The Wellsville High football team got hot at the right time.

After a 1-5 start, the Eagles reeled off three straight district victories, earning a berth in the Class 3A state tournament. They will try to continue their streak today with a 7 p.m. home game against Northeast of Arma, from southeast Kansas.

“Things are working out for us right now,” Wellsville coach Bill Oshel said. “This will be about the second week in a row we’ll have all our lineman healthy. Every other week there’s been injuries and we’ve had to mix it up.”

Wellsville’s line, when healthy, has provided a significant boost. The Eagles averaged just 11.5 points in their first six games, but averaged almost 35 in three district battles.

Their offensive spark Thursday came from running back Dustin Gardner, who rushed for 196 yards and two touchdowns in a 28-14 victory at Central Heights.

Neither Gardner nor the rest of the team will have much time to recover. The Eagles only had four days off between games, hardly enough time to prepare for a team they know little about.

Northeast of Arma, 5-4, plays in the CNC conference against traditionally solid squads like Frontenac and Pittsburg-Colgan.

“They have a lot of size of front,” Oshel said. “They like to run the ball. They’ve got a good quarterback and a good tailback.”

But with everything on the line, only one thing matters.

“This time of year you have to take care of the football,” Oshel said. “You have to win the turnover ratio, and you have to try to take advantage of any mistakes they might make.”