For Anderson County High football coach Don Hilliard, looking for an area to exploit while watching film of Eudora became a fruitless pursuit.

“I have a hard time finding a weak spot,” Hilliard said. “Offensively, they’re very explosive.”

Indeed Eudora, which hosts Anderson County tonight at 7 at Laws Field, is a veritable powder keg. The Cardinals (5-0) blasted their first four opponents by a combined total of 191 to 19.

But last week Eudora faced its first hard-fought contest, eking out a 40-36 win against Gardner-Edgarton with Austin Hoover scoring on a three-yard run with less than two minutes in the game. Come playoff time, netting a narrow victory could prove fortuitous.

“If I had my way, we’d beat everybody by 100,” Eudora coach Gregg Webb said. “But your kids do gather confidence in winning close games.”

If recent history serves as a guide, Friday’s matchup could pose another close game. In 2005, Eudora won, 26-20, on the last possession. The year before the Cardinals beat Anderson County in the playoffs, 34-30.

“We’ve had to put together last-minute drives two years in a row to win,” Webb said. “And they’ve got a majority of those kids back.”

To beat the Bulldogs (4-1) again, Eudora will need to stop the option attack from running backs B.J. Rues and Cory Archer and quarterback Grant Suderman.

“The offense kind of works through those three guys,” Hilliard said. “We’re obviously a team that likes to run it.”

Eudora’s potent offense starts with its agile offensive line, led by guard Richard Wilkes. The Cardinals also have an athletic, gamebreaking wide receiver in junior Matthew Abel.

“We have a special kid that has made us a completely different football team,” Webb said. “He makes us very dangerous on the edge. He gives us a legitimate scoring threat on every play.”

Eudora also features a strong running back in Travis Clarke and a quarterback, Kent Swanson, who has not thrown an interception all year.

Those players will display their skills during tonight’s game, which also serves as Homecoming. Webb said he is not worried the weekend’s accompanying events will serve as a distraction.

“Our kids understand that football is the reason that we have a Homecoming,” Webb said. “The game is everything to them.”