PENDLETON Friday night lights will have to wait another week for the Pendleton Buckaroos.

The calves get the first crack at Round-Up Stadium this year, forcing the Bucks to open their season on the practice field behind the high school, which has an announcers booth,scoreboard and a concession stand, but no lights.

The game will start at 4:30 p.m. and will open the Erik Davis era at Pendleton against a program that has become a Class 5A?power under coach Randy Nyquist.

Going into his ninth season as head coach of the Bulldogs, Nyquist has compiled a 70-15 record and won two state titles.

Being that its my first high school head coaching game, its exciting more than anything else, Davis said, and to go against a program with such good tradition and a winning record, theres nothing better than that on a Friday evening.

It will be the first varsity start for 11 Buckaroos and theyre not shying away from the underdog role in this one.

Shock the world, first game,?said senior quarterback Connor Johnson. Thats our motto right now. Shock the world.

Senior middle linebacker Jack Ezell said a quality team like West Albany is the perfect way to start the season.

Its going to be one heck of a game,?he said. I know were going to put our whole hearts into it so I?think were going to have a good time with them.

The Bulldogs championships were back-to-back in the 2007-08 seasons and the team has gone 15-3 in its last five playoff runs. Pendleton hasnt won a playoff game since 2002.

The Bulldogs finished first in the Mid-Willamette Conference last season and advanced to the state semifinals before losing to Sherwood 61-28.

West Albany lost a lot of key pieces to that playoff run including two first-team all-conference offensive linemen and five all-conference defenders but wouldnt have enjoyed such sustained excellence without the ability to reload each season.

Setting the pace again for the retooled Bulldogs is 2011 leading rusher Jake Lacoste, a first-team all-league selection that churned out 1,988 yards as a sophomore.

He averaged 8.18 yards per his 243 carries and found the end zone 22 times.

Hes really good on the outside, Ezell said. If he can bounce it out to the outside were going to have a lot of running to get to him, but if we contain him and keep him inside I?think we can handle him.

Lacoste (5-foot-10, 180 pounds) also is a threat in the return game and averaged 36.25 yards per kickoff return last season.

Handing him the ball is new starting quarterback Cody Lahoda.

The 6-1, 170-pound junior spent last season as the backup and only saw quality snaps in one game.

That was the semifinals loss to Sherwood, though, and he accounted for all three of the Bulldogs touchdowns.

Lahoda completed 8 of 15 passes for 167 yards, three scores and one interception against the Bowmen. His quarterback rating for that game was 105.

Lahodas leading receiver returning this year is senior Brendon Breslin, who was second on the team with 14 receptions for 272 yards as a junior. Breslin stands at 6-1, 180, and showed good chemistry with Lahoda against Sherwood, hauling in four passes for 108 yards.

Behind him only junior Andrew Ketelson returns any varsity receptions to the Bulldogs two for 17 yards.

The only key returning defender for the Bulldogs is linebacker Gabe Stone, a 6-foot, 180-pound junior that was a second-team all-conference selection last season.

Defensively they fly around and we know theyre going to be well coached,?Davis said. We have to prepare for speed that we havent seen in a while.

Pendleton doesnt have any special game plans in place for this season-opening scrum.

Weve just got to hold onto the ball,?Johnson said. I?need to make my reads and hopefully it will turn out for the best. Right now I?think were going to be pretty balanced but well see after the first couple quarters and well go from there.

West Albany won the last meeting between the teams, a 49-6 preseason outcome in 2007.

Contact Matt Entrup at mentrup@eastoregonian.com or 541-966-0838.