photo by: Contributed photo

Members of the Free State High wrestling team that took first place at last weekend's Shawnee Mission South tournament pose with some of their hardware after their victory.

The Free State boys’ wrestling team captured two first-place finishes this past Saturday, sending teams to Derby and Shawnee Mission South. Both tournaments featured Firebirds closing out the day in the top 3 of their classes.

Down south, Free State seniors Matthew Marcum (215) and Braxton Blanck (285) each secured individual titles and finished the tournament undefeated. Senior Nolan Bradley (113) went 4-1 on the way to a second-place finish. Sophomore Drew Streeter (106) finished at 3-2, good for a third-place medal.

At Shawnee, Free State was led by sophomores Quinton Hice (106), Brayden Wilcox (113), and Otto Reese (138) – all three Firebirds took home individual championships and finished the day undefeated. Reese ended the tournament with five wins in just over eight minutes.

Free State returns to action on Friday at De Soto.

LHS girls basketball glides past Olathe East, Marshall earns McDonald’s All-American nomination

The Lawrence High girls’ basketball team defeated Olathe East 61-39 on Tuesday night at home. LHS (6-1) led the Hawks by 16 at the break and didn’t slip its grip the rest of the way.

Senior guard Amaya Marshall led the Lady Lions with 15 points, waking up to find her name on the Kansas McDonald’s All-American nominee list. Seniors Daphne Bracker-Sturm (12) and Serenity Keo (10) also fueled the LHS scoring throughout the night. Sophomore Brynnae Johnson added nine points and senior Lucy Hardy contributed eight.

LHS hosts Mill Valley on Friday with tipoff slated for 5:30 p.m.

LHS boys basketball drops second straight matchup at Olathe East

The Lawrence High boys’ basketball team fell to Olathe East 60-54 on the road, stacking losses in two consecutive games after falling to Shawnee Mission Northwest at home last Friday.

Junior Zaxton King led LHS (5-2) with 21 points, including six rebounds. Senior Will Leuschen added 14 points, including four 3s along the way. Seniors Lance Bassett and Cole Watson each chipped in six points.

LHS hosts Mill Valley on Friday with tipoff slated for 7 p.m.

Free State girls basketball falls to Olathe North on the road

The Free State girls basketball team couldn’t keep up with Olathe North on Tuesday night, falling to the Eagles 72-18. Freshman Cara Jefferies led the Lady Firebirds (0-6) with six points, followed up by sophomore Hadley Lonnberg with five points.

Free State travels to Olathe East on Friday with tipoff slated for 5:30 p.m.

Free State boys basketball drops road trip to Olathe North in OT

The Free State boys basketball team (4-2) came up short, 64-60, in an overtime road loss at Olathe North 64-60 on Tuesday night. Free State travels to Olathe East on Friday with tipoff slated for 7 p.m.

Free State, LHS boys swimming place Top 3 at SM West meet

The Free State and Lawrence High boys’ swimming teams posted strong performances at the Shawnee Mission West invite last Friday. Free State placed second (329) and LHS finished third (287).

The Firebirds captured second in the 200-yard medley relay and the 200-yard freestyle relay. Sophomore Ari Mattes took home Free State’s lone gold medal, placing first in the 100-yard breaststroke. Three Firebirds – sophomore Sina Khosh (500 freestyle), junior Dawson Bonnell (100 butterflies), and senior Elliot Ahlvers (1-meter dive) – took home silver medals.

LHS’ senior Giuliano Lule-Paredes placed first individually in the 200-yard medley and 100-yard backstroke. The Lions’ 400-yard medley relay team placed second and the 200-yard medley team came in third. Senior Maximillian Whittaker placed second individually in the 50 and 100-yard freestyle race(s).

Free State and LHS return to action on Jan. 19 at LHS.

LHS boys wrestling takes road trip to Seaman

The Lawrence High boys’ wrestling team placed fifth at the Seaman duals tournament on Saturday in Topeka. LHS won the final round, besting Basehor-Lindwood 49-30.

Junior Andrew Honas led the Lions with a 13-1 record. Senior Tucker Corbin (215) and freshman Lou Elsten (106) each finished with 12-1 records. Junior Harrison Kirkwood (157) contributed a 10-4 performance toward LHS’ final team score (135).

LHS hosts Baldwin on Wednesday.