Veritas Christian's Michael Kay, left, loses the ball as he is tackled by a Topeka Cair Paravel defender. The Eagles lost, 42-0, Friday at Veritas' new field.

Well, you can’t always have everything.

Veritas High followers flocked to rural Douglas County on Friday night for the dedication of the Eagles’ new $150,000 football facility. The lights sparkled. The grass was lush. The seating was plentiful.

Then they played the game.

Topeka Cair Paravel 42, Veritas 0.

“I’m pretty disappointed,” Veritas running back Jeremiah Johnson said. “We didn’t get done what we wanted to get done.”

Cair Paravel left no doubt early, scoring 36 points in a first quarter that dragged on for 53 minutes, then adding another TD midway through the second quarter.

Reserves played the last five minutes of the second quarter for the Lions and all of the second half, and that may have been the biggest disappointment for Veritas coach Doug Bennett.

“When they came in with their second team we should have been able to take advantage,” Bennett said, “and we didn’t do that.”

Offense and scoring usually are plentiful in eight-man football, but the Eagles never really threatened to score, and their offense accumulated a scant total of 91 yards.

Quarterback Michael Kay carried the ball 22 times for just 58 yards and completed 2 of 10 passes for only 17 yards. Kay threw two interceptions, including one that the Lions’ Jarod Kay returned 22 yards for a touchdown in the first quarter.

Although the lopsided defeat was a bummer on such a memorable occasion, Bennett was more concerned about how poorly his young team executed than he was about losing on the night the field was dedicated.

“I’m mostly disappointed in our lack of fundamentals,” he said. “If you aren’t fundamentally sound, all the offensive and defensive schemes you draw up are never going to work.”

The Veritas roster contains 15 players, and six are freshmen. Bennett has just three seniors – Kay, Isaiah Dover and Stephen May.

“Right now, we’re not a very good team,” Bennett said. “I think we can be a good team. Last year, we started on a similar path, but they worked hard and we got better.”

Veritas dropped its first three games last season, then won its next four and five of its last six.

“I’m not giving up on these guys,” Bennett said.

The Eagles will play host to St. Joseph, Mo., Christian next Friday night.