Wildcats headed to Shenandoah for opener
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SARAHSVILLE -- The Edison football is looking to win its season opener for the third straight season.
After defeating Monroe Central in each of the last two seasons, Edison opens the 2024 campaign against Shenandoah at 7 p.m. Friday night on the road.
"I think we have gotten better since the first day," Edison head coach Mike Collopy said. "The kids have been paying attention to detail. The coaching staff has identified some things we have had to correct and areas we have had to work on. The kids have gotten better."
The Wildcats defeated the Seminoles, 34-14, last season on the road and 42-8 in 2022 at home.
Shenandoah lost to Union Local, 20-8, on the road in last season's opening game.
The Zeps have a new coach this season as former Brooke head coach Mac McLean has taken over the head coaching duties.
"I don't have a personal relationship with Coach McLean," Collopy said. "He's a really good coach. He comes from a family of coaches.
"We saw them on film, and their kids played hard. They probably have the biggest line we are going to see all year on both sides of the ball. Their quarterback is going to be one of the best we are going to see. They are well coached."
The Zeps were led on offense last season by freshman quarterback Braxton Barnett.
"He's a dual threat," Collopy said. "He can tuck it down and run and take it the distance. They are going to have some designed runs for him. They have some nice receivers. They have good guys out on the perimeter. From what we saw, they had guys open, and they were able to connect.
"They battled Ridgewood for the majority of the first half, and they also had a good scrimmage against Toronto. I was really impressed.
"We are going to have to take care of things in practice. We are going to have to be prepared for Friday night."
Though this week's game is on the road, the Wildcats aren't making any major changes to their preparation schedule.
"Not really," Collopy said. "We just leave early. It depends on how long of a trip we have to make. We just adjust some things. You have things like getting taped up by the trainer. We have a plan. We just have to stick to it."
Edison has put its practice time to good use this week.
"We are going to have to make sure that we are locked in and dialed in," Collopy said. "The coaching staff has to do a good job. The game plan is installed Monday, and then you have reps on Tuesday and Wednesday.
"You might have to simplify things, or come up with things you think might work. It is all about the kids. You can draw up an elaborate scheme, but if the kids don't do it, the ink you use doesn't matter or what you put up on the dry erase board."
There are 10 games in the regular season, and the opening game is one of the biggest of the season as team's want to get off to a good start to their season.
"With football, you know you are going to play once a week," Collopy said. "You want to improve and get better every week. It is really important to start the season off on the right foot.
"We are expecting nothing less than to be in a dogfight. We are going to be on the road. We are going to be on someone else's field. We are not going to be on our field. We are going to have to be prepared for that."