A question has loomed on the minds of both the Baldwin High and Eudora High football teams since last Friday night.

Is Eudora’s sensational feature back, Andrew Pyle, going to play tonight?

“Yeah, he’s going to give it a go,” Cardinals coach Gregg Webb said. “He says he can play, and he seems to be running pretty well.”

Pyle sprained his ankle during the first quarter of Eudora’s 32-0 victory against Wellsville last week. He didn’t return, watching the remainder of the Cardinals’ fifth win of the season from the sideline.

He’ll start tonight against Baldwin, a team coming off a 49-20 victory against Spring Hill. Pyle’s return, though it’s not definite for the entire game, is a thought that has both Webb and his team a little more comfortable.

“I think he’s valuable as an emotional leader,” Webb said. “I think the kids feel calmer with him in there.”

Pyle has amassed 941 yards on 120 carries this season, tops in the Frontier League. His 16 touchdowns are also best in the conference.

Baldwin travels to Eudora with a 3-2 record, though it may be a bit deceiving. Both of their losses this season were by a touchdown, and they’ve outscored opponents, 134-58, in their five games so far.

“I think those games that we lost could’ve gone either way,” Baldwin coach Mike Berg said. “We played some really good teams in those games and a couple breaks here and there, and we could be 5-0.”

Nevertheless, tonight’s showdown remains an intriguing matchup. Berg knows what it takes to topple unbeaten Eudora, and it’s just a matter of executing.

“It takes a perfect game by any team that plays them,” Berg said. “They’re very well-coached and they have a lot of talent.”

It could be within the Bulldogs’ reach. Last week’s victory against Spring Hill gave Berg a glimpse of what his team is capable of a game with no turnovers and lots of scoring.

“We need to come out and play mistake-free football, like last week,” Berg said.

“We were very happy with our performance against Spring Hill.”

As for Eudora, things will start getting back to normal. Sure, they rolled Wellsville despite Pyle’s absence. But having him in the lineup, even with the ankle still troubling him, will certainly help Eudora try to stay unbeaten this season.

“It would be better if he was 100 percent,” Webb said. “But we’ll definitely take him.”