- October 11, 2024
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Mainland's Edward Williams (4) drags DeLand player Omarion Johnson through traffic at the Daytona Stadium. Williams had three touchdowns towards the Buccaneers' 42-27 win. Photo by Michele Meyers
Mainland Athletic Director Terrence Anthony watches the game against DeLand from the sidelines at the Daytona Stadium. Photo by Michele Meyers
The MHS Auxilliary in training stands for the national anthem before the Mainland-DeLand football game. Photo by Michele Meyers
The Mainland Air Force JROTC posts colors before the game against the DeLand Bulldogs. photo by Michele Meyers
Kids welcome the Mainland Buccaneers on the annual Youth Night before the game against DeLand at the Daytona Stadium. Photo by Michele Meyers
Mainland team captains (left to right): Phillip Moore, Myron Shafer, Christian Hudson and Dray Wood. Photo by Michele Meyers
Mainland team captains (left to right) Phillip Moore, Myron Shafer, Christian Hudson and Dray Wood walk onto the field to meet the DeLand apatins before the game.. Photo by Michele Meyers
Mainland captain Dray Wood (right) reaches out to shake DeLand captain LaDamion Bletcher's hand before the game at the Daytona Stadium. Photo by Michele Meyers
The DeLand Bulldogs get ready to play the Mainland Buccaneers at the Daytona Stadium. Photo by Michele Meyers
Kids run with the Mainland Buccaneers before the game against DeLand at the Daytona Stadium. Photo by Michele Meyers
The Buccaneers get ready to take the field before their game against DeLand. Photo by Michele Meyers
Mainland quarterback Sebastian Johnson (right) passes to Edward Williams (left) in the game against DeLand at the Daytona Stadium. Photo by Michele Meyers
DeLand player An'tario Wright (6) stops Buccaneer Edward Williams' (4) run up the middle at the Dayotna Stadium. Photo by Michele Meyers
Mainland player Antonio Wilson Jr. (26) lunges toward Nallin Rogers (3) as he runs the ball down field at the Daytona Stadium. Photo by Michele Meyers
Tamaj Woodard (3) gives coach Ethan Simpson a run down during a timeout in the game against DeLand. Photo by Michele Meyers
Mainland quarterback Seabastian Johnson passes in the win against DeLand at the Daytona Stadium. Photo by Michele Meyers
Buccaneer Jameil Patrick ran for two touchdowns against DeLand, his former team. Photo by Michele Meyers
Mainland's Edward Williams breaks free for an 80-yard touchdown in the game against DeLand at the Daytona Stadium. Photo by Michele Meyers
Mainland wide receiver Phillip Moore (2) cuts across to grab a pass from quarterback Seabstian Johnson in the game against DeLand at the Daytona Stadium. Photo by Michele Meyers
Dennis "Pnut" King (left) celebrates with Jameil Patrick (17) after one of Patrick's punt returns during the game against DeLand at the Daytona Stadium. Photo by Michele Meyers
Mainland's Edward Williams (right) runs in for a touchdown as DeLand linebacker Josh Bradshaw (24) chases him into the end zone. Photo by Michele Meyers
Mainland's Edward Williams (right) runs in for a touchdown as DeLand linebacker Josh Bradshaw (24) chases him into the end zone. Photo by Michele Meyers
Jameil Patrick (left) celebrates with Tamaj Woodard (right) after one of Patrick's touchdowns during the game against DeLand at the Daytona Stadium. Photo by Michele Meyers
DeLand running back LaDamion Bletcher (2) gets tackled by a Mainland mash-up: Kiarin Sullivan (front center), Tamaj Woodard (behind Sullivan) and Tra'Vell Adams (right). Photo by Michele Meyers
Mainland wide receiver Jameil Patrick (right) is pulled down by DeLand's Omarion Johnson (16) at the Daytona Stadium. Photo by Michele Meyers
Coach Moe Lloyd (left) and Mainland Athletic Director Terrence Anthony (right) carry Ayden Lewis off the field during the game against DeLand at the Daytona Stadium. Photo by Michele Meyers
Mainland's Kajuan Curry goes up for a 59-yard touchdown pass by quarterback Sebastian Johnson just before halftime. Photo by Michele Meyers
Mainland's Kajuan Curry (right) runs for a touchdown just before halftime as DeLand's Omarion Johnson (16) jumps over Ray Matthews in pursuit of the tackle. Photo by Michele Meyers
Mainland kicker Noah Lehman (31) maintains a perfect PAT record in the game against DeLand even as An'tario Wright (6) attempts to block the kick. Photo by Michele Meyers
The DeLand High School band and colorguard performs during halftime at the Datyona Stadium. Photo by Michele Meyers
The Mainland band and auxillary perform during halftime at the Daytona Stadium. Photo by Michele Meyers
The Mainland band and auxillary perform during halftime on Youth Night during the game against DeLand. Photo by Michele Meyers
The Mainland band and auxillary perform during halftime on Youth Night during the game against DeLand. Photo by Michele Meyers
Mainland pulled off a 42-27 win against DeLand on Friday, Oct. 4, after the Bulldogs bombarded the Buccaneers with three touchdowns in the first 10 minutes of the game.
