It's been a long eight months, but football fans in Lakewood will finally be able to return to the stands on Friday night and watch high school football under the bright stadium lights. Last year's division winners - Woodrow Wilson - will be kicking off the 2012-2013 football season on Friday, August 31, and they want the support of all of Lakewood there to cheer them on.

The team will be trotting out a relatively young team this year, as a large majority of last year's team was composed of seniors that have now graduated. The Wildcats will face some growing pains this year, specifically with the offensive skills positions as new players step up to fill the shoes of their predecessors.

The top players from last year's high-powered offense are all gone, including dual-threat quarterback Piers Christian, running back Shaquille Dottin and top wide receiver Andre Plata. It will be interesting to watch and see who steps up and takes the lead in the 2012 offense.

On the other side of the ball, the 2012 Kimball football team will be without their top play maker from last year - WR Jaleen Adkins - but will return quarterback Traveon Thibodeaux and running back Teriyon Gipson.

Woodrow Wilson High School and Kimball High School will clash at Franklin Field on Friday, August 31 with kickoff scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Don't miss out on the first game of the 2012 season!

Photo from Rob Graham