photo by: Chance Parker/Special to the Journal-World

Lawrence Free State huddles up at the start of halftime against Shawnee Mission East on Friday, Sept. 6, 2024, in Lawrence.

Free State football will come into Thursday’s long-awaited rematch at Manhattan with a heap of momentum after scrapping out a win in its 2024 season opener.

The Firebirds (1-0) took down Shawnee Mission East in a defensive grind, 12-3. Another strong defensive showing is needed when the Firebirds make the trip back to Bishop Stadium, where their season ended a year ago. Manhattan (1-0) comes in with a spark of energy of its own, defeating Garden City 57-21 in its season opener.

With a short week of practice, head coach Kevin Stewart says that despite limited practices, he feels his team has adjusted to the short week and will be rested and ready to go.

“I think the guys adjusted well, we didn’t practice on Sunday,” Stewart said. “Part of us wanted to practice, but another part of us was like ‘Hey, these guys need a little bit of a break.'”

Free State was led offensively in week one by senior running back Noah Simpson, who rushed for 86 yards and a touchdown against the Lancers. Moving forward, senior quarterback Boston Baker will look to be the catalyst for the offense. In the first start of his career, Baker completed 11 of 19 passes for 116 yards, finding four different receivers.

photo by: Chance Parker/Special to the Journal-World

Free State senior Boston Baker slings the ball downfield during the season opener against Shawnee Mission East on Friday, Sept. 6, 2024, in Lawrence.

“Boston got his first taste of varsity action Friday night, having a full game,” Stewart said. “Look for him to improve just because, you know, it’s his second game so he’ll be a little bit more confident.”

Defensively, the Firebirds were led by senior linebacker Crow Bengoa, who recorded 10 tackles and a game-sealing interception, along with senior defensive back Noah Rupp, who recorded five tackles, a forced fumble and an interception of his own.

As a whole, the defensive unit brings in a lot of experience, and Stewart knows that this is a group that believes in itself, and shows that effort on the field.

“I think our defense is experienced and I think they had a lot of confidence Friday night,” Stewart said. “They never really doubted themselves, they kind of believed the whole time, like ‘We can get this done.’ We have some really good guys on the defensive line and linebacker position that kind of help us out.”

Manhattan is led by senior quarterback Carter Aslin, who was named to the All-Centennial League second team following his 2023 campaign. In the season opener, Aslin showed just how good of a dual-threat option he is, throwing for 142 yards and two touchdowns, while adding 130 yards and four touchdowns on the ground.

“It comes down to stopping him, we’ve been working on that all week and trying to get guys to understand their option assignments and make sure everyone understands that he’s going to scramble and run the ball,” Stewart said.

The Firebirds are now more than acquainted with Manhattan, and are ready to snap a three-game losing streak which dates back to 2019. In order to snap the skid, Stewart knows that the game will be mental before it becomes physical.

“Specifically, the message is just mental toughness,” Stewart said. “We’ve been talking about mental toughness all the time, but really this week more than anything we say, ‘Hey, this is a mental toughness week, and if you guys want to win you’re gonna have to take it from them.'”