3 takeaways: DeLand cruises on offense and defense to rout Seabreeze

DELAND — TJ Moore could’ve used a snack.

“Just watching (on the sideline), I was like, ‘I’m gonna need some popcorn to watch this defense,’” DeLand’s senior quarterback said.

He saw the Bulldogs’ defense blank Seabreeze until the final minute Friday at Spec Martin Stadium. And when Moore’s unit was on the field, it wasn’t too shabby, either. DeLand rolled to a 50-3 victory.

Junior kicker Drew McNerney drilled a 40-yard field goal to put the Sandcrabs (0-4) on the board with 60 ticks remaining. Before that, the Bulldogs (3-1) had scored touchdowns on seven of their eight drives and collected two turnovers.

They established a running clock throughout the third and fourth quarters with a 36-0 lead at halftime.

“Just a good team win,” DeLand coach Rick Darlington said. “We got to play a lot of guys. It was good. Looking forward to next week.”

Next week is when the Bulldogs kick off district play with a tilt against Spruce Creek. Last year, that matchup, a 23-15 DeLand win on a Tuesday in November, sealed the district championship.

But for now, here are three takeaways from Friday:

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DeLand puts game out of reach with chunk plays

Five of the Bulldogs’ seven touchdowns came from at least 10 yards out, and the two that didn’t were set up by passes of 30-plus yards on the snap before the touchdown.

Senior highlight reel Javon Ross recorded the first two scores. After a 31-yard reception by senior Wyatt Darlington, Ross tip-toed into the end zone from 5 yards out. On the next possession, Ross sprinted for a 34-yard score.

Darlington’s shine came next. He took a direct snap and rumbled 53 yards to make it 23-0.

A drive later, sophomore Malcolm Mayfield caught a pass from Darlington and took it 66 yards to the Seabreeze 5. He completed the mission with a 5-yard touchdown on the following play.

Ross closed out the first half with another 34-yard scoring run.

In the third quarter, sophomore Ladamion Bletcher rushed for an 11-yard touchdown, and junior Jameil Patrick had a 44-yarder.

“Just everybody being on the same page and everybody executing,” Moore said. “That’s when we’re at our best.”

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Wyatt Darlington enjoys big game in front of cheering section

Wyatt Darlington wore a constant smile after his team’s win.

Not only did he have 20-plus additional members in his personal cheering section this week, but he gave them a show.

Darlington rushed for 63 yards, which were highlighted by his 53-yard touchdown in the second quarter.

“Once the hole opened up, it was 50 yards of straight grass,” he said. “It was awesome. Everyone thought I looked fast, which made me feel good. They usually call me slow.”

Before that, he also made an impact in the passing game. He hauled in a 31-yard catch with a defender draped all over him to position DeLand for its first score.

“I was looking, and I thought it was going to hit the guy,” he said. “Somehow, it ended up in my hands. I was happy. It was a great throw by TJ, but I was kind of shocked it was in my hands.”

In the second, he threw the pass that Mayfield took 66 yards into the red zone. Darlington also caught a 70-yard bomb from Moore, but it was called back because of a penalty.

His extra fans were members of his family’s church, First Baptist Church of Umatilla. He said about 10 adults and 10 friends his age made the trip for the second-to-last regular season home game of his high school career.

‘Special dude’ Victor Jones suffers knee injury

Play stopped for approximately 20 minutes midway through the second quarter when Bulldogs linebacker Victor Jones suffered a knee injury.

The junior was running down the field to defend a punt return when his foot got caught under a falling player. As Jones tried to go over him, he tripped and dropped to the ground.

Medical personnel worked on Jones on the field for 20 minutes before eventually moving him onto a backboard and carrying him off. Darlington said Jones remained calm after the injury happened.

“It looked pretty bad on the field,” Darlington said. “They’re thinking kind of, maybe the knee injury (former UCF quarterback) McKenzie Milton had (knee dislocation). There was feeling in the lower leg. That’s good. We just have to pray the doctors have wisdom and pray for healing for him. It was definitely a bad injury …

“It wasn’t malicious. It wasn’t a personal foul or anything. Just an unfortunate situation. And what a great young man. I just pray his health’s going to be good and we can get him back as soon as possible.”

Entering Friday’s game, Jones ranked second on the team with 19 tackles.

Next up

Both teams took their bye on Sept. 15, leaving them long stretches of break-less football ahead. Seabreeze works on short rest next week. The Sandcrabs travel to Deltona for a 7 p.m. game on Thursday. The Bulldogs head to Spruce Creek for a 7 p.m. battle Friday.

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: High school football: DeLand flexes offense, defense against Seabreeze