ORLANDO, Fla. — High school football season has officially returned to Central Florida, headlined by a week one Game of the Week matchup between Dr. Phillips High School and The First Academy.
The First Academy Royals enter the season ranked 11th in the state. The program is once again eligible for the playoffs following a two-year postseason ban imposed due to rules violations.
The Dr. Phillips Panthers begin their season under new leadership. Head coach Caleb Walls takes over the program, replacing former head coach Rodney Wells.
Jeff Conaway serves as the head coach of The First Academy. Ahead of the opener, Conaway shared his perspective on his team’s preparation and mindset.
“You can tell a lot by team, but how they approach the weight room, how they approach the practice field, how they approach team meetings and our guys are professional,” Conaway said. “They’re locked in, they’re focused, our staff is locked in and focused and I’m excited to see this group of players with our coaches go out and put together a great plan and go execute it.”
Channel 9 will broadcast the season debut of “Football Friday Night” at 11:35 p.m.
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