Wildcats, Eagles take the gridiron

Football is back for one massive night of more than 50 games in Central Florida, and Winter Park is taking on an old rival to kick off the season.

It’s Winter Park versus Edgewater to start things off at 7:30 p.m. on Friday on the Eagles’ home turf, as the teams meet for the first time since the start of last season, when the Wildcats won by a convincing 26-13 margin.

That was while the Eagles were helmed by their third head coach in three years after the departure of longtime coach Bill Gierke. The Eagles will be watched over by Jed Kennedy in his unofficial debut as head coach this Friday, with hopes of a reviving the Eagles teams from a decade ago.

The Wildcats, who lost quarterback Asiantii Woulard to graduation after last season, went 4-6 in 2012. Though heavily recruited as an overall athlete and quarterback, Woulard rarely managed to connect with the rest of his offense in his two seasons at the helm. In the 2012 season, the Wildcats’ highest scoring game all season came against a Colonial squad that would go on to win only one game, when they managed five touchdowns.

The Wildcats will hold the coach responsible for bringing Daunte Culpepper to the University of Central Florida in their arsenal when they hit the field. Paul Lounsberry will work with the Wildcats’ offensive line this season.