Veritas quarterback Michael Kay will be one of the focal points of the Eagles' offense during the 2007 season.

Talk about running the gauntlet.

When Veritas Christian School opens its fourth season of varsity eight-man football on Sept. 1, the Eagles will face a stretch of three games that could give any coach nightmares.

“We have three big challenges ahead of us right out of the gate,” Veritas coach Doug Bennett said. “But I think we’re ready for the challenge.”

First up, the Eagles face traditional public school powerhouse B&B Baileyville on the road. Last season, Baileyville blanked Veritas, 46-0 in the opener.

Next, the Eagles return home to christen their new stadium. However, waiting on the opposing sideline will be Cair Paravel, a team that outscored the Eagles 88-28 in two games last year, including a 48-28 victory in the first-round of the Kansas Christian Athletic Association playoffs.

Finally, in Week 3, Veritas will take on last year’s Missouri state champs, St. Joe Christian.

Although the deck appears to be stacked against the Eagles, this year’s group isn’t about to bow down because of a tough schedule.

“We are smaller in size, but we’re just going to give it our all and see how far we go,” senior lineman Stephen May said. “The games we play early in the season aren’t necessarily an indication of how the season is going to turn out.”

That much May and the Eagles know from experience. After losing three straight games to open 2006 – by the combined scored of 122-6 – Veritas responded to win five of its next seven and earned a berth in the KCAA playoffs.

Bennett is hoping last year’s strong finish will carry over to the current season. So far, he has noticed increased confidence and enthusiasm from his squad.

“If we continue to build on the excitement and enthusiasm we’ve had in practice, we’ll be pleased with the end result,” Bennett said.

There are plenty of reasons to be excited about the 2007 season. Despite losing six players to graduation and another who transferred, the Eagles return six players with varsity experience.

Seniors Michael Kay, Isaiah Dover and May will be asked to lead the group. But they won’t be alone. They’ll have the support of a trio of experienced underclassmen in Hogan Randell, Jerimiah Johnson and Jake Reynold. Bennett is also counting on several new faces to fill the void left by last year’s seniors.

“Those six guys are guys we expect to be key contributors for us,” Bennett said. “But we’re also counting on other guys to step up and fill in the positions around them.”

That scenario is nothing new. Last year, Veritas replaced seven players and finished the season with a 5-5 record. This year’s group is hoping for more.

“We’re a lot more comfortable now,” said Dover, referring to the fact that the team is in its second season of a new offense. “Most of us know what to do and where to go on every play. We just need to focus on each step, each day, each practice and each game. That needs to be our main focus.”

As for the key to overall success, Bennett said that lies in the trenches.

The majority of players the Eagles lost in the offseason played on the offensive and defensive lines.

Finding replacements and winning the war at the line of scrimmage will be paramount.

“The key this year will be controlling the line of scrimmage,” Bennett said. “That is very crucial for our success.”

Of course, having a player like Kay at quarterback alleviates some of the pressure put on the linemen.

“Everyone knows that Mike’s a great athlete,” Dover said. “And every position you put him in, he’s going to excel.”

May agreed, but added that the team won’t be looking for a free ride on Kay’s shoulder pads.

“We don’t want to rely on just one guy,” May said. “But Mike’s a great player, and he’s going to be the deciding factor in a lot of games this season.”

As the countdown to kickoff crawls closer, the Eagles have one extra goal in mind.

“We haven’t got past fourth place,” Bennett said. “That’s our goal this year.”