Not many Kansas high school football teams, if any, started with an 0-4 record and still are playing.

Kansas City Piper is. The Pirates have won six straight since their miserable beginning and now stand in the path of once-beaten Eudora in the Class 4A state playoffs.

Kickoff will be at 7 tonight at Laws Field in Eudora.

âÂÂTheyâÂÂre a talented team. They just had to win that first one,â Eudora coach Gregg Webb said about rejuvenated KC Piper.

Among the Piratesâ early defeats were a pair of thumpings by Kaw Valley League brethren Santa Fe Trail and Mill Valley. Trail won, 41-7, and Mill Valley, 39-0.

PiperâÂÂs turnaround started with a 35-31 victory against Leavenworth Immaculata. The Pirates also swept their district games against Tonganoxie (7-0), Lansing (16-13) and Basehor-Linwood (16-7).

While Eudora was struggling to knock off Baldwin, 21-14, in the first round of the playoffs last Tuesday night, Piper was cruising to a 27-6 victory against Hiawatha.

KC Piper is on a roll.

âÂÂThey changed,â Webb said. âÂÂThey were throwing maybe 50 times a game early in the season. Now theyâÂÂre causing people headaches because theyâÂÂre multi-dimensional. Their defense stepped it up, too. They are physical. They hit people.âÂÂ

Eudora didnâÂÂt fashion a 9-1 record by being multi-dimensional. The Cardinals can pass if they have to, but their attack is ground-oriented around tailback Andrew Pyle, fullback Tyler Jackson and quarterback Tyler Cleveland.

Pyle already has rushed for nearly 1,800 yards despite playing on a gimpy ankle the last five games.

âÂÂHeâÂÂs been battling it ever since he was hurt in the Wellsville game,â Webb said of the 5-foot-10, 178-pound senior. âÂÂItâÂÂs hard to say, but heâÂÂs maybe 80 to 85 percent. He still has a noticeable limp.âÂÂ

Last TuesdayâÂÂs home triumph over Baldwin avenged the Cardinalsâ only defeat, a narrow 33-32 decision back on Oct. 11.

On Tuesday night, Eudora needed a late 46-yard Cleveland-to-Joey-Donahue pass to set up the touchdown that gave the Cardinals a split and ended BaldwinâÂÂs season.

âÂÂIâÂÂd like to think we gained some confidence by winning a game we could have easily lost,â Webb said. âÂÂOur defense really didnâÂÂt play that well, but we found a way to win.âÂÂ

The winner of tonightâÂÂs game will play the Paola-Girard winner next Friday night. Eudora waxed Paola, 44-0, earlier in the season. The Cards did not meet Girard.