Eudora ? Eudora High started its football season with a 20-13 win over Prairie View, but it was hard to tell after talking to Cardinals coach Gregg Webb.

But consider:

Eudora was missing two of its starting lineman and a strong safety.

The Cardinals’ starting senior quarterback went down because of a collarbone injury.

Webb’s club fumbled the ball five times in the second half.

“We’ll take that win and move on,” Webb said after Friday’s game at Laws Field. “We’re going to have to be a million times better, and we can be. We have the personnel to do it. I told our kids some nights are like that when it just becomes so frustrating.”

Senior QB Tyler Cleveland injured his collarbone four minutes into the first quarter. Doctors didn’t find a break, but Webb doesn’t expect him back anytime soon.

“The way he was acting, it doesn’t look good,” Webb said. “I’d say he’d be out for a considerable amount of time.”

Eeudora High quarterback Tyler Cleveland, left, stiff-arms Prairie View linebacker Justin Post. The Cardinals won, 20-13, Friday at Laws Field in Eudora.

The Cardinals’ defense shut down Buffalo quarterback Scott Stoughton, with the exception of a 66-yard slant to Tommy Clapp in the second quarter. The Buffaloes (0-1) tied the game in the waning seconds of the third quarter with a Stoughton plunge, but a three-yard run by Eudora sophomore Luke Abel sealed the win.

If any good came from Cleveland’s fall, it was the emergence of senior Josh Lauer at quarterback. Lauer, a converted running back and wide receiver, was 3-of-6 for 100 yards, a touchdown and an interception, and also scrambled for 32 yards on eight carries.

“For his lack of snaps, he did a great job,” Webb said.

Lauer praised his teammates.

“I just had some really good players making me look good,” Lauer said. “They made my job ten times easier. We made plays when we had to make plays.”

The Cardinals’ backfield finished with 223 yards rushing. Senior Mark Lister lead the way with 85 yards off 13 carries.

¢ 6Sports video: Eudora Cardinals defense shines in win over Prairie View

Eudora senior wideouts Joey Donahue and Troy Van Horn combined for 98 yards.

“It was just a dogfight,” Donahue said. “We need to expect more of ourselves.”

As the Cardinals (1-0) try to carry the torch from last year’s 11-2 club, Webb found a bright spot.

“The positive thing is it’s September 5th and not November 5th,” Webb said. “If it was November 5th, we would have gotten hammered.”