photo by: Henry Wiley/Special to the Journal-World

Free State's Packson McDaniel goes down after being tackled against Shawnee Mission North on Friday, Sept. 25, 2026, at Free State High School in Lawrence.

Free State went the distance with Shawnee Mission North on Friday night, but a 29-yard field goal with three seconds remaining left the Firebirds heartbroken as they fell 31-28.

“Really, give Shawnee Mission North a lot of the credit,” Free State head coach Kevin Stewart said. “They played smart, and we didn’t play smart enough. We had several mistakes, penalties, you know, not opportune situational football.”

The Firebirds committed six penalties worth 68 yards and allowed Shawnee Mission North to go 4-for-4 on fourth-down conversions.

Senior quarterback Finn Moore rushed for 183 yards and three touchdowns while throwing for 54 yards, as Stewart says the rest of the team has to find a way to rally around their starter moving forward.

“His effort was unbelievable,” Stewart said. “He’s got a lot of heart, tough kid, and he’s doing everything he can… Everybody can see how good he is.”

Senior running back Maddon Brittingham added 56 rushing yards and a touchdown in the home loss.

Free State’s first three plays of the game came on the ground before a 7-yard pass on fourth down kept the opening drive alive. Moore later picked up runs of 13 and 16 yards to get down to the Shawnee Mission North 1-yard line, but three negative plays and a missed field goal left the Firebirds empty.

“If we score the touchdown, we win the game,” Stewart said. “But that was the first series, so I mean, it’s not like we didn’t have our chances.”

The Bison responded by mixing the run and the pass game, using nine plays to drive 80 yards, resulting in a 29-yard touchdown run by quarterback Carter Middleton.

The Firebirds’ passing game got going on the second drive as Moore completed passes of 20 and 23 yards before a 1-yard touchdown run to tie the game.

Shawnee Mission North turned to its run game on its second drive, running for 66 yards on the drive, leading to a 32-yard score by running back Cameron Redding.

After a 29-yard kick return by Packson McDaniel, Free State needed just four plays to tie the score once again as Moore found the end zone on a 6-yard scamper.

Facing fourth-and-5, the Bison picked up 23 yards with a fake punt before the Firebird defense got off the field by forcing a fumble that was recovered by Garrison Oatis.

“I was pumped for (Oatis), a lot of energy there,” Stewart said. “That was a huge stop and a huge play.”

A quick three-and-out allowed Shawnee Mission North to take back over, and a flea flicker on third-and-12 resulted in a 61-yard passing touchdown to give the visitors the lead right before halftime.

“We were in a safe prevent defense, and we told the guys ‘Hey, if they run the ball and get a first down, no big deal,'” Stewart said. “We’re just trying to, you know, make a play, help the offense, and then we give up a 61-yard touchdown.”

Shawnee Mission North received the second-half kickoff and picked up a first down after a taunting penalty by Free State, but a sack by James Kahungura and a negative play ultimately forced the Bison to punt.

“They battled,” Stewart said of his defense’s efforts out of the locker room. “It was a nice stop out of halftime.”

The Firebird run game got to work, gaining 68 of the 72 yards the offense picked up on the next drive, tying the game on Moore’s third touchdown.

As it had all game, Shawnee Mission North responded with a score, using over eight minutes of clock and taking the lead on a 2-yard pass from Middleton to Tyrone Wright.

Moore put Free State well into Shawnee Mission North territory on the ensuing drive with a 48-yard scramble, before a 13-yard by Brittingham set up a speed option for him to score with 5:09 left in the game.

The Bison expended nearly the entire rest of the clock, driving down to the red zone and making the game-winning field goal with three seconds remaining.

“I thought it was pretty good by Shawnee Mission North to control the clock there, and then obviously just waste the time, kick the field goal,” Stewart said. “We were hoping to stop them, but honestly it was just one play at the end — we had a decent chance, and the QB made a nice run, and once he got that nice run, I knew we were kind of in trouble.”

Free State had one last chance, but Moore was ruled out of bounds on a lateral attempt on the Firebirds’ 44-yard line, ending the game.

The Firebirds will host No. 1-ranked Mill Valley next Friday for the homecoming game. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. Stewart said postgame that any team in the state can beat any other, and he still remains confident in his team come next week.

“Football is football, if you do your job, you play hard, and you’re in the right spot, you’re going to have a chance to be in position to make plays,” Stewart said.

How they scored

First quarter

1:51 – Carter Middleton 29-yard run. Middleton PAT good. SMN 7, FS 0.

Second quarter

11:58 – Finn Moore 1-yard run. Micah Jones PAT good. FS 7, SMN 7.

6:15 – Cameron Redding 32-yard run. Middleton PAT good. SMN 14, FS 7.

5:09 – Moore 6-yard run. Jones PAT good. FS 14, SMN 14.

0:15 – Tyrone Wright 61-yard pass from Anthony Phoenix. Middleton PAT good. SMN 21, FS 14.

Third quarter

4:10 – Moore 11-yard run. Jones PAT good. FS 21, SMN 21.

Fourth quarter

7:52 – Wright 2-yard pass from Middleton. Middleton PAT good. SMN 28, FS 21.

5:09 – Maddon Brittingham 9-yard run. Jones PAT good. FS 28, SMN 28.

0:03 – Middleton 29-yard field goal. SMN 31, FS 28.

photo by: Henry Wiley/Special to the Journal-World

Free State celebrates recovering a fumble against Shawnee Mission North on Friday, Sept. 25, 2026, at Free State High School in Lawrence.

photo by: Henry Wiley/Special to the Journal-World

Free State celebrates recovering a fumble against Shawnee Mission North on Friday, Sept. 25, 2026, at Free State High School in Lawrence.

photo by: Henry Wiley/Special to the Journal-World

Free State celebrates recovering a fumble against Shawnee Mission North on Friday, Sept. 25, 2026, at Free State High School in Lawrence.

photo by: Henry Wiley/Special to the Journal-World

Free State’s Devin Ward defends against Shawnee Mission North on Friday, Sept. 25, 2026, at Free State High School in Lawrence.

photo by: Henry Wiley/Special to the Journal-World

Free State’s Devin Ward lines up in coverage against Shawnee Mission North on Friday, Sept. 25, 2026, at Free State High School in Lawrence.

photo by: Henry Wiley/Special to the Journal-World

Free State’s Maddon Brittingham makes a tackle against Shawnee Mission North on Friday, Sept. 25, 2026, at Free State High School in Lawrence.

photo by: Henry Wiley/Special to the Journal-World

Free State’s Finn Moore runs the ball in for a touchdown against Shawnee Mission North on Friday, Sept. 25, 2026, at Free State High School in Lawrence.

photo by: Henry Wiley/Special to the Journal-World

Free State’s Finn Moore runs with the ball against Shawnee Mission North on Friday, Sept. 25, 2026, at Free State High School in Lawrence.

photo by: Henry Wiley/Special to the Journal-World

Free State’s Finn Moore runs with the ball against Shawnee Mission North on Friday, Sept. 25, 2026, at Free State High School in Lawrence.

photo by: Henry Wiley/Special to the Journal-World

Free State’s Finn Moore runs with the ball against Shawnee Mission North on Friday, Sept. 25, 2026, at Free State High School in Lawrence.

photo by: Henry Wiley/Special to the Journal-World

Free State runs out with the American flag at the start of the game against Shawnee Mission North on Friday, Sept. 25, 2026, at Free State High School in Lawrence.