When districts started, not many media members and websites predicted Free State and Lawrence High football teams were going to get a spot in the state playoffs. Yet, here they are.

When the Firebirds were lined up with two ranked teams in their district, they beat both, showing strong offense and defense in the process to winning a district title for the third straight year. I remember at the beginning of the year when they had to talk about replacing last year’s seniors and everything they did, but this year’s team proved they have the pieces to accomplish what they did.

The Lions proved they were ready to shock some people when they beat Olathe Northwest. After a loss to Olathe North two weeks ago, they took care of business against Olathe East in an impressive team victory with touchdowns on offense, defense and special teams. Their senior class hasn’t won much in the past, but they changed that this year.

Here’s how the districts finished:

District 4: Olathe North – CLINCHED (2-0, +62 point differential), Lawrence – CLINCHED (2-1, +3), Olathe Northwest – ELIMINATED (1-2, -2), Olathe East – ELIMINATED (0-3, -62).

District 5: Free State – CLINCHED (3-0, +58 point differential), Topeka – CLINCHED (2-1, +16), Manhattan – ELIMINATED (1-2, -11), Washburn Rural – ELIMINATED (0-3, -63).

The Firebirds earned a spot in Kpreps.com’s rankings, checking in at No. 5 in Class 6A. They also earned the #3 seed for the west side of the state. But before we start looking ahead to next week, we’ll take a look back at last week’s city victories, starting with my thoughts from Free State’s 53-37 win over Topeka High:

•When the offensive line gets going, there’s no stopping them. Free State finished with three rushers over 100 yards, and the offensive line also gave junior quarterback Bryce Torneden plenty of time to throw in the pocket. Topeka coach Walt Alexander told his team that they looked like a JV defense at halftime, and I think that’s a major credit to Free State’s O-line.

•The offense has a nice mix of runs and play-action passes to keep teams off balance. The Firebirds have been working on improving their passing game, and it’s easy to see. Torneden found Joel Spain for a 51-yard catch-and-run touchdown over the middle, and found Andrew Keating for an easy 13-yard strike in the end zone. Teams can’t commit too much to Free State’s read options when Torneden is a threat to throw it over the top.

•After trips to Manhattan and Topeka, Free State is ready for another home game. Not only did the Firebirds beat two previously-ranked teams, but they went on the road to beat them both, which makes it even more impressive. Free State hasn’t played well at home this year, with only one win in four tries, but all of the players are eager to show their fans how much they’ve improved in the past few weeks.

“It’s nice because we haven’t really had the chance to show our fans at home what we can really do,” senior RB and LB Carson Bowen said after last week’s win. “So it’ll be nice to get back there and show them.”

•Getting starters back healthy was huge for Free State’s defense, but the Firebirds might have lost another starter. Senior tight end and defensive end Blake Murray was on crutches after the game and is out for the rest of the season. He’s made some big stops on defense in the past few weeks, and it’s going to be tough for his substitutes to fill his shoes.

Lawrence is technically the #8 seed for the East side of the state, but that has more to do with they can’t align on the same side as second-seeded Olathe North, who they faced in districts. Here’s a look at how the Lions got here with their 66-28 win over Olathe East:

•We’re running out of adjectives to describe junior running back JD Woods. He ran for 262 yards and five touchdowns in three quarters. Coach Dirk Wedd has described Woods as a special player throughout the season, and he’s stepping up in the biggest games. In the Lions’ two wins during districts, Woods rushed for 556 yards and eight touchdowns.

•It was a complete team victory, with every area stepping up when needed. The defense stepped up for big stops, and the offense kept moving the ball throughout the night. Most of all, the Lions’ special teams shined. Ivan Hollins returned a punt for a touchdown, Nyle Anderson returned a kickoff for a touchdown, and Ellis Springe kicked a 41-yard field goal, the third longest field goal by a Sunflower League kicker this season.

•Confidence is high for the Lions. Even after their loss to Olathe North, they were confident they could compete with anybody. In their first must-win game of the season, they stepped up and delivered. Even facing the top-seeded team in the state this week, they’re not going to back down from any challenges.

Now for a look ahead to the first round of the state playoffs:

Lawrence High at Shawnee Mission East (at SM North Stadium) on Friday at 7 p.m. — The Lancers (9-0, ranked No. 1) completed their first undefeated regular season in school history. They are the best team I’ve seen this season, and they really haven’t been challenged, winning by at least 23 points in each game and by an average of 41 points this season. They own the top rushing defense in the Sunflower League, and the top rushing offense.

Wichita Northwest at Free State on Friday at 7 p.m. — The Grizzlies (7-2) are led by their defense, which has allowed more than 14 points in only three games (two of those are losses). On offense, they have sophomore quarterback K’Veion Richard, who went from freshman football last year to varsity starter after an injury to their regular starter. Northwest also has a strong offensive line, and many weapons at running back and receiver.
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At the end of the regular season, several city football players ranked among the best in the Sunflower League. Here are some facts and figures:

•Lawrence junior running back JD Woods led the league with 1,497 rushing yards on 178 carries. He averaged 8.4 yards per carry while scoring a team-high 19 touchdowns. He ran for more yards than three league teams this year (Olathe East (1492 yards), Olathe Northwest (1444), and SM North (1057)).

•Free State QB Bryce Torneden was second in the league in rushing at 1,062 yards (6.7 yards per carry), and he also took second in the league in total offense after passing for 695 yards and nine touchdowns to total 1,757 yards of offense.

•FSHS receiver and defensive back Joel Spain finished seventh in the league in receiving yards with 321 on 16 catches. He snagged four touchdowns. Spain also tied for sixth, along with senior DB Andrew Keating, with four interceptions this year, and was sixth in kick return yards, with 189.

•LHS junior linebacker Price Morgan took 2nd in the league in tackles, with a total of 120 including 45 solo. Morgan also had 10 tackles for a loss.

•LHS junior lineman Amani Bledsoe led the league with 13 sacks this year, despite missing a game because of an injury.

•FSHS senior lineman Shane Hofer tied for the league lead with three forced fumbles this season.

•LHS senior WR Nyle Anderson led the league in kick return average, 47.63 yards per return, while tying for the league lead in KR touchdowns (2). Anderson also was third in the league in punt return average, 18 yards, on just three returns.

•FSHS senior punter Tye Carter edged out LHS senior Luke Zenger for the best punting average between the two city punters. Carter was 2nd in the league with an average of 34.82 yards per punt, while Zenger took seventh with 30.26 yards per boot.
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