Edison finally returns home, challenges Catholic Central
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RICHMOND -- After spending three weeks on the road, Edison's much-improved Wildcats finally will play their 2020 home opener Friday night.
Coach Shane O'Brien's 2-1 club will host Jefferson County rival Catholic Central on Cartwright Memorial Field. The opening kick is set for 7 p.m. After this season, Edison will move to its new turf field in 2021.
"We're off to a decent start, although I do wish we would have had better results last week (a 38-10 loss to Barnesville)," O'Brien said. "It's exciting to be playing at home for the first time.
"We'll celebrate senior night, and I think our guys are ready and really excited to play in front of our home crowd."
Edison opened its season with a 31-19 victory at Toronto, and then disposed of Conotton Valley, 23-14. The Wildcats went 0-10 in 2019.
"Last year, we were a really young team," O'Brien said. "Our guys faced a lot of adversity and took their lumps. They have responded really well, and their attitudes have been great. I think that getting a year of experience and maturity allowed our mindsets to shift to be a little more confidence. That all culminated in us taking a better approach to start the season, and I think we are in a better spot.
"Our senior class wants to leave its own mark on the season. We had some mistakes against Barnesville and missed some opportunities. It is the kind game of we wish we had back. We've put it behind us and are our looking forward to the opportunities we still have ahead of us."
Friday's game will be the eighth all-time between the schools. Central holds a 6-1 series lead and has grabbed four consecutive wins since the rivalry was renewed in 2016.
The Crusaders fell to 0-3 following a 34-13 loss to Conotton Valley last Thursday. Central also has dropped decisions to Harrison Central and River.
"Every week there have been more positives," Central coach Anthony Agresta said. "But, the goal around here is to produce a winning effort. Unfortunately, that has not happened yet. Friday night affords us another opportunity and we are game planning to win the football game.
"My message to our guys is we just have to keep working. Nobody is feeling sorry for us. We just have to keep working hard and keep getting better every day."
Through three games, the Wildcats are averaging 190 yards (120 on the ground and 70 through the air) of offense and 21 points.
Sophomore Ethan Waggoner leads Edison's rushing attack with 156 yards, while junior Tyler Griffith has contributed 142 and found the end zone three times.
"This Edison team is much like the team we faced last year, only they are playing with much more confidence," Agresta said. "They are big and physical and like to run the football at you. I think they prefer the run, but their passing game is much improved with their quarterback (sophomore Gage Cline) being a year older. They definitely can make plays in the passing game.
"I'm sure they will be ready to go Friday. Look, they came here last year and gave us all we could handle on our homecoming. They will be loaded for bear and ready to play hard, physical football. We will need to get off the bus with a real sense of urgency."
Cline has thrown for 210 yards and a touchdown. Against Barnesville, he threw 20 passes, completing seven for 102 yards. Senior Jayden Sanders had three receptions against the Shamrocks, while junior Jacob Cusick caught two Cline aerials.
"We still believe in establishing the run first, but we are trying to stay somewhat balanced," O'Brien said. "It really is a matter of finding what works for us. Last week, we could not get the ground game going, so we turned to the pass and threw a little more than we like.
"We're still a team that wants to establish the run, take control up front and use the passing game as a complement to our running game. We do need to work at getting more efficient in the passing game."
Central's offense averages 184 yards an outing, with 110 coming through its ground game. Senior Isaiah Mullins has compiled 238 yards on 48 trips to lead the Crusaders. He has two rushing touchdowns. In the loss to Conotton Valley, Mullins ran for 136 and a score.
Senior quarterback Ryan Gorman has thrown for 220 yards and two six-pointers. Senior Vince Carapellotti has seven catches to lead Central while Mullins has five.
"Central is a really young team, but they seem to be improving every week," O'Brien said. "This always is an exciting game for both schools, and it's a bit of a rivalry for both of us.
"We know they will be well prepared and ready. They have some athletes who can make plays, and we will need to focus on stopping them. Without a doubt, we'll see a pretty competitive team coming to our stadium this week."