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

Free State head coach Kevin Stewart talks to his team during a timeout against Shawnee Mission West at the Shawnee Mission District Stadium, South Location, on Friday, Sept. 19, 2025, in Overland Park.

Free State football (2-1) returns to Lawrence on Friday night for a Sunflower League home matchup with Olathe East (1-2).

The Firebirds’ young core of players have now been through three games at the varsity level, and with the help of upperclassmen leadership, head coach Kevin Stewart says he’s seen positive development thus far.

“I think overall, our kids (have) come together pretty well,” Stewart said. “The guys are going to get better with experience, that’s just natural. I’ve seen a lot of improvement, and we have really good senior leaders, and I think they’re trying their best to keep the mindset and direction positive.”

Free State faced a distinctive style of play last week against Shawnee Mission West and will see the same formation, the Wing-T, this week when it takes on Olathe East. Stewart says having seen the same style of offense already is beneficial for preparation.

“It’s helpful for us as coaches because we really got to see where we were weak last game, and what they’re probably going to expose us with,” Stewart said. “That gives us a real indicator of what we need to be working on, so we’ve been trying our best to get those guys ready.”

There are differences in personnel, however, that will challenge the Firebirds’ defense. Shawnee Mission West used a lot of misdirection and motion, whereas Olathe East plays physically, starting with its offensive line.

For the Firebirds, matching this physicality is the ultimate key to success against the Hawks.

“That’s probably going to decide the game,” Stewart said. “The outcome for us is whether or not we can get off the field.”

Olathe East finished 6-4 last year, reaching the second round of the playoffs before falling to Shawnee Mission Northwest, 21-7. Through three games this year, the Hawks are 1-2, defeating Dodge City, 34-20, in Week 2, and are coming off a 35-14 loss to Olathe South.

The Hawks’ strength, according to Stewart, is their defense, which will try to take away the Firebirds’ rushing attack by lining up in a cover-3 formation and bringing seven or eight guys into the box.

In order to counter this, the Firebirds will need to be able to execute in the passing game.

“If we can hit some passes and force them to loosen up a little bit, that’s going to really help our offense,” Stewart said.

Last week, Free State had success in the air, as quarterback Finn Moore completed 5 of 8 passes for 152 yards and two touchdowns, which was a positive step forward as the Firebirds look to show balance between the run and pass games.

“It doesn’t matter who you’re playing, it’s hard to coordinate the passing game and get everyone on the same page and complete passes, especially down the field, in high school football,” Stewart said. “It gave us a lot of confidence that ‘Hey, these guys can do some of these things.'”

Stewart likes where his team is at and says the Firebirds are a resilient group, but he knows there’s still a long season ahead.

“Now, it’s all about improving on our weaknesses and trying to get better,” Stewart said. “We have a better understanding of who we are, a better understanding of what guys are good at and what we’re not good at, so really trying to focus in and improve on our weaknesses.”

Kickoff on Friday is set for 7 p.m.