​EDGAR — Edgar’s football team will leave school earlier than usual Friday, climb aboard a bus and spend roughly two hours traveling west toward one of the state’s top teams.The Wildcats won’t mind the ride.In fact, coach Jerry Sinz sees the long trip to Mondovi as an opportunity.Former Newman Catholic athletic director Zach Braun leaves for Notre Dame“I kind of enjoy having a couple hours quietly with the team together,” said Sinz. “Guys sitting by position together on the bus and kind of quizzing each other on their responsibilities and things like that.“We usually play about as well on the road as we do at home. I don’t think that has much bearing on it. I’m sure they’ll have a big crowd, but that’ll be fine.”Friday’s matchup for the Wildcats against D6’s No. 1 ranked Mondovi is a rematch of last year’s D6 state semifinal — making this more than just a long road trip. It’s a measuring stick game for the Wildcats who edged the Buffaloes 21-14 to reach its third consecutive state title last season.The Buffs enter the matchup unbeaten with a high-octane offense led by junior quarterback Bode Faulkner and multiple college level skill-pieces surrounding the offense, Sinz said. Edgar is nursing a plethora of injuries set off by a devastating second-half against Stratford, in which they lost multiple key players to injury– some in the secondary – and got nipped by a late Tigers’ touchdown pass, 6-3 in the final minute of what looked like a Wildcat victory.Regardless, Sinz feels Week 4 and the two-hour turnaround trip is an ultimate early-season test for his group of quiet Wildcats, still searching for their vocal leader. “That’s one thing that I really got on them pretty stern about after the Stratford game,” Sinz said. “‘Nobody’s talking, guys. Nobody’s saying anything. We’ve got to start talking. I know it’s not in your nature, but you’ve got to start doing it.”Communication on the defensive side of the ball will be key Friday as the Wildcats will be faced with the task of trying to slow down a handful of elite talent, similar to what it will be during a potential state run. “Of course, at full strength, we still would have an epic challenge to slow them down,” said Sinz.Wausau area Week 3 football round up: Wausau West spearheads area football teams making early splash“But we’re not going to change our defense. It’s just a matter of who you key on more or less. I’m sure everybody keys on him (Faulkner) because he’s been that good the last two years. But he’s got a great wide receiver, a great running back and a great slot, and once again, they’re all juniors. So they’re going to be back next year, too and we have to play them again. So that’s the luck of the draw. It’ll be a monumental challenge for us to go over there and see if we can stay in the game.”A business tripOn a long Edgar football bus commute, there’s not much time spent not seeking improvement.The sc