”

Garber scored four touchdowns to help the Firebirds (7-0, 6-0 Sunflower League) stay undefeated on the season. After his four-score performance, Garber now has 17 touchdowns on 31 total touches this season.

Yet Garber’s play to close the first half was only made possible by his efforts on the defensive end. One play earlier, Garber intercepted Shawnee Mission East quarterback Andy Maddox and returned it to the opposing 32-yard line before dipping out of bounds with less than a second left in the first half.

Everyone in the stadium knew who the ball was going to before Berry even took the snap.

“That’s what we told him in the huddle, throw it to (Garber),” FSHS coach Bob Lisher said. “We were going to put him in the corner of the end zone. There were three guys on him, and he came down with it. He’s a big-time receiver for a reason.”

But the clash between a pair of ranked teams certainly lived up to its billing.

Shawnee Mission East, which is ranked No. 5 in Class 6A, stopped No. 2 Free State on the opening drive. Following the turnover on downs, the Lancers (5-2, 5-2 Sunflower League) proceeded to take the lead on a 31-yard field goal by Parker Willis.

It marked the first time that FSHS had trailed all season, snapping a stretch of 24 consecutive quarters without trailing.

“This is the way the game should be when it is (No. 2 vs. No. 5),” Lisher said. “I thought they responded well to adversity, and I thought we did too.”

Berry fumbled the ball on the ensuing possession, and the Lancers took a 10-0 lead via a 17-yard touchdown run by Tony Friends.

Garber gave the Firebirds some much-needed life, as he put them on a scoreboard with a 48-yard touchdown catch from Berry on the final play of the opening period. The Lancers tacked on nine more points with a safety and a touchdown before the tandem of Berry and Garber linked up again.

Berry received plenty of time from junior Turner Corcoran along with senior Shane Skwarlo, senior Kyle Flachsbarth, senior Zach Rasys and junior Ryan Lutz on the offensive line to deliver a strike. He drilled Garber in stride for a 50-yard touchdown pass to pull within one score.

The duo added one more touchdown connection in the third quarter. After Shawnee Mission East evened the score, FSHS senior running back Jax Dineen sealed the deal with a 4-yard touchdown.

“It felt so much better than winning 40-0 and having people tweet at you to play somebody good,” Berry said. “The coaches did a great job of preparing us for this game, I think we played really well.”

Prior to Friday night, the Firebirds had cruised past their six foes by a combined margin of 284-27.

As a result, Berry admitted he read comments on social media about Free State not facing tough competition. He took it personally, as he saw multiple media outlets predicting FSHS to lose to Shawnee Mission East.

In the end, though, none of that mattered.

“We proved that we can hang with the best in the state,” Berry said. “We have to prove we are the best in the state now.”

Free State plays host to Lawrence High for the City Showdown at 7 p.m. Friday.

FREE STATE 36, SM EAST 30

FS | SME

First downs 12 | 15

Rushes-yards 34-161 | 28-171

Passing yards 251 | 214

Total offense 412 | 385

Fumbles-lost 2-2 | 0-0

Interceptions 1 | 2

Penalties-yards 3-20 | 4-40

Score by quarters

Free State 6 14 13 3 — 36

SM East 10 9 8 3 — 30

Individual statistics

Rushing: Jax Dineen 18-107, Malik Berry 14-48, Ja’Brandian Douglas 1-(minus 1), LJ Mack 1-7

SME: Tony Friends 25-163, Andy Maddox 1-(minus 5), Rashaun Bruney 2-13

Passing

FS: Malik Berry 12-16-251; Jaxson Webb 0-1-0

SME: Andy Maddox 18-30-214

Receiving

FS: Keenan Garber 7-201, Jax Dineen 1-4, LJ Mack 2-4, Jaxson Webb 1-35, Payton Sparks 1-7

SME: Jacob Johnson 9-122, Ryan Hess 4-61, Tony Friends 2-4, Deonte Carrol 1-11, Noah Steele 1-11, Raushaun Bruney 1-5

HOW THEY SCORED

First quarter

5:11 — Parker Willis 28 field goal. (SME 3, FS 0)

3:44 — Tony Friends 17 run. Willis kick good. (SME 10, FS 0)

0:00 — Keenan Garber 48 pass from Malik Berry. Connor Gellender kick no good. (SME 10, FS 6)

Second quarter

8:20 — Shawnee Mission East forces a safety. (SME 12, FS 6)

2:36 — Ryan Hess 30 pass from Andy Maddox. (SME 19, FS 6)

1:07 — Garber 50 pass from Berry. Joey Wood kick good. (SME 19, FS 13)

0:00 — Garber 32 pass from Berry. Wood kick good. (FS 20, SME 19)

Third quarter

6:07 — Garber 26 pass from Berry. Wood kick good. (FS 27, SME 19)

5:50 — Friends 69 run. Rashaun Burney from Maddox on conversion. (FS 27, SME 27)

2:18 — Jax Dineen 4 run. PAT no good. (FS 33, SME 27)

Fourth quarter

6:36 — Willis 41 field goal. (FS 33, SME 30)

31.5 — Wood 30 field goal. (FS 36, SME 30)