photo by: Mike Gunnoe/Special to the Journal-World

Free State head coach Kevin Stewart yells out during the game against Shawnee Mission South at Shawnee Mission District Stadium, South Location, on Thursday, Oct. 9, 2025 in Overland Park.

Free State football (5-1) will take its home field one final time during the regular season on Friday night at 7 p.m., as it plays host to Olathe North.

With the final home game of the season comes the annual senior-night tradition. This year, the Firebirds will celebrate 20 players as part of the graduating class.

Free State head coach Kevin Stewart says that the camaraderie of this senior class has contributed greatly to the success the team has had as a whole.

“I think the senior class has really shown their character this year, and by that, I think they’re a resilient group that works together, they like each other, and they want to do the best they can for themselves, for Free State and for their friends,” Stewart said. “They’re good young men that really just aim to do the best that they can, and that’s really what has allowed us to be successful this year.”

Olathe North has a strong football tradition, with eight state championships in the school’s history, the most recent coming in 2009. Stewart said that he spoke to the team this week about the history of the rivalry between Olathe North and the Lawrence schools, primarily when Lawrence had only one high school.

This season, the Eagles are 3-3 and are coming off a 48-7 loss to Olathe South. In the week prior, Olathe North upended Shawnee Mission West, 41-7.

Despite the Eagles’ inconsistent results, Stewart still understands the difficulty of taking on a team with a storied history like Olathe North.

“This is not an easy game,” Stewart said. “They have a strong tradition, and their coaches are going to be ready to go; they’re going to work hard. Their coaches expect to win, and so their kids are going to expect to win.”

Despite giving up 48 points last week, Olathe North has a lot of talent on defense, particularly in the secondary. The Eagles’ defensive backs are quick, and the scheme is set up in a way that plays to their strengths, emphasizing run defense and allowing their defensive backs to play in one-on-one coverage.

“They’re probably going to try and stop our run game, and they’re probably going to put their guys in the secondary in man coverage and see if we can beat them,” Stewart said. “When they do that, everybody’s got to be perfect in assignments, one-on-one all the way across the board.”

As an offense, Stewart says that the key against the Eagles is to be more spread out in what the Firebirds do offensively, to make it easier on the legs of quarterback Finn Moore and running back Maddon Brittingham. This means not only being more proactive in the passing game, but getting the ball to more individuals.

One individual in particular who could see an uptick in production is junior wide receiver Alijah Beckum. With the absence of Shawn Overstreet, who has been dealing with a nagging leg injury for the past few weeks, Beckum has seen an increase in production as of late, including a 29-yard rushing touchdown in last week’s 44-14 win at Shawnee Mission South.

“Alijah can definitely do some things, especially when we get in our heavy offense,” Stewart said. “He’s not a big guy, so he can get lost back there. But also, we want to get him involved more in our regular offense. He’s got some ability, he’s quick, and he’s strong.”

Stewart also mentioned senior wide receivers Nello Allegrucci and Jonas Lonard as potential breakout candidates.

The Eagles’ offense functions similarly to that of Free State, primarily using the spread. As of late, however, the Eagles have switched to a two-running-back look, deploying a halfback and a tailback.

Overall, Olathe North runs the ball about 75% of the time, according to Stewart, so the key for the Free State defense is to stay disciplined in stopping the run.

“We’re just trying to make sure we’re solid on the run fits and make sure that we know how to defend their run game, (and) we stay in our gaps,” Stewart said.

Stewart also emphasized the pass defense, saying that the secondary may show different looks between zone and man coverage, but he ultimately wants the back line to be comfortable in its matchups, especially in defending Olathe North wide receiver Akobi Bruce, who Stewart adds is “a good playmaker on the edge, and quick.”

The Firebirds’ defense has improved over the course of the season, and in last week’s win, it allowed a season-low points total of 14.

As the regular season winds down and the playoffs are just around the corner, Stewart says he thinks the group is in a good spot to be able to establish itself as one of the best defenses in the 6A East bracket.

“The team that can do that first probably has the best chance of being successful here in the postseason,” Stewart said. “We can be that team that steps up and is one of the better defensive units in the state. If you look at the last four weeks, our defense has gotten consistently better.”

The overarching message that Stewart has laid out to the team this week is to treat it like a championship game. Currently, Free State holds a 5-0 record in Sunflower League play and is alone in first place with four schools sitting at 4-1 in league action, so a win against the Eagles would clinch at least a share of the league trophy.

“I think that’s special for the guys because they haven’t done that yet, and they’ve been working hard; it’s been a goal of theirs,” Stewart said. “They’ve had that mindset all week, so we’ll have to come out there and see them finish the job.”