Free State

Second half surge pushes Free State to 66-38 win over LHS

Holding a 7-point lead at halftime over their crosstown rival, the Firebirds needed a spark in the second half to close the deal. “We thought our press was being effective and we just needed to get to the rim more,” Free State coach Nick Wood said. “We were settling for too many outside ...

Stakes are high for both FSHS and LHS in highly anticipated City Showdown

The buzz around this year's City Showdown was palpable nearly 72 hours before tipoff. While fielding questions about this year's crosstown clash, which is slated to take place at 8 p.m. today at Allen Fieldhouse, there was an extra sense of focus for members of both Free State and Lawrence ...

LHS girls bowling, FSHS boys both earn wins in City Showdown

Both local bowling programs came away with a win in the City Showdown on Tuesday at Royal Crest Lanes. Lawrence High’s girls bowling team was victorious, while Free State’s boys bowling squad claimed a narrow victory in a dual between the two programs. LHS girls scored 1,993 as a team, ...

Depth on display in Free State’s 63-45 win over Shawnee Mission North

It is not always easy to dig deep into the bench at this point in the season, especially during a grinding league battle. Fortunately for FSHS boys basketball coach Sam Stroh, he doesn’t have that issue. Free State needed a total-team effort to push past Shawnee Mission North, 63-45, on ...

Free State girls can’t overcome 3-point barrage by SM North

Shawnee Mission North drilled a dozen 3-pointers, including seven triples in the first half, en route to a 62-52 victory over Free State on Tuesday at FSHS. The Firebirds have now dropped all six of their contests since upsetting Derby in the semifinals of the Lady Firebirds Winter Classic on ...

Lou Fincher and Trey Medina grab titles at Sunflower League Invitational

Olathe — Lawrence High junior Trey Medina won the 152-pound weight class at the Sunflower League Invitational on Saturday after pinning Olathe North sophomore Landon Wilkes. LHS finished ninth as a team with 61 points. It was also a successful day for Free State, which finished in sixth ...

Free State bench comes up big once again in 60-46 road win over Shawnee Mission East

Prairie Village — Throughout this season, Free State coach Sam Stroh has consistently pointed to the Firebirds’ wins as “team efforts,” as Free State has relied on a productive bench. And in the Firebirds’ 60-46 road win over Shawnee Mission East on Friday night, that came to be true ...

Kris Daniels provides spark off bench, FSHS boys knock off Olathe West

Kris Daniels started the fourth quarter by draining a wide-open 3-pointer. Moments later, he finished a layup through contact, turned towards his teammates, and let out a yell. The momentum of Tuesday’s game at Free State had shifted for good thanks to the Firebird junior. In addition to ...

Free State girls surrender late lead in 66-62 loss to Olathe West

It’s been an up-and-down season for Free State girls basketball, and Tuesday was very nearly a high point against No. 4 Olathe West. Free State counterpunched Olathe West all night but couldn’t answer the Owls’ fourth-quarter flurry, as the Firebirds fell 66-62 at home Tuesday ...

Rodman’s runner-up finish helps LHS girls bowling claim 3rd at Sunflower League

Moments after stepping away from the podium, Lawrence High senior Emilie Rodman insisted that the rest of the varsity girls bowling team take another photo together. Rodman set her phone on the counter at College Lanes on Tuesday and took a group photo of the six-player squad. All the bowlers ...

FSHS wrestling falls to Basehor-Linwood

Free State’s wrestling team ended up on the wrong end of a dual at Basehor-Linwood on Friday. Basehor-Linwood won seven of the 13 matches, including one by forfeit, en route to a 45-31 victory. Jett Barton, Austin Burenheide and Titus Birdashaw all won their respective open matches for the ...