If you mention Larry Gergley’s name to any Winter Park graduate, you’ll receive a nod of acknowledgement. After all, the legendary Gergley, who retired from coaching in 2007, recorded 262 wins at the school where he coached for 36 years and led the 2005 team to the Class 6A state semifinals.
He ranks as one of the winningest coaches in Florida prep history and commands the respect and admiration of hundreds, including dozens of past and present Central Florida football coaches.
Today, though, another passionate coach is making a name for himself at the same school. Tim Shifflet’s Wildcats improved to 5-0 Friday with a 13-7 overtime win against defending district champion Timber Creek, and it appears Shifflet might lead the team to its first unbeaten regular season in more than a decade.
Shifflet, who took the reins from Gergley prior to the 2007 season, went 10-11 in his first two seasons at the helm. The 2008 season featured the Wildcats’ first playoff berth since 2005, when the team went 12-2 and lost a 10-7 heartbreaker to eventual state champion Palm Beach Gardens in the Class 6A state semifinals. Winter Park’s 2008 season ended with a 23-7 loss to Clermont East Ridge in the Class 6A regional quarterfinals, but the momentum appears to have carried into 2009.
With a veteran cast, the Wildcats surged out of the gates to start the season. Winter Park pounded Orlando Boone 59-14 in Week 2 in a game most called an upset. Now Winter Park is just one of four area 6A teams still undefeated. Gergley, whose Wildcat teams averaged better than eight wins a season during the 1980s, must be proud.
Shifflet, meanwhile, must be relieved that he’s started well in his tenure at Winter Park High. After all, he joked with other Orange County coaches prior to the 2007 season. ("The last guy who followed (Gergley) lasted three years," Shifflet told the Orlando Sentinel.)
The offense’s success revolves largely around junior quarterback Sam Richardson and his workhorses, senior running backs Patrick Mfutu and Zee Ware. Mfutu does most of the banging, and Ware does much of the darting and dashing. Through six games, Mputu has more than 600 rushing yards and seven rushing touchdowns, and Ware has more than 200 rushing yards and four touchdowns. 
Zee Ware, Winter Park
File photo by Chad Pilster
Meanwhile, Richardson, whose team is 9-1 since he took over the starting quarterback job midway through 2008, continues to excel as a passer. He has more than 500 passing yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions in the team’s five games.
The Wildcats’ defense also has been strong. Led by Mputu, who also plays linebacker, and senior defensive back Keron Rouse, Winter Park has allowed just 37 points in five games.
The Wildcats have a legitimate shot at an undefeated regular season. The biggest challenges are a game Friday at Edgewater (3-2) and an Oct. 30 home game against Kissimmee Osceola. Edgewater’s two losses were to Dr. Phillips and Apopka. Whether a deep playoff run is in the cards is still up in the air. After all, three other Central Florida 6A schools — Orlando Dr. Phillips, Apopka and DeLand — also are still undefeated.