DeLand freshman wide receiver Taihj Moore scored on a 95-yard kickoff return on the first play of the game and added an 84-yard touchdown run later in the first quarter. Christian Baez caught a 23-yard touchdown pass in between Moore's two scores as DeLand jumped out to a 20-0 advantage.
Fifteen seconds later, Bucs’ quarterback Sebastian Johnson handed off to Edward Williams who ran up the middle for an 80-yard touchdown. Williams scored again in the second quarter and ran 55 yards in the fourth quarter for the final touchdown of the game. He rushed for 261 yards on 17 carries against DeLand’s defense, helping the Bucs improve to 2-5 on the season with their second consecutive victory. They have scored 85 points in the two wins.
I am so proud of the fight ... If we play like this, from this one on in the season, we might be in the [championship] come week 15. That’s all I’m going to say.
— JERRIME BELL, Mainland head coach
“I am so proud of the fight,” Mainland head coach Jerrime “Squatty” Bell said. “Some opponents you have to bring it to. This is one of the opponents you have to bring it to. Way to play Mainland Buc football. If we play like this, from this one on in the season, we might be in the [championship] come week 15. That’s all I’m going to say.”
Mainland wide receiver Jameil Patrick shifted the trajectory of the game with a 31-yard catch following DeLand’s second touchdown and two long punt returns in the second quarter — one for 61 yards that put the Bucs on DeLand’s 15-yard line and another for 46 yards which landed them on the 19-yard line.
Patrick caught four passes for 111 yards and two touchdowns. This is his first game playing with his Buccaneer teammates against the DeLand varsity squad he played with his junior year.
“I came into this game with a point to prove,” he said. “I didn’t get the playtime I wanted or the respect playing behind Javon Ross — great player. I felt like I had to prove the coach wrong for not playing me last year. Just showing what I could do and what he missed out on.”
The Bucs are off until Oct. 18 when they travel to Palm Bay Heritage. Moore said he is going to use the time to work on footwork, getting faster, and how to create space.
“I love my teammates — they are my brothers,” he said. “They took me in last year like I had always been there. We just need to take care of our bodies this bye week, keep our heads down and keep winning. Let’s go into this playoff and go to the state championship.”
Bell said this game was personal for Patrick. Any time he got the ball in his hands, he tried to score.
“We knew he was going to be great,” Bell said. “We knew he was going to be dynamic in the return game. We knew he was going to be dynamic in the screens. Having him out wide opened it up for Edward Williams to run for over 200 yards. It opened up for Christian Cooper (three catches) to be good — opened up for Phillip Moore (two catches) to do good. We feed off of each other.”
Mainland linebacker Myron Shafer had 11 tackles — seven solo, four assists and three for losses. The Bucs stretched their winning streak against DeLand to four straight, but Shafer said the Bulldogs are always a tough opponent.
“It has never been easy,” he said. “In 2022, they did the same thing — returned a kick first play, went up 14-0, and we rallied back and won the game (42-29). When they returned in this game and scored, then scored again and went up 20, I told my guys, ‘Don’t worry, we got this. If we stay locked in we will win this game,’ and that’s what happened because I know what happens.”
Shafer said his voice is his biggest asset on the field. He said when he is leading, the Bucs cannot be stopped.
“It comes from hard days and studying film,” he said. “It comes from Monday through Thursday grinding it out, then Friday we know what to do. We are a gritty team. When we get on the field, we are compassionate. We play with a bunch of fire. We won our last two — that just comes from clicking. With a new head coach and new players, we just had to bond and get closer.”
Shafer said in the final three games of the season, the Bucs will start each game with more fire.
“We are going to fight four quarters every game,” he said. “Two quarters don’t matter. There are four quarters in every game. We are going to work on being closer and work on the little things that we don’t take seriously at practice that applies to the field every day.”
