photo by: Nathan Friedman/Special to the Journal-World

Free State junior quarterback Finn Moore fights through defenders during the game against Olathe East High School on Friday, Sept. 26, 2025, in Lawrence.

Free State football will visit Olathe South on Friday night for a game with significant Sunflower League implications.

The Firebirds are 3-1 at the midway point of the season and have put themselves at the top of the league standings with a 3-0 record in those games. Head coach Kevin Stewart says he and the coaching staff remind the team that a championship is still well within reach.

“We’re trying to use that as motivation every week, and we have four games to go, so it’s just one week at a time,” Stewart said. “Olathe South’s got a good team, so we’re just trying to keep those guys a little motivated.”

The Falcons hold a 2-2 overall record but also find themselves near the top of the league standings with a 2-1 mark in league games. The Falcons are coming off their first loss in league play last week, as they fell 49-35 at Shawnee Mission East.

With the teams just a game apart in the standings, Stewart says he has emphasized that this is a “league-championship-type game.”

“It’s a huge week,” Stewart said. “If they beat us, they’re gonna be ahead of us in the league. I think our guys know the importance, and I hope they play with that urgency.”

Olathe South has a very similar style of play offensively to Free State in that the Falcons will establish their offense with the run, but have the ability to hurt opposing defenses in the passing game as well.

“They are about 70% run overall, but they do have the ability to pass the ball,” Stewart said. “They definitely have some good receivers, and the quarterback can get the ball there. They are not inept in the passing game; they can do some things well.”

Olathe South’s offense is highlighted by the play of senior quarterback Gage Lee, whom Stewart says the Firebirds’ defense will “have their hands full with.”

“He’s a dynamic player, he can run and throw; he’s really shifty,” Stewart said.

With the heavy rushing attack, Free State will rely on its defensive line to win the battle up front against the Olathe South offensive line. Stewart says that to win in the trenches, the key is to take advantage of mismatches.

“One thing we’re trying to do is trying to find matchups on the O-line (and) D-line that we like, that maybe we can exploit,” Stewart said. “The other part of it is they run a lot of read option and so the D-line has to do their job, (be) assignment-sound, and then our linebackers have to play off of that and set the next level.”

Aside from Lee, the Falcons have two explosive running backs in Justus Sprague and JuJu Wyatt. Stewart says the key to limiting the Olathe South backfield is to “keep them in a phone booth.”

“They move really well, and so we’ve got to keep them bottled up,” he said. “We can’t let them get a lot of gaps and lanes because they are really fast guys.”

On the other side of the ball, the Falcons’ defense allowed 399 rushing yards last week against Shawnee Mission East. The Firebirds will look to have offensive success on the ground with quarterback Finn Moore and running back Maddon Brittingham, but will also be more balanced and establish a passing threat.

“Obviously, we want to run the ball,” Stewart said. “If we can run the ball like (Shawnee Mission East), that would be fantastic, but I think we’ll be a little more spread. We need to be very efficient on offense. We need to score every time we get the ball, or close to it.”

Amid the positive start, Free State has still shown some of its inexperience at times, especially late in games and defensively, with a few starters having to play on both sides of the ball. Overall, Stewart has seen consistent development from his group and feels like they are starting to put it all together.

“We’re seeing a lot of improvements from individuals, so that’s been positive. I think offensively, we’re really starting to come together and find an identity,” Stewart said. “The pieces are starting to come together, but we still have to keep working at it.”

Kickoff at the Olathe District Activity Center is set for 7 p.m.