photo by: Kahner Sampson/Special to the Journal-World

Free State's Finn Moore (18) is tossed up by teammate Lawson Brunghardt (71) after scoring a touchdown against Olathe Northwest on Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, in Lawrence.

Following back-to-back weeks with gut-wrenching losses to two of the best teams in the state of Kansas, getting back into the win column was the only thing that mattered for Free State football as it faced Olathe Northwest on homecoming night.

The Firebirds (2-2) left no doubt on the field, leading from start to finish in a 42-14 dismantling of the visiting Ravens (2-2) on Friday.

“I thought the offense came out and executed, really at a high level there at the beginning, and they were sharp and crisp and they were ready to go,” head coach Kevin Stewart said. “I was pretty pleased with that on offense. The defense was pretty much lights out the entire game so good for them.”

After a pass-heavy showing last week at Mill Valley, Stewart knew that this would be an opportunity to re-implement the rushing attack. In total, Free State rushed for 198 yards and fourt touchdowns as a team.

“This week, we felt it was more ‘Hey, take what the defense gives,’ if they’re giving us the pass, you know, throw the ball, and if they’re, you know, backing off, run the ball,” Stewart said.

Sophomore quarterback/defensive back Finn Moore returned the opening kickoff 27-yards, setting up a six-play, 55-yard drive in which senior running back Noah Simpson found space on the left side for a 10-yard touchdown to give Free State a quick 7-0 lead just two minutes and 19 seconds into the ballgame.

Following a great return by Simpson to give the Firebirds prime field position, senior running back Ryan Weishaar broke off for a 16-yard gain to put the Firebirds inside the 5-yard line. Two plays later, senior quarterback Boston Baker found senior wide receiver Landon Leipold on a perfectly designed stick route to go up two scores.

Carrying a 14-0 lead into the second quarter, Free State was granted great field position once again, as a four-play, 26-yard drive resulted in Simpson powering his way for his second touchdown of the evening via a 3-yard rush.

After the Firebirds’ defense held the Ravens scoreless for a fourth time, Baker conducted another short touchdown drive. On first-and-10 at the 14, Baker scrambled to his right and connected with senior wide receiver Bralin Preston for the third time in two games, giving Free State a 28-0 lead.

Olathe Northwest had been stagnant on offense until sophomore quarterback Brody Comfort found wide receiver Nolan Wallace for a 53-yard gain late into the second quarter to move well within Free State territory.

The offensive struggles would continue to pile on for the Ravens, however, as on the very next play Moore stripped Comfort and senior defensive lineman Blaine Larkin recovered for the Firebirds.

Free State found the end zone one last time before halftime as the clock started to dwindle. On fourth-and-1, Stewart called a timeout and dialed up a speed option for Moore, and he bounced off multiple defenders and sped away for a 26-yard touchdown to go up 35-0 at the halftime break.

“(The coaches) tell me ‘Just get a yard,’ and I see a big hole, I just run straight through it to the endzone,” Moore said.

Out of the half, the Ravens put themselves in prime position to score, driving down to the Firebird 23-yard line. The drive ended up unsuccessful when Moore stuffed the gap on a halfback spread and tackled sophomore running back Noah Harrell on fourth down.

After a bad snap on fourth down, Olathe Northwest took over at the Free State 19-yard line. The series stalled when the Firebirds got to the 37-yard field goal attempt, tipping it and leaving the Ravens scoreless furthermore.

Free State drove once again down the field, as Simpson capped off the drive with another sweep to the left for a one-yard rush, and his third touchdown of the night.

The Ravens offense finally showed some life, with a long drive, feeding junior running back Daniel Skoczek early and often. After a multitude of chunk yards, Skoczek bruised his way into the endzone to cut the lead to 42-7.

Olathe Northwest would score once more on a 7-yard rush by Comfort with 14 seconds left, but Free State knelt the clock out and came away with the victory in dominant fashion.

The Firebirds are able to celebrate now until the morning when meetings come around as they prepare for a trip to Olathe West next Friday. The message remains the same as it was coming into this week: “It’s about us.”

“I already told them, you know, it’s about us and our team, and we have to decide how good we want to be,” Stewart said. “We’ve seen some really good teams, we’ve seen some teams that are, you know, solid, and some teams that maybe aren’t as good, but we’ve seen enough teams now that it’s not really about our opponents, it’s about our team and what we do and if we put it at work.”

