Scoring points against Baldwin High’s defense hasn’t done opponents much good this season.

It only makes the Bulldogs play harder.

“Eudora scored on its first series last week, and our kids came off the field and said, ‘That’s it. They’re not going to score again,'” Baldwin coach Mike Berg said.

And the Cardinals didn’t in Baldwin’s 14-6 victory that clinched a district championship and gave the Bulldogs (8-1) home-field advantage for tonight’s Class 4A playoff opener against Louisburg (5-4).

“That was huge,” said Berg, who is in his seventh season at Baldwin. “We haven’t had home field in bi-districts since I’ve been here. It was something our seniors really wanted. It was a big win against a really good team.”

The Bulldogs not only earned the home game they wanted, but they also have a second chance at Louisburg. The Wildcats handed Baldwin its only loss, 13-12, Sept. 24 at Louisburg.

“We’re excited about that,” Berg said. “There were a lot of turnovers and mistakes. We got the ball inside their 20-yard line four times and came away with no points. They’re a quality ballclub, but we shot ourselves in the foot a lot.”

Louisburg is one of only three teams that have scored more than seven points against Baldwin, which has limited opponents to an average of 7.2 points per game.

“We’re led by our defense,” Berg said. “It’s a really aggressive group of kids that are playing hard.”

Strong safety Ricky Baker, free safety Austin Inzer and linebacker Klay Garrison are Baldwin’s leading tacklers, but Berg said line play had been outstanding as well.

“Our defensive line has closed the gaps so people have to bounce it outside to where our speed people are at,” he said.

Baldwin’s balanced offense features three players — tailbacks Inzer and Garrison, and quarterback Jeremy Wright — who have rushed for more than 500 yards.

Turnovers and penalties stalled Baldwin in its first meeting with Louisburg, and Berg had his team practice with a wet ball on a wet field Monday to prepare for what likely will be sloppy conditions tonight.

“It’s going to come down to mistakes,” he said.

Basehor-Linwood at Tonganoxie

The Chieftains defeated Basehor-Linwood, 55-14, Oct. 8 at Tonganoxie.

“We scored on them pretty quickly, and things went well for us,” Tongie coach Mark Elston said. “They’ve improved dramatically since then on offense and defense. I doubt it will come as easily as last time, and I’m sure they’ll have the revenge factor working for them.”

Tonganoxie (8-1) has improved dramatically since the first half of the season. The Chieftains averaged a modest 17.5 points through four games but have scored at a 38.8 clip in the five games since.

Tongie also lost two fullbacks to injuries before moving guard Kaleb Lawrence to the backfield in week four. Lawrence has almost 300 yards rushing in five games and has helped open holes for quarterback Ross Starcher (1,036 yards rushing, 16 touchdowns) and running backs Zach Ditty (615, six) and Sam Mitchell (590, 10).

Tongie wrapped up a 3-0 run though district last week with a 21-7 win over Perry-Lecompton. Basehor-Linwood is 5-4.

Eudora at Anderson County

Last week’s loss to Baldwin cost Eudora (6-3) home-field advantage. The district runner-up Cardinals will start the 4A playoffs on the road against the Bulldogs (6-3).

De Soto at Lansing

De Soto (7-2) bounced back from a one-point loss to Tonganoxie in the second week of 4A district play with a 43-3 victory over Bonner Springs. The Wildcats’ two losses have come by a total of four points, including a 10-7 loss at Anderson County in week five. District runner-up DHS will start the playoffs on the road against Lansing (7-2).

Humboldt at Wellsville

After taking its lumps against larger competition, Wellsville (4-5) is back in the playoffs after posting a 2-1 record in its 3A district. The Eagles, who were shutout in four of their five losses, defeated Central Heights, 35-8, in the regular-season finale.

“Our offense didn’t start clicking until the last three weeks,” said Wellsville coach Bill Oshel, whose team defeated Humboldt (7-2), 42-20, last season. “Our defense kept us in a lot of games.”

Getting hot late in the season has become a trend for Wellsville, which didn’t face a 3A opponent until district.

Humboldt is 7-2.