Mainland High School takes aim at football state title with speedy QB, 4-star D-lineman

DAYTONA BEACH — Not that extra motivation was particularly necessary on the opening day of fall football camp, but Mainland High coach Travis Roland decided to remind his players and coaches how last season ended.

The Buccaneers gathered around and watched the last seven minutes of the FHSAA Class 3S championship game, reliving the 32-30 defeat to Lake Wales in "dead silence," as senior defensive lineman LJ McCray described.

ONE WIN SHORT: Lake Wales defeats Mainland 32-30 in FHSAA Class 3S football final

"Sometimes, you've got to find your reasons why," Roland said. "Obviously we all love football, want to go to college and win a state championship but I think what's more important than that is having what drives you.

"Last year, we were trying to get our respect back and shut everybody up. For us now, understanding what we have coming back, we embrace that part of it and those expectations people put on us. But we want to have a chip on our shoulder."

Mainland went on its deepest postseason run in 19 years, winning road playoff games at Rockledge, Jensen Beach and Dunbar along the way to Fort Lauderdale for the 3S final. With an impressive senior class, including three consensus four-star defensive recruits, the Bucs plan on booking a return trip.

Let's profile three key members of the squad who could aid their efforts in taking that last step to glory.

LJ McCray

He'll still play roughly 25-30% of the Bucs' offensive snaps this year, but LJ McCray will practice exclusively at defensive end.

The 6-foot-6, 255-pound McCray narrowed down his list of suitors to a final five of Auburn, Florida, Florida State, Georgia and Miami earlier this summer. According to 247Sports, McCray is the No. 128 overall player, No. 19 defensive lineman and No. 21 Florida high school recruit.

"I think you are going to see a more confident LJ, and that's going to be a more dominating and aggressive him," Roland said. "In the spring game, against the run, he was a stalwart for us. He's a big dude, and now that he is more confident in his technique, it's going to be hard to down-block or kick out on that guy because he knows how to create separation."

McCray registered 47 total tackles, 17.5 tackles for loss and three sacks as a junior for the Bucs, adding 14 receptions for 159 yards and two touchdowns on offense. He will join forces once again with Ramon McCollough and Christian Hudson to form one of Florida's top defensive lines this fall.

Dennis Murray Jr.

Before the month of May drew to a close, a new challenger entered Mainland's quarterback competition. Dennis Murray Jr., an All-Area selection at Flagler Palm Coast last fall, announced plans to transfer to Mainland and enrolled over the summer to compete with the team in the 7-on-7 circuit.

Roland said Mainland's depth chart will not be finalized until the Aug. 18 kickoff classic against Matanzas. However, Murray brings a high degree of varsity experience to the fold, as well as game-breaking speed. He qualified for the FHSAA's track and field finals in the 400-meter dash in May, and has a personal-best time of 48.46 seconds in the event.

"You're talking about world-class high school speed," Roland said. "There may be some runs where (Damarcus Creecy) had to slide or get down, whereas you saw last year that if you give DJ the space, he's going to go score.

"And then you talk about his ability to throw certain passes and be effective in the passing game, he's a true dual-threat. Sometimes that word gets thrown around too much. TJ (Moore) at DeLand is a dual-threat type of a kid, and DJ is in that same vein, and maybe even more so because of how fast he is."

Murray played a major role in FPC's district championship triumph in 2022, throwing for 1,516 yards with 15 touchdowns and rushing for 799 yards and a further 13 scores. The transition, he said, has gone progressively smoother since the opening weeks of June.

"I'm getting more and more comfortable every day. It's starting to really feel like a family, like a brotherhood," Murray said. "Playing against me and seeing how I play, I feel like (offensive coordinator Snap Wood) is going to set me up and put me in a good position to make plays on the field."

Ezaiah Shine

During last year's playoff run, Roland continually stressed the importance of finding a playmaker opposite of four-star defensive back Zavier Mincey, who was tasked with shading the single-receiver side of an opponent's formation.

Ezaiah Shine's decision to return to Mainland after a breakout junior campaign at Spruce Creek gives the Bucs two legitimate blue-chippers on the boundaries. Shine converted from quarterback and quickly gained a handful of Division I offers during the spring evaluation period; he visited Iowa State and Maryland during the summer.

Shine possesses the length (6-1, 180), athleticism and speed coaches seek in molding even the most raw prospects at the position.

"He's gotten here, learned the game and learned the position even better," Roland said. "He's a hard-working kid, too. He wants the extra reps, and goes to DB training (camps). … He loves ball. You've seen his knowledge of the game, the quarterback piece, transfer over and that's helped him out tremendously."

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Mainland High School football will rely on these 3 players in 2023