The Chiefs will have one Sunday. The Jayhawks had one two weeks ago. And Veritas Christian had one last week.

Open dates always are welcomed by football players and coaches, and Veritas is no exception.

“We took it easy, got over some bumps and bruises,” Eagles coach Doug Bennett said. “And we had one player recover from a major injury.”

Zach Hertzel, a junior linebacker, had an extra week to recover from a shoulder injury and is expected to participate when the Eagles resume eight-man competition today against Springfield (Mo.) Christian.

Kickoff will be at 3:30 p.m. at the Youth Sports Inc. fields.

Open dates are rare on high school schedules, but Bennett had no choice when Coffeyville Tyro Christian, last week’s scheduled foe, was unable to field a team this year.

Bennett was, however, able to add a road game against Hamilton, an eight-man KSHSAA team, on Oct. 28 to fill out the Eagles’ slate.

“The only bad thing,” Bennett said, “is that it’s on the last Friday of the season, and we’ll play the next Tuesday in the playoffs.”

Bennett was referring to the Kansas Christian Athletic Assn. playoffs. Veritas does not participate in the KSHSAA playoffs.

Veritas is playing a rare Saturday afternoon game to accommodate today’s opponent. Springfield is approximately a five-hour drive from Lawrence.

In last year’s game in Springfield, Veritas recorded a 50-34 triumph.

“They’ve improved,” Bennett said. “They have good speed. They remind me a lot of Wichita Trinity.”

In their last game before the break, the Eagles dropped Wichita Trinity, 46-29, to boost their record to 4-0. Coincidentally, Veritas is averaging 46.0 points a game in its four victories.

Sophomore speedster Marcus Holman leads the Eagles with 760 yards rushing and 14 touchdowns. Senior running back Jesse Schultz has accumulated 503 yards and scored eight TDs.

Veritas also will be home next weekend. The Eagles will entertain Wichita Word of Life at 7 p.m. Friday at YSI.