- November 28, 2024
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The Buccaneers (10-1) will travel to play Leesburg (8-3) 7:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 22.
BY ANDREW O'BRIEN | SPORTS EDITOR
Not even Mother Nature could slow down the Bucs on Friday night.
Mainland (10-1) used stifling defense and a vicious running game to cruise past Lake Minneola, 49-0, in the Class 6A regional quarterfinals on a rainy night at the Municipal Stadium in Daytona Beach.
Mainland advances to play Leesburg (8-3) in the regional semifinals next Friday. Because of predetermined brackets by the Florida High School Athletic Association, that game will be played at Leesburg. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. (Leesburg knocked off Seabreeze, 24-17.)
“We played a good, clean game against a playoff team,” Mainland coach Scott Wilson said after the game. “What has tended to happen over the season is when our offense is clicking and moving the ball, the whole team plays better.”
That was certainly the case on Friday night, as the Bucs only punted the ball once — which was late in the fourth quarter, up by seven touchdowns, and with a running clock.
Wilson credited his offense and defensive coordinators for the games they called.
“The players worked so hard this week,” Wilson said. Because of the time change, Wilson said, his team is literally running in the dark at night for practice.
“That’s OK,” he said. “The kids are willing to put the time in, and now there are four weeks left. We’re just trying to live week-by-week.”
With Friday’s win, Mainland is one of 16 teams still playing football in Class 6A.
Mainland’s defense got to work quickly against Lake Minneola, forcing a three-and-out on the first drive of the game.
The Bucs didn’t take long to score, either. Kaylo Hannah scored on a three-yard touchdown run to give Mainland a 7-0 lead with 8:13 to go in the first quarter.
Trailing 7-0 early in the second quarter, Lake Minneola punted again, but the ball hit off a Mainland player. Lake Minneola recovered the fumble to have first-and-goal from the Bucs’ six-yard line. Three plays and zero yards later, a 23-yard field goal attempt by Lake Minneola cranked off the upright. No points.
From there, Mainland’s offense clicked.
With about eight minutes to go in the first half, Mainland quarterback Trey Rodriguez took the ball off the left edge on an option play for seven yards. As he was being dragged down by defenders, he pitched the ball to sophomore Adrian Killins, who sprinted 47 yards for the score.
After the ensuing kickoff pinned Lake Minneola at its own one-yard line, Mainland added a safety with 6:45 to go in the half to go up 16-0.
An eight-yard TD run by Killins and two touchdown runs by Rodriguez gave Mainland a 36-0 lead at the half.
Mainland managed to score 29 points in the second quarter.
The Bucs added a touchdown in the third quarter and a blocked punt for a touchdown in the fourth quarter to close out the scoring.
Killins finished with 137 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Rodriguez added more than 250 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns.
Rodriguez left the game in the third quarter with an injury to a finger on his non-throwing hand. After the game, Wilson said he wasn't worried.
“He has a pretty good jammed up finger, but Trey is fine," Wilson said. “We’ll be good as far as that goes.”
Mainland’s defense will face an explosive offense in Leesburg next week that is averaging about 30 points per game.
Mainland’s defense, however, is pretty explosive. That unit allows just 7.9 points per game.
Wilson, on advancing to the Sweet 16, added: “I told my coaches and players this earlier this week: Let’s try to slow this thing down because I truly feel it’s a special season, and I don’t want to let this one go.”
Leesburg 24, Seabreeze 17
Seabreeze (7-3) got off to an early 7-0 lead, but Leesburg scored 24 straight points to knock off the Sandcrabs, 24-17, in the Class 6A regional quarterfinals.
Seabreeze rallied in the second half to score 10 unanswered points, but the comeback bid fell short when quarterback Connor Blair threw an interception with about a minute to go in the game in Leesburg's red zone.
The loss ends Seabreeze’s season.
Trinity Christian (Jacksonville) 49, Father Lopez 7
Trinity Christian (9-1) scored early and often, knocking off Father Lopez, 49-7, in the Class 3A regional quarterfinals.
Senior quarterback Joe Boden scored the Green Wave’s lone touchdown on a 14-yard run.
Father Lopez finishes the season 5-6.
