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Free State’s Finn Moore lies contorted in a pile of Shawnee Mission Northwest defensive players during a regional championship game Nov. 7, 2025 at Shawnee Mission North High School.
In a battle of prolific rushing attacks, the Free State Firebirds were derailed by the Shawnee Mission Northwest Cougars 38-31 in Friday night’s Class 6A regional championship in Overland Park.
“You really feel bad for the seniors because they put their whole heart into the season,” Free State head coach Kevin Stewart said, as his squad concludes its campaign 6-4 overall. “They put a lot of time and effort into the program and I’m really proud of those guys.”
Both the sixth-seeded Firebirds and third-seeded Cougars rolled up more than 500 yards on the ground in their opening-round playoff victories a week ago. But Free State was unable to contain Cougars’ star signal-caller Trai Woodruff when they collided Friday.
Woodruff spent the night running around and through the Firebirds’ defense — rushing for 334 yards and accounting for all five touchdowns with his feet. That included a momentum-altering 73-yard touchdown scamper on the first play of the second half to erase a 7-point deficit.
“That hurt big time — to start the half like that,” Stewart said.
Shawnee Mission Northwest (7-3) grabbed its first lead of the evening at 24-17 after Woodruff cashed in his third rushing score with 3:43 remaining in the third quarter. Firebirds’ junior tailback Maddon Brittingham departed the game with an ankle injury on the ensuing possession, and from there, the offense mostly sputtered.
Free State junior quarterback Finn Moore was tasked with shouldering the load after Brittingham’s departure. With under a minute remaining in the third, Moore gained the left edge, outrunning several defenders to the end zone from 34 yards out to tie the game, 24-24.
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Shawnee Mission Northwest’s Trai Woodruff runs around Free State defensive players during a regional championship game Nov. 7, 2025 at Shawnee Mission North High School.
The Cougars replied with a methodical drive capped off by Woodruff’s fourth rushing score of the night, as Shawnee Mission Northwest led 31-24 midway through the final frame.
With just over four minutes remaining, and facing a 4th-and-16 from around midfield, Stewart opted to punt. The Cougars then kept the ball on the ground, picking up a pair of first downs to keep the clock rolling.
Although Northwest looked prepared to salt away the final two-plus minutes of regulation, Woodruff had other plans. He burst by blockers and defenders alike on the way to a 47-yard score and 38-24 lead.
The Firebirds responded with a scoring drive to pull themselves back within a score, but did so a little too late.
Moore tacked on a rushing touchdown with 11 seconds remaining, followed by a failed onside kick attempt. Woodruff provided the rare sight of him going to the ground in the backfield as he kneeled the ball to run out the rest of the clock.
Brittingham’s absence clearly had an effect on how the Firebirds’ offense played late in this game. After rushing for 283 yards and seven scores in a record-setting performance against Olathe East last week, his big-play abilities were quickly on display Friday night. In the first quarter, Brittingham turned a short checkdown pass from Moore into a 72-yard touchdown romp down the left sideline.
After Brittingham went down, Moore provided most of the offense’s heroics the rest of the way, including racking up nearly
350 yards of total offense and four touchdowns — three rushing and one through the air.
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Free State’s Finn Moore drags multiple Shawnee Mission Northwest defensive players on a running play during a regional championship game Nov. 7, 2025 at Shawnee Mission North High School.
After the game, Stewart lauded Moore for rising to the challenge after Brittingham’s departure.
“When Maddon went down, it kind of turned into a one-man show with Finn,” he said.
Citing Moore’s competitiveness and leadership attributes as a two-way player, Stewart said there “might not be a tougher kid in the state” than Moore.
“Just the number of times he carried the ball and the amount of snaps he took on defense,” Stewart said. “He never came out and never got hurt.
“Finn was just a warrior out there.”
The Firebirds built a 14-0 first quarter advantage — and led 17-10 at the half. Free State’s scoring also included a Moore rushing touchdown to open the contest, and a 36-yard field goal off the foot of senior kicker Micah Jones to close out the half.
Stewart was elated with the Firebirds’ first half performance, and particularly pleased with Brittingham’s long touchdown reception.
“Now that is what I call ‘Firebird football,’ ” he said.
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Free State’s Maddon Brittingham runs the ball against Shawnee Mission Northwest during a regional championship game Nov. 7, 2025 at Shawnee Mission North High School.
The loss of Brittingham coupled with miscues along the offensive line proved costly for Free State — with Stewart lamenting “cheap” holding penalties. A promising drive in the second quarter stalled out after the Firebirds were whistled for consecutive penalties.
“I don’t know if they were ‘holds ‘or not; I’ve got to look at them,” he said. “But if that’s the only thing that stopped us, then I guess we’ve got to not hold.”
On the other side of the ball, the Firebirds yielded 431 yards on the ground with Cougars averaging nearly 10 yards per carry. Stewart also pointed to his squad’s ever-thinning depth chart as a culprit of distress as the season progressed.
One such injury prevented Moore and company from blossoming into a more balanced offensive attack. The Firebirds’ passing game showed promise early on, but took a major hit after the team’s top vertical threat [Shawn Overstreet] was lost for the season with injury.
“These guys gave us the opportunity to be a great football team,” Stewart said. “We just didn’t have the roster to finish; that’s the reality of it.”
But Stewart also reminisced on the Firebirds’ triumphant start to the season. Free State opened its slate with a thrilling 35-34 home victory over reigning back-to-back state champion Gardner-Edgerton — while steamrolling to a 5-1 start. Free State finished the year with an average of nearly 32 points per game.
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Free State’s Maddon Brittingham celebrates a first-quarter touchdown during a regional championship game Nov. 7, 2025 at Shawnee Mission North High School.
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Free State head coach Kevin Stewart celebrates with quarterback Finn Moore following a first-quarter touchdown pass during a regional championship game Nov. 7, 2025 at Shawnee Mission North High School.
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Free State players put their arms around each other’s shoulders during a postgame ritual with the school’s spirit squads and fans after a regional championship game Nov. 7, 2025 at Shawnee Mission North High School.
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Free State’s Braden Wilmes hugs his brother Reece Wilmes after a regional championship game Nov. 7, 2025 at Shawnee Mission North High School.
