Five years ago, when Brad Scott and Mark Elston were hired as head football coaches at De Soto and Tonganoxie, neither had much of a foundation to build on.

De Soto was struggling for talent with Mill Valley becoming the new player in town, and Tonganoxie simply never had been very good.

Now, both teams are contenders at 6-1, and the two coaches will meet in what for both teams could be the biggest game of the season.

“We’ve both had to overcome some obstacles, which has been fun,” Tongie coach Mark Elston said. “There’s a lot more at stake in this game as far as postseason activities are concerned. We’ve told (the players) to expect a very good game. They’re going to be, as far as I can tell, the best team we’ve played all year.”

Elston also said he expected an extremely high level of competition being on display tonight, with both teams entering as confident as ever.

Tonganoxie’s high-scoring ways continued last week as the Chieftains punished Bonner Springs, 49-16. De Soto is coming off of a convincing victory of its own after a 28-0 shutout of Perry-Lecompton.

Aside from competing in different leagues, the two teams are pretty much mirror images of one another. The similarities begin with their identical 6-1 records, and both squads rely on stingy defenses and run-first attacks on offense.

If there is an advantage, it likely belongs to the Chieftains. Even though the game will be played in De Soto, Tongie has history on its side. Since Elston and Scott have been coaching, De Soto is 0-4 against Tongie, including a 50-19 dusting a year ago.

“I think they’ve had a lot more success than we’ve had,” Scott said. “This will be a good opportunity to see how far we’ve come against a team that’s been in the playoffs the last two years.”

De Soto also is hoping to back up its team motto of “Finish.”

The past two seasons, the Wildcats have started hot only to falter down the stretch. A victory over the Chieftains would be a good indicator that the Wildcats were living up to their promise.

“We have an excellent group of older players,” Scott said. “They’ve played a ton of football, know what it takes to win and have dedicated themselves to doing that.”