Game stats

Free State 42, Olathe Northwest 14

FS | ONW

First downs 13 | 15

Rushes-yards 33-198 | 32-73

Passing yards 99 | 208

Total offense 297 | 281

Fumbles-lost 0-0 | 0-0

Interceptions 0 | 1

Penalty yards 9-70 | 4-50

Score by quarters

FS (2-2) 14 21 0 7 – 42

ONW (2-2) 0 0 0 14 – 14

How they scored

First quarter

09:41 – Noah Simpson 10-yard run. Yusef Iskandrani kick is good. (FS 7 ONW 0)

07:04 – Boston Baker 5-yard pass to Landon Leipold. Iskandrani kick is good. (FS 14 ONW 0)

Second quarter

10:43 – Simpson 3-yard run. Iskandrani kick is good. (FS 21 ONW 0)

07:24 – Baker 14-yard pass to Bralin Preston. Iskandrani kick is good. (FS 28 ONW 0)

00:53 – Finn Moore 26-yard run. Iskandrani kick is good. (FS 35 ONW 0)

Fourth quarter

11:19 – Simpson 1-yard run. Iskandrani kick is good. (FS 42 ONW 0)

06:21 – Daniel Skoczek 1-yard run. Sam Keely kick is good. (FS 42 ONW 7)

00:14 – Brody Comfort 7-yard run. Keely kick is good. (FS 42 ONW 14)

Individual statistics

Rushing:

FS: Noah Simpson 16-113; Ryan Weishaar 7-41; Finn Moore 1-25; Nez Lattimore-Douglas 5-25; Collins Mwithanga 2-6

ONW: Daniel Skoczek 10-43; Jaelen Douglas 9-16; Noah Harrell 6-11; Brody Comfort 5-0; Lucas Claussen 1-2; Krishna Chevuru 1-1

Passing:

FS: Boston Baker 10-17-99

ONW: Brody Comfort 11-25-190; Michael Heffley 5-5-18

Receiving:

FS: Bralin Preston 5-57; Landon Leipold 3-4; Maddon Brittingham 1-34; Liam Stramberg 1-4

ONW: Mason Schlittenhard 6-104; Nolan Wallace 3-76; Magnus Larson 2-32; Noah Harrell 3-2; Krishna Chevuru 1-(-2)

photo by: Kahner Sampson/Special to the Journal-World

Free State senior Blaine Larkin recovers an Olathe Northwest fumble in Lawrence on Friday, Sept. 27, 2024.

photo by: Kahner Sampson/Special to the Journal-World

Free State senior Bralin Preston catches a touchdown against Olathe Northwest on Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, in Lawrence.

photo by: Kahner Sampson/Special to the Journal-World

Free State’s Liam Stramberg runs down field after completing a catch against Olathe Northwest on Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, in Lawrence.

photo by: Kahner Sampson/Special to the Journal-World

Free State senior Noah Simpson hypes up the crowd during the game against Olathe Northwest on Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, in Lawrence.

photo by: Kahner Sampson/Special to the Journal-World

Free State kicker Yusef Iskandrani (1) kicks an extra point held by Mason Gellender (88) in the game against Olathe Northwest on Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, in Lawrence.

photo by: Kahner Sampson/Special to the Journal-World

Free State kicker Yusef Iskandrani catches a snap before punting in the Firebirds’ game against Olathe Northwest in Lawrence on Friday, Sept. 27, 2024.

photo by: Kahner Sampson/Special to the Journal-World

Free State special teams kick the ball away to Olathe Northwest on Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, in Lawrence.

photo by: Kahner Sampson/Special to the Journal-World

Free State’s Landon Leipold celebrates with a teammate after scoring a touchdown against Olathe Northwest on Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, in Lawrence.

photo by: Kahner Sampson/Special to the Journal-World

Free State senior Ryan Weishaar evades Olathe Northwest defenders in the Friday, Sept 27, 2024, game played in Lawrence.

photo by: Kahner Sampson/Special to the Journal-World

Free State senior Noah Simpson awaits an Olathe Northwest punt on Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, in Lawrence.

photo by: Kahner Sampson/Special to the Journal-World

Free State running back Noah Simpson breaks into the end zone for a touchdown against Olathe Northwest on Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, in Lawrence.

photo by: Kahner Sampson/Special to the Journal-World

Free State sophomore Maddon Brittingham charges down the field against Olathe Northwest on Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, in Lawrence.

photo by: Kahner Sampson/Special to the Journal-World

Free State sophomore Finn Moore receives the opening kickoff in the Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, game against Olathe Northwest in Lawrence.

photo by: Kahner Sampson/Special to the Journal-World

Free State head coach Kevin Stewart speaks to his team before their game against Olathe Northwest on Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, in Lawrence.

photo by: Kahner Sampson/Special to the Journal-World

Free State quarterback Boston Baker warms up his arm before the Firebirds’ game against Olathe Northwest in Lawrence on Friday, Sept. 27, 2024.

photo by: Kahner Sampson/Special to the Journal-World

The Free State football team storms on to the field before its game against Olathe Northwest on Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, in Lawrence.