Week 1 area football capsules

Kickoff for all games is 7 p.m.

Baldwin (0-0) at Gardner-Edgerton (0-0)

Last year’s meeting: Baldwin won, 50-28

Quick Hits: Baldwin will showcase a few new faces on offense this season. Senior quarterback Blake Wieden will be at the helm after replacing graduated quarterback Jeremy Wright. Wieden will be one of 14 seniors on the roster and will need to exert his leadership from game one for the Bulldogs to be successful.

Osawatomie (0-0) at Eudora (0-0)

Last year’s meeting: Eudora won, 24-22

Quick Hits: Eudora began the season 8-0 last year and looked poised to make a run deep into the state playoffs. However, it lost its final

regular-season contest against Baldwin, then bowed out in the first round of the state playoffs. Eudora lost 10 seniors off that 8-2 team from last season, including quarterback Kyle Brouhard. Eudora coach Gregg Webb will look to some inexperienced players to fill the holes. Those young players will have to grow up quickly if they plan to match last year’s success in the win column.

McLouth (0-0) at Troy (0-0)

Last year’s meeting: McLouth won, 26-6

Quick Hits: McLouth will look to follow up its magical season from a year ago when it won the Delaware Valley League and finished 10-1. McLouth lost in the Class 3A state playoffs to the eventual state runner-up, Silver Lake. Coach Harry Hester will have to replace his starting running back and quarterback from a year ago; both graduated. Hester will need his youth to step up early if the Bulldogs hope to continue their success from a year ago.

Kansas City Ward (0-0) at Mill Valley (0-0)

Last year’s meeting: Did not play

Quick Hits: After starting the season a promising 2-1 last fall, the Jaguars struggled down the stretch, losing six straight to end the season at 2-7. Mill Valley will look to return to the winning ways it showed during a 6-4 season in 2004. The Jaguars possess one of the top running backs in the state in senior Justin Woods.

Wathena (0-0) at Oskaloosa (0-0)

Last year’s meeting: Oskaloosa won, 35-13

Quick Hits: Wathena was one of two teams to fall victim to Oskaloosa last season. The Bears will look to improve on a season in which they were outscored 173-63 during the final three games. Oskaloosa also hopes to start the season with a win and continue its turnaround from a winless 2004 campaign.

Leavenworth Immaculata (0-0) at Perry-Lecompton (0-0)

Last year’s meeting: Perry-Lecompton won, 49-0

Quick Hits: After going just 3-6 in 2004, Perry-Lecompton made drastic improvements in 2005 when it went 8-1 in the regular season. Perry-Lecompton was 8-0 heading into its final regular-season contest against Tonganoxie, but lost a heartbreaker in overtime. Despite that loss, Perry-Lecompton made its first trip to the state playoffs since 1999. P-L will need to replace a strong group of seniors that led last year’s solid team.

Kansas City Piper (0-0) at Santa Fe Trail (0-0)

Last year’s meeting: Piper won, 28-21

Quick Hits: Santa Fe Trail has had the same disappointing 2-7 record the previous two seasons. It will look to avenge last year’s season-opening loss to Piper tonight. Santa Fe Trail will have a difficult road to the playoffs with both Tonganoxie and Perry-Lecompton to compete with in the Kaw Valley League. Those two teams had a combined 16-2 regular-season record last season.

Lansing (0-0) at Tonganoxie (0-0)

Last year’s meeting: Lansing won, 14-10

Quick Hits: Few would have thought that after losing its first game of the season last year, Tonganoxie would rebound to finish the regular season 8-1. That lone regular-season loss was to tonight’s opponent, leaving Tonganoxie looking for revenge. The Chieftains once again will be led by senior quarterback Jeff Hughes. Hughes will look to scare defenses with his ability to throw and run.

Louisburg (0-0) at Wellsville (0-0)

Last year’s meeting: Did not play

Quick Hits: As one of the smallest schools in the Frontier League, Wellsville knows it’s in for a fight every Friday night. That’s certainly the case tonight, as the Eagles draw a Louisburg squad that finished 7-3 last fall, including an opening-round victory against Eudora in the Class 4A state playoffs. A key will be Wellsville’s ability to pick up where it left off on defense last season, having allowed a total of 15 points its final four regular-season games.

Veritas (0-0) at Baileyville B & B (0-0)

Last year’s meeting: Did not play

Quick Hits: The Eagles begin their third season of eight-man varsity football by stepping outside Kansas Christian Athletic Assn. play to face a Baileyville program that advanced to the quarterfinals of last fall’s eight-man Division I playoffs. Veritas’ biggest question mark is finding enough offense to offset the loss of it’s top three scoring threats from a year ago.