BASEHOR — Free State football unofficially kicked off its 2026 season, taking part in the Basehor-Linwood Jamboree on Friday. “We have a lot of people on both ends that are brand new,” senior running back and safety Maddon Brittingham said. “It was good to see where they’re at and ...

The Free State football team is younger than a season ago, but the Firebirds still have a lot of exciting pieces to help the team compete in the Sunflower League. “We’ve got a lot of high-end guys who are really good, but we’ve also got a lot of new guys,” coach Kevin Stewart said. ...

GARDNER — Free State volleyball got a taste of the 2026 season in Gardner on Tuesday with a four-team jamboree. The Firebirds faced Gardner Edgerton, Shawnee Mission East and Olathe East and won sets in all three matches. The scores don’t count toward any records, so the matches provided ...

Joel Grillot has been an assistant coach for every Free State volleyball coach, including the last seven years with coach Jayme Savage. So when the position became available after Savage stepped down to become an assistant principal, Grillot was ready for the opportunity. “Whatever ...

Nolan Deitrich has been asked often over the summer by the Free State baseball team if he was going to be the one taking over the program. “I got to see almost everybody four times a week, and then our freshman group I got to see them almost every day this whole summer,” Deitrich said. ...

Owen Lester has spent the summer playing baseball across multiple states with his club team, competing in tournaments that get exposure to college programs. After a tournament in Atlanta, Lester and the coaching staff at East Carolina University got in touch, and within a few weeks, Lester was ...