ALMA -- The Santa Fe football team got the Class 1, District 13 schedule off to a good start last week with a 24-0 victory at Wentworth Military Academy.

When the Chiefs return home Friday, though, they'll be facing a whole different cat -- a Bearcat, that is, from top-ranked Orrick. Those ‘Cats are looking to run the table on the I-70 Conference for the second straight year, after four one-loss seasons.

Orrick senior Taylor Eubank is tough enough to stop, rushing for 905 yards and 18 touchdowns, but the running of sophomores Aaron Blyth and Kalija Rogers -- who have combined for 1,396 yards and 22 TDs -- is just as worrisome.

Santa Fe had difficulty enough stopping the Dragons' option, the lack of speed to the outside dooming Wentworth, but will need to be better than their best to stop the Bearcats (8-0, 6-0 I-70, 1-0 district).

The Chiefs (4-4, 2-3, 1-0) won't have it easy on the offensive side, either, especially with sophomore Matt O'Dell and junior Leslee Eubank -- who have split 15 sacks between them -- anchoring the defensive front.

Orrick, which beat the Chiefs 71-0 a year ago, already has an advantage in the playoff race after its 49-0 win over Wellington-Napoleon last week. Santa Fe's only shot is this game, for a win by the ‘Cats clinches the district title.

SWEET SPRINGS -- Tipton head coach Tony Braby seems to take special delight in beating the team he took to its only Show-Me Bowl appearance in 1985.

For the sixth time since 2000, Sweet Springs will meet the fourth-ranked Cardinals with the Class 1, District 8 title up for grabs -- only this time, the Greyhounds come in on the heels of a 13-0 I-70 Conference loss to No. 8 Concordia.

At least with Tipton still needing to play the Orioles, Sweet Springs could make it interesting -- if it can overcome four straight losses to the Cardinals, by a cumulative margin of 177-22. The ‘Hounds have only beaten Braby's squad once, 20-6 during their 2000 playoff run.

Tipton (8-0, 1-0 district) runs a unique offense which relies on speed, timing and deception more than brute strength -- but with runners like sophomore Keil Allison it can still pile on the yardage. The two-time Mid-Missouri Conference champions are also stout on defense, having yielded only 55 points and posting three shutouts in the last four games.

One thing Sweet Springs (5-3, 0-1) has going for it that it didn't last season during a 35-0 loss to the Cardinals is that it goes into the game healthy, with the Three Amigos -- seniors Chris Dickinson, James DeWeese and Ronnie Hunter -- healthy for the first time in three years.

SLATER -- After being shut out in three of its first six games, Slater is starting to find its offense.

The Wildcats will need all the punch they can muster Friday when they host Lewis and Clark Conference rival Fayette, which went a leg up in the Class 1, District 14 race by knocking off defending champion Salisbury last week, 48-28.

Slater had a season-high 192 rushing yards, 174 by senior Aric Falls, during last week's 33-14 loss to Westran (Editor's Note: The 32-6 score and statistics reported Monday were due to inaccurate data provided by Slater's staff. A corrected box score appears in the Scoreboard). However, the Falcons can score in bunches, topping 40 points in three of the last four games.

If there's a key to beating Fayette (6-2, 2-1 L&C, 1-0 district), which has versatile athletes like junior back Ryan Sherman upon which to draw, it's to make it a physical, grind-it-out game. Sweet Springs had success that way during its 27-0 season-opening win over the Falcons, then ranked seventh.

If the ‘Cats (0-8, 0-3, 0-1) can make that formula work, then they'll have a chance at snapping their 19-game losing streak.