Mac Moore/Lawrence Sports
Free State’s Finn Moore delivers minimal celebration following a rushing touchdown in the first half of his team’s 44-14 road win over Shawnee Mission South.
Overland Park — The Lawrence Free State Firebirds turned in another juggernaut performance en route to pummeling the Shawnee Mission South Raiders 30-7 Thursday night.
For Free State head coach Kevin Stewart, the overarching goal was for his squad to flex its physicality from the opening kickoff.
“We did, and that really helped to set the tone,” said Stewart, as the Firebirds move to 5-1 overall and 4-0 in district-play.
In setting the tone early, Free State needed just five plays to cover 75 yards on its opening drive. Quarterback Finn Moore’s 40-yard run was followed by Maddon Brittingham’s 16-yard touchdown scamper, putting the Firebirds on top 7-0.
Quickly back in possession courtesy of Garrison Oatis’ fumble recovery deep in Shawnee Mission territory, the Firebirds wasted little time capitalizing on the Raiders’ miscue. On first down, Brittingham picked up key blocks on his way to the end zone — upping the Firebirds advantage to 14-0.
Mac Moore/Lawrence Sports
Free State’s Maddon Brittingham runs the ball in the first half during a football game against Shawnee Mission South.
On Shawnee Mission South’s ensuing possession, an errant snap rolled into the end zone, ultimately resulting in a safety and a 16-0 Free State lead.
Working with a short field after the safety, Moore plowed into the end zone to cap the scoring drive — swelling Free State’s lead to 23-0 late in the opening frame.
“Finn and Maddon carried the load with the run game, but really that’s offensive line play,” Stewart said.
After yielding its first score of the game midway through the second quarter — trimming the deficit to 23-7 — the Firebirds replied with a methodical drive, punctuated by Moore’s second rushing touchdown of the half for a 30-7 advantage.
Moore added a 23-yard rushing score in the second half, while junior Alijah Beckum eluded multiple defenders en route to a 29-yard touchdown run, as the Firebirds coasted to the convincing victory.
Moore finished with 177 yards on 24 carries, while Brittingham added 86 yards on 18 totes.
Mac Moore/Lawrence Sports
Free State’s Finn Moore and his teammates signal for a safety after stopping Shawnee Mission South in the Raiders’ own endzone in the first quarter.
Stewart said he was impressed with his club’s defensive performance, specifically pointing to the Firebirds’s aggressive press coverage in the secondary, holding the Raiders passing attack to a completion percentage well under 50 percent.
“[Shawnee Mission South] has a really good pass game,” Stewart said. “So we decided the best way to deal with it was to play some man-to-man coverage and pressure them. We were a little bit worried about that because it’s high risk, high reward — but our guys covered really well so it paid off tonight.”
While the Firebirds have been clicking offensively, the team is also dealing with multiple key injuries, including senior wideout Shawn Overstreet, the team’s primary deep threat — and sophomore tight end Liam Collins. Both Overstreet and Collins have been on the receiving end of Moore touchdown passes this season. Against the Raiders, Moore completed 1-of-3 passes for 11 yards.
“It’s part of the game, but we’re really fighting the injury bug,” Stewart said. “Without Shawn, it’s hard for us to stretch the field vertically.”
With opposing defenses honing in on the Firebirds’ rushing attack, Stewart said the offensive line play has been consistently executing blocks, allowing Moore and Brittingham to excel in the open field.
Mac Moore/Lawrence Sports
Free State’s Finn Moore uses his free hand to direct offensive lineman Braden Wilmes on a run during the first half.
“When we’re blocking everyone it turns into one-on-one tackling, and Finn and Maddon are pretty good in those scenarios,” he said. “So really, it just speaks to our offensive line.”
Brittingham echoed Stewart’s sentiments.
“The o-line put everything on the line,” said the star tailback. “They just went to work out there, and I cannot thank them enough.”
Stewart added that he couldn’t be more pleased with the Firebirds’ start to the season.
“We have a great team character wise,” he said. “I hope we can stick together and finish out the season strong. And to start 5-1 has really shown all the effort and work these guys have put in, and how good they are.”
Mac Moore/Lawrence Sports
Free State’s Garrison Oatis strips the ball away from Shawnee Mission South quarterback Solomon Hirsch during the first half.
The Firebirds return to the gridiron Oct .17 for a home clash with Olathe North (3-2).
“It’s going to be a big game,” Stewart said. “We need to ensure that our guys are assignment-sound. On a few plays where we had to sub tonight, some of the guys didn’t know their assignments with full confidence. We really need to get those backups some reps in practice this week so they know what they’re doing.”
Added Brittingham, “It’s been a blessing to see our team get better and better each week. We’re losing some people, but we still have to continue to improve every week.”
Editor’s note: For football games, Free State student Linus Redmond helps the Free State team and Lawrence Sports with tracking stats during the game.
Mac Moore/Lawrence Sports
Free State’s Braden Wilmes smiles on the sideline after the Firebirds forced a safety to go up 16-0 early in the first quarter.
