Last year, Eudora High beat Mill Valley, 21-6, to complete a clean sweep of Class 4A, District 5 football.

The No. 4 Cardinals will be attempting the same feat at 7 p.m. tonight at No. 5 Mill Valley, but without an all-star running back like Andrew Pyle, who had 251 yards on 51 carries in his final regular-season game last season against the Jaguars.

“Our team is not the same team as last year,” Eudora coach Gregg Webb said. “We had different strengths and weaknesses. Last year, I thought we could line it up and run the ball against just about anybody.”

Webb said the Cardinals’ offensive strength so far has been on the perimeter of the field, and that shouldn’t change tonight. Receivers Josh Brouhard, Joey Donahue, Troy Van Horn and Josh Lauer all should have plenty of chances to improve their receiving statistics.

But this is Eudora, and Webb isn’t going to abandon the running game. Junior running back Brendan Jackson, who racked up 153 yards on 14 carries Friday against K.C. Ward, and senior back Mark Lister should be the main recipients of the ball out of the backfield.

Webb continues to point at the mental aspects of the game as one of his club’s weaknesses.

Yet despite the mental lapses, the Cardinals are 6-2 (2-0 in district play). Webb credits the mark to his defense, a group that will have quite an assignment in stopping Mill Valley’s David Woods.

Woods, a junior running back, has averaged 145.5 yards a game and has 20 touchdowns on the year. Three of his scores came in the Jaguars’ 35-7 win Friday over De Soto.

“He’s solid, quick and can score on any play,” Webb said of Woods. “When you have a player like that, it puts a lot of pressure on your defense. But it’s a great challenge. Our defense is the strength of the football team, and they want to show good they are.”

The Jaguars (4-4, 1-1), a preseason favorite for the Kaw Valley League crown, have suffered bumps and bruises this year.

“They were having some issues,” Webb said. “I’ve seen them in some games, and they haven’t looked that good, but I’ve seen them in other games, and they looked like world-beaters.”