If you talk to Eudora High football coach Gregg Webb about tonight, he’d tell you last season couldn’t be fresher in his mind.

The Cardinals looked to go undefeated for the first time in school history last season. Then, Baldwin High prevented history in the making for Eudora in the last game of the regular season, winning 35-20.

Eudora (8-0) will play host to Baldwin (4-4) at 7 tonight at Laws Field. This year’s circumstance is eerily similar to last year’s. Eudora is undefeated again at 8-0.

“Our kids are still learning what it’s like to build a really strong tradition,” Webb said. “Traditions mean that you’re going to win on a consistent basis and have some undefeated seasons. They’ve never achieved it before, and for this town to achieve that would mean a great deal to the program and these kids.”

For that reason, Webb said he would remind the team of the loss to Baldwin last season.

“It’s a point we bring up and use to make sure the kids don’t forget that, because it sure as heck could happen again this year,” Webb said.

On the other hand, Baldwin coach Mike Berg had no intentions of mentioning last season to his team. The Bulldogs will instead focus on their playoff lives, which will be in jeopardy tonight.

“Eudora’s already in and we’re not, so our kids know it’s do or die,” Berg said. “We’re going to play like it’s a playoff.”

Baldwin can guarantee a spot in the Class 4A state playoffs with a victory and the help of a Spring Hill victory against De Soto. Mathematically, the Bulldogs also can still sneak in even should they lose tonight.

“We’re not going to count on that,” Berg said. “We need to beat Eudora.”

Webb said he recognized Baldwin would play with a sense of urgency tonight due to the circumstances.

“We will have to come out with that same intensity and purpose,” Webb said. “We don’t want to go into the playoffs on a note that we’re not playing very well and not giving our entire effort.”

Put simply, Eudora has destroyed its opponents this season. The Cardinals average more than 43 points per game, and give up only 11.3.

The Cardinals have weapons spread across the field. Pick your poison. Junior running back Travis Clarke has 1,097 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns. Senior quarterback Kent Swanson has a 75 percent completion rate and 13 touchdowns. His favorite target, junior wide receiver Matthew Abel, has 700 receiving yards and nine scores.

In scouting Eudora’s offense, Berg said he didn’t notice any weaknesses.

“That’s why they’re undefeated,” Berg said. “You have to stop the offensive line, which opens holes and gives the quarterback time. I think if you blitz, they’ll beat you with the play-action pass. They exploit weaknesses in defenses and we can’t leave any holes or gaps.”

In scouting Baldwin, Webb said he was impressed with Bulldogs wide receiver Aaron Mills.

“Every time he touches the football, you’re afraid he can score,” Webb said.

Tonight’s forecast calls for a 70 percent chance of rain. Both coaches said it wouldn’t change their game plans.

“I like to tell our kids that when it starts blowin’, we start throwin’,” Webb joked. “When it gets near November, you better be able to run the football. That’s what we do and who we are.”

Berg admitted his team didn’t have as much quickness as in previous years, so the rain wouldn’t affect the Bulldogs.

“We’ve played in mud before and it seems like our team was the same,” Berg said. “We welcome the rain. It will make the field softer.”