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

Free State senior Maddon Brittingham (left) and junior Reece Wilmes celebrate a two point conversion during the Firebirds' game against Shawnee Mission East on Friday, Oct. 9, 2026, at the Shawnee Mission District North Stadium in Overland Park.

After a shocking 24-6 loss to Lawrence last season, Free State football isn’t worried about what happened on the field a year ago.

The Firebirds caught an unexpected surprise in last year’s City Showdown, as the Lions picked up their first and only win. But for the Firebirds, it’s a new season with new faces, and the team doesn’t want to dwell on the past anymore.

“That was last year’s team,” junior offensive lineman Reece Wilmes said, “You’ve got to think about (that) this is this year’s team. It’s a new team. You’ve just got to worry about the players that we have right now.”

What made last year’s City Showdown difficult for Free State was its inability to have success in the run game, due to multiple factors including the cold temperatures and rain, but head coach Kevin Stewart put it simply: “They played better that night, and they played with great effort.”

“Watching the film (from) last year, it was like a bad dream, like, ‘How did this happen?'” Stewart said. “(Lawrence) didn’t want to go 0-8, and they really wanted to win.”

In this year’s edition of the crosstown rivalry, Lawrence comes in with the better record at 5-2, while Free State is 3-4 after two three-point losses earlier this season.

Despite what the records show, Stewart says that the game can go either way and, much like last year’s game, it will come down to who wants to win more.

“Our guys are familiar with those guys, and they know them, and so I don’t think they’re going to be scared of them,” Stewart said. “Our guys have a little bit of motivation to prove that, ‘Hey, we’re a little bit better than our record says.’ I think we have a good team, I’ve felt that way all along.”

That familiarity with the opponent can be both good and bad, but the Firebirds’ mindset is worrying more about going against a player on the other side rather than a friend off the field.

“We’ve taken this week more of an approach as we’re playing a player and not the person,” sophomore quarterback Packson McDaniel said. “We’re going out there and we’re playing the guy who shows up on film and on the football field rather than the guy we might see around town.”

Lawrence’s offense is one of the best in Class 6A, if not the state, averaging 36.6 points per game this season. Quarterback Joey Dooley is a strong athlete and had success this season in both the quarterback run game and with deep passes. The Lions also present a trio of running backs in Ethan Curry, Acein Goodman and Kayden Pitts, all of whom bring something different to the offense and can catch opposing defenses off-guard.

“Curry is the guy; he’s the real deal,” Stewart said. “We’ve known that since he was a freshman… They’ve got some speed there with Goodman, and he runs well. And then the Pitts kid runs hard inside, so he’s a tough kid.”

Along with multiple weapons, the Lawrence offense shows different looks from multiple formations that make it difficult for defenses. However, overall familiarity with who the Firebirds are lining up against will make things a little easier in knowing some of the Lions’ players’ tendencies.

“They definitely are doing a lot on offense, a lot of good things, a lot of formations,” Stewart said. “It’s going to be tough to defend. One thing that helps is that it is a rivalry game, (and) the fact that our guys kind of know their guys… It’s been a hard week to prep for, but at least our guys are paying attention, and they’re picking up on the things that they’re trying to do.”

On offense, McDaniel will be making his second start at quarterback. Over the last two weeks, the sophomore has shown his ability to use his legs and throw the ball with precision, but in order to take the next step, he says it’s all about being himself and making the position his own.

“I need to kind of find my groove,” McDaniel said. “I need to figure out who I am as a player and figure out where I fit in. You’ve seen two games, and they’ve both been pretty different coming in, so I just need to figure out who I am going into this game and into the playoffs.”

What has made McDaniel’s transition to leading the offense easier has been both the play of running backs Maddon Brittingham and Michael Harrison as well as a young offensive line that continues to improve each week.

Against a strong and talented defensive line like Lawrence’s, the Firebirds will need to perform well up front in order to keep a clean pocket for McDaniel and get the run game going.

“They’re getting better at practice, they’re faster, they’re executing their blocks better, and so that’s where it is for us,” Stewart said. “Their D-line is a very good D-line; that’s where the challenge is at. If our guys can block their guys and execute and get a hat on a hat, then I think we have a very good chance of winning the game.”

Much like every year, the City Showdown will be a difficult test both on the field, and emotionally. Controlling these emotions and not getting too high or too low will ultimately help the Firebirds in the long run, who hope to finish the season at .500 and secure a top-eight seed for playoffs.

“We’ve seen it in the past in this game where guys lose focus thinking about the guys across the field, and they make mistakes that lead to big plays and (are) a big factor in the game,” McDaniel said. “Coming in with that mindset is really important, and we’ve been focusing on it all week.”

Kickoff from Lawrence High School on Friday is set for 7 p.m.