Edgewater goes from worst to first -- Observer Preps

Standing in front of his players, Eagles’ coach Cameron Duke stood in a controlled excitement.

The smile on his face was cemented with a pride that couldn’t be contained — it was a feeling that was mutual among those gathered around as he addressed the crowd.

“There’s going to be a new number right up there,”  Duke said as he pointed to the banner showing off Edgewater’s district titles. “I told you guys at halftime. I know each and every one of you , and what’s pumping through your body — that heart of yours is what led us to a win tonight.”

After a 2016 season that saw Edgewater struggle their way through an 0-10 season and another coaching change, the Eagles (8-1, 5-0) turned it around on Senior Night in a tough 28-25 win over Hagerty (6-3, 4-1) to seal a district championship.

Along with the Eagles’ district title comes a playoff berth and a guaranteed first-round playoff game in the friendly confines of Edgewater High School. It also means at the moment, the Eagles currently are projected as the No. 3 seed in Region 1 of the upcoming Class 7A playoffs.

Throughout the season, those wearing the red, white and gray of Edgewater had poured every ounce of blood and sweat for their team, and they were asked to do the same against the Huskies.

There were struggles in the first half, to be sure, but if anyone understands struggles, it’s those players who had been through the four coaching changes thoughout their high-school playing careers.

Just as this season had proved to be a massive turnaround for the Eagles, so would this game.

“We had been here, we had been down, and had been in this situation and found ways to come back and win,” Duke said. “That instills confidence when you’ve been in a situation and it wasn’t panic, it was, ‘Let’s make some corrections.’”

There was a frantic tension that ran through the crowd as fans cheered on their Eagles in the second half, and you could tell from the body language of the players on the field that they knew what was at stake.

For the seniors of the team, such as slotback Quondarrius Whitfield, this could have possibly been the last home game of his high-school career.

“It feels good coming out for my senior year after not being able to play last year because of my collarbone,” Whitfield said. “It’s amazing how well we work — the family that we are now. It just feels so great to actually win games this year and put another district championship under our school’s name.”

Since Duke took over earlier this year, the change between what the Eagles football team was, and what they are now, has been incredible.

Since that early loss to Bishop Moore in the first game, the Eagles have won eight straight and have pulled off a perfect 5-0 record in district play.

A big contributing factor to the team has come along with the seismic shift in the program’s culture that Duke brought.

“We’re (closer) than we were last year,” he said. “Everybody was separated and we didn’t really communicate well. But now, together, we play as a family. We didn’t even practice for the first two weeks. We had to do team bonding and get together as a team — he (Duke) said, ‘First things first: We have to be a family before we can be a team.’”

Although they still have one last regular-season game Friday against rival Boone and the playoffs after, Duke and his team will take this win and cherish it. It represents another huge turning point for the program and everyone who has been a part of the process.

“It’s great for our community, and it’s great for Edgewater,” Duke said after the game. “This program has had such rich history for a long time, and to bring back a district title is great. For our seniors, who have been through a lot, for them to be able to capture that title tonight is awesome.”