Wildcats edge Edgewater in comeback

With a chip on their shoulder after a disappointing 2014 season, the Winter Park Wildcats trudged into Edgewater’s home field looking for a comeback. They got it with a 14-10 kickoff win on a rainy preseason kickoff last Friday.

Storms had wreaked havoc throughout Central Florida as games were either postponed, halted or canceled, with wild weather pushing the Wildcats’ game back to nearly 9 p.m. before kickoff finally happened.

The Wildcats would find themselves behind 10 points before their offense finally got going, with quarterback Nick Sproles launching 134 yards worth of passes, connecting on a TD pass to Wilson Jean Baptiste.

Edgewater starting QB Cortez Pembleton picked up the early score that put the Eagles ahead, but suffered a knee injury when he was tackled during a scramble.

Winter Park’s Malik Foy helped make up the difference in the comeback with a TD run as part of his six carries.

Now the Wildcats are staring down a rematch of last year’s season opener, when they edged upstart Lake Nona on the road 41-35 to start the season on what would become a four-game win streak. Lake Nona would go on to finish 8-3 overall while the Wildcats collapsed and limped to a 5-6 finish.

Could it happen again? Lake Nona has already lost their preseason kickoff to Mt. Dora, 45-31. Winter Park will have the home field advantage at Showalter Field, kicking off at 7:30 p.m. Friday.

Edgewater will cross the street to face Bishop Moore for their opening game. The Hornets went 14-1 last year, including a 27-7 smashing of the Eagles on Sept. 12. After that loss, Edgewater went on a six-game winning streak. This year’s matchup kicks off at 7:30 p.m. Friday.

UCF football

The Knights have less than a week to get their quarterback slot confirmed, though last year’s starter for all but the opening game, Justin Holman, has seen the most action in preseason practice.

Just like last season, George O’Leary is seeing rumors of his departure as head coach swirl around again as he’s taken on the interim athletic director role in the wake of short-term AD Todd Stansbury’s departure for Oregon State. Brent Key, who slots in as offensive coordinator, is rumored to be in position to replace O’Leary should the Knights’ longtime coach decide to become athletic director full time.

In the meantime, the Knights are getting ready to play football next Wednesday, when they host Florida International University to kick off the season.

The Panthers rank in at No. 105 of 128 FBS teams in SBNation.com’s full preseason ranking, a list that puts UCF at No. 56, and UConn, which proudly proclaimed UCF its rival this year, at No. 120.

Last season the Panthers, playing in the NCAA’s highest division, finished 4-8 overall, including a 12-14 loss at the hands of second-tier FCS team Bethune-Cookman. The Knights, who finished 9-4 last year and went on to narrowly lose the St. Petersburg Bowl, decimated that same BCU team 41-7 three weeks after FIU’s loss.

The FIU showdown kicks off UCF’s season at 6 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 3, televised on CBS Sports Network.