Winter Park takes on one of state's toughest

Winter Park is only a day away from its first unofficial game of the high school football season, and expectations are high for the Wildcats.

This Friday night, the Wildcats' new offense will get a baptism by fire against Olympia, one of the top-ranked teams in Central Florida.

Though the Wildcats are close to being ranked in the top 10 in the state by the Associated Press in Class 6A, the Titans are ranked No. 10.

They could prove to be one of the toughest opponents the Wildcats face all year, and it's only a preseason game.

Both teams went to the playoffs last season, but the Wildcats proved much stronger.

There were inklings of that early on. Last season, the Wildcats dominated Olympia in the kickoff classic, immediately taking charge on offense and letting quarterback Sam Richardson air out passes to receivers Patrick Mputu and Zee Ware on the way to a 14-7 win.

But the Cats don't have either of their top receivers anymore, and the Titans are poised to go much further than their 6-5 record took them last year.

For one, the Titans just picked up Timber Creek's best running back on a transfer. Isaiah Bolden had dominated the running game last season, carrying the ball more than 1,000 yards on the way to the regional playoffs.

But where the Titans gained a running back, they lost a key quarterback in Trevor Siemian, who graduated after throwing for 2,331 yards last season.

Will the Cats be able to capitalize? Find out at 7:30 p.m. under the Friday night lights.