For the last few years, Jason Schroeder has been a de facto member of the Free State community, living in the area around the school and attending sporting events with his family. Now it's official, as Schroeder became the Free State athletic director in June. Although this is his first job ...
Braden Wilmes stood in the hallway of Southwest Middle School as an eighth grader after meeting Free State football coach Kevin Stewart and debated whether he’d play football. Wilmes had played football almost every year since kindergarten and started playing tackle football in second grade. ...
A year ago, Zane Shaw wasn’t sure what his college baseball prospects would look like. Coming off an injury in his sophomore year, he had something to prove to colleges. Then, Shaw and the Free State baseball team went 28-2 and won the Sunflower League and 6A state championship, with Shaw ...
Andrew Smith has always played baseball. From tee-ball through his high school career, “there’s never really been a time where I haven’t felt like playing,” Smith said. Now, Smith is set to continue his playing career in college after he committed to Allen Community College. The ...
The 2025 Kansas team in the High School Baseball National Championship Series went 2-2 in a national tournament over the weekend, with three Free State Firebirds on the team. Ben Graves, Ryker Mahnke and Zane Shaw joined some of the top 2026 and 2027 baseball players in the state on the roster ...
Three Free State baseball players are a part of the 2025 Kansas High School Baseball National Championship Series team, the most from any Kansas high school this year. Ben Graves, Ryker Mahnke and Zane Shaw are three of 19 players on the 2025 Kansas team in the three-day baseball tournament in ...