Central Football Is Back and Different

EDITOR’S NOTE: For the 6th straight year, Central High Wildcat Football will be broadcast live by the Central City News.  We encourage you to go to the game and support the Wildcats.  But if you can’t go, watch the game live at Central City News on Facebook. If you attend the game, watch our video later that night or over the weekend.

CENTRAL — For Central High School’s legendary Coach Sid Edwards, it’s all about the kids.  In that sense, nothing will change that’s really important for the 2022 Central Wildcat football program. It will still be about character and learning to be a good man, a good husband, a good father, and a productive member of the community.

But for outsiders, this must seem like one of the most challenging years in Central High football history. Central has a new district, filled with powerful rivals, mostly old rivals who have stepped up their programs more than a notch or two.

The new district is:

Catholic High

Central High

Liberty High

Woodlawn High

Scotlandville

Zachary High

Last year those teams produced two state championships at the highest level in Louisiana high school football and a state runnerup. Every team in the league has a top level football program or a strong vision to have one.

Meanwhile, Liberty has one of the top running backs in the country and Woodlawn has one of the top quarterbacks in the country.

On the other hand, Coach Sid Edwards, the Wildcats’ long-time head coach, said it’s been one of the best summers in the history of Central High football.

“These kids are very coachable, super compliant, and of good character.  They are a young team and fun to watch.”

Perhaps most important, no one has bothered to tell them they will have one of the toughest schedules in the state.

Gone from the district are long-time rivals in Livingston and Ascension parishes — Live Oak, Denham Springs, Walker, Dutchtown, St. Amant, and East Ascension.  They now have their own district.

Gone from the Central High schedule is Denham Springs.  They will not play this year, ending a 71-year rivalry, one of the longest in the state.

Perhaps the most important addition to Central’s new league is Catholic High, which is becoming a perennial state champion in football and other sports.

However, if other teams across the state live in fear of Catholic, Coach Sid is not one of them.

Catholic High and Central had a long standing rivalry until they stopped playing 10 years ago. Before that, Central under Coach Sid won the last five games the two teams have played.

One of the hot topics in Central High football right now is the competition for who will be the Wildcats’ starting quarterback.  When asked, Coach Sid just smiled and said, “It’s a good problem to have.”