High school football is back. Here's a preview of Friday's Volusia, Flagler preseason games

Let the games begin — sort of.

High school football returns in Volusia and Flagler counties Friday night with more than a dozen preseason kickoff classics involving local teams. It's an important final opportunity for evaluation before the results begin to matter in a week's time.

Fifteen of the area's 16 teams are in action, so here is a quick breakdown of each exhibition or jamboree on the schedule.

Who's coaching where in 2023? A guide to Volusia-Flagler's 16 high school football coaches

Merritt Island, Seabreeze, Viera at New Smyrna Beach, 5:30 p.m.

New Smyrna Beach plays host to a four-team, Brevard-Volusia jamboree, including a featured one-half showdown with Seabreeze at 8 p.m. Armoni Spurlock shined in the spring, rushing for two touchdowns and intercepting three passes in a win over Deltona. He'll slide over to wide receiver, following the arrival of 6-foot-4, 215-pound quarterback Elijah Rooney from Boone.

Lester Davis, Mainland's defensive coordinator during its state runner-up campaign last fall, takes over as head coach at Seabreeze, his alma mater. Denali Campbell figures to be a focal point of the Sandcrabs' offense, while also contributing in the secondary.

Flagler Palm Coast at Atlantic Coast, 6:30

Daniel Fish, formerly the head coach at Father Lopez, officially takes over at Flagler Palm Coast and hopes to "surprise some people." The Bulldogs have top-end talent, particularly within their 2025 class with defensive end Colby Cronk and running back Marcus Mitchell Jr. Caden Gonzalez threw for two touchdowns in the spring game, and both Cole Walker and La'Darius Simmons arrived over the summer to make it a three-quarterback race.

Atlantic Coast endured an 0-10 season last fall, being outscored 306-40 with four shutout defeats. Still, the Stingrays have one of the region's top edge rushers in Camden Hardy, a Wake Forest commit who tallied 7½ sacks as a junior and is the son of former Jaguars star Kevin Hardy.

Matanzas at Mainland, 7

Will this be the year for Mainland? The Buccaneers made a memorable run all the way to the FHSAA Class 3S final in 2022, becoming the first Volusia-Flagler football team to contend for a championship since 2009. Their defense is loaded with elite talent, including four-star defensive lineman LJ McCray and four-star defensive back Zavier Mincey, a pair of consensus top-200 national recruits.

Matanzas fields a strong group of seniors at the skill positions, led by leading rusher/tackler Cole Hash. Quarterback Dakwon Evans returns after a season-ending collarbone injury, and Sho'Marion Gaines rejoins the squad after moving to Texas for a year.

West Orange at DeLand, 7

District champions for the first time in a decade in Rick Darlington's debut season on the sidelines, DeLand aims to take the next step with a handful of the area's upper echelon players. TJ Moore surpassed 1,000 yards passing and rushing last season, and Javon Ross had 1,203 scrimmage yards with 18 total touchdowns as the team's ironman. Newcomers Rameir Gordon, Justin Brown Jr. and Caleb Oliver should improve the defense.

West Orange lost Elite 11 quarterback Trever Jackson over the summer to Jones, but top receiver Jordyn Bridgewater and highly touted junior defensive back Ivan Taylor — son of former Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Ike Taylor — are among the Warriors' best athletes.

Auburndale at University, 7

University's offense looks dangerous on paper, with junior Malachi Walters at the controls, four quality running backs — including transfer additions Demontay Johnson and Anthony May — and a diverse cast of pass-catchers led by Jermane Hayes, Isaiah Baker and Barrett Schulz. The injury bug bit the Titans hard last year, but a rebound is certainly within possibility.

Auburndale features a pair of disruptive defenders in sophomore linebacker Elijah Dias and senior defensive lineman Nate Gabriel (West Virginia commit), both of whom recorded 20-plus tackles for loss.

Spruce Creek at St. Augustine, 7

Spruce Creek fell one win short of the playoffs last season, losing a 23-15 district finale at DeLand on the first day of November. Junior defensive lineman Derry Norris caught the attention of more than a few college coaches during the spring evaluation period; so too did junior wide receiver Tony Kinsler. Luke Smith looked comfortable during 7-on-7s and could be ready to take a leap at quarterback.

St. Augustine has the makings of a contender with what should be one of Northeast Florida's most explosive offenses. Wake Forest commit Locklan Hewlett threw for 2,270 yards and 23 touchdowns as a sophomore, and he's got all of his receivers back plus senior Devonte Lyons, who rushed for 1,386 yards and 22 scores.

Deltona at Oviedo, 7

It's a fresh start at Deltona, where most of the roster has turned over via graduation or transfer and '09 grad Matt Martin gets his first crack as a head coach. Taylor Crane and Jeremiah Hancock will share reps with the first-team offense as they settle the quarterback position battle. Watch out for sophomores Damarion Phillips and Desean Fludd as focal points for the offense.

Oviedo sprung a gutsy first-round playoff victory over Wharton last November, the signature moment of a 10-win campaign in which the Lions captured the District 2-3M title. Offensive tackle Tye Hylton verbally committed to Florida State last month.

Atlantic at Melbourne Central Catholic, 7

Atlantic embraced Squatty Bell's ground-and-pound ideals and the single-wing identity he planned to install from his tenure as an assistant at Treasure Coast. The Sharks rushed for 230.4 yards per game, but ultimately missed the postseason due to a 35-28 heartbreaking loss at district rival Crescent City. Kwasie Kwaku Jr., who holds a handful of Division I offers, should be a stat monster on both sides of the ball. State javelin champion Preston Kuznof will also shoulder the ball-carrying load, and Caleb Geathers anchors the offensive line.

Melbourne Central Catholic expects a resurgence with Nate Hooks now in charge, and UCF commit DayDay Farmer among the newcomers. Farmer caught 63 passes for 938 yards and 10 touchdowns to help Cocoa win the FHSAA Class 2S title as a junior.

Taylor at Cornerstone Charter, 7

The longest tenured football coach in the area, Antuarn Williams is motivated to turn things around after losing nine in a row to conclude 2022, and struggling to slow down Master's Academy in the spring. Dual-threat quarterback Anthony Miler rushed for 228 yards and three touchdowns in his sophomore year.

Cornerstone, meanwhile, closed its last campaign on a three-game winning streak. The Ducks posted a 5-5 mark, and lost three further games by a touchdown or less.

Halifax at Umatilla, 7

With 20 players on the roster as of early August, Halifax Academy should prioritize health and conditioning before the results matter. The Knights went 2-8 last year, but head coach William Bell expects better results as Tola Dixon Jr. once again stands as the central figure of the offense.

Similarly, Logan Bowling played a wide variety of roles for Umatilla a season ago, totaling over 1,000 yards with 10 touchdown passes and three more scores on the ground.

Trinity Christian at West Oaks, 7

One of two FHSAA independents within the Volusia-Flagler area, Trinity Christian will benefit from the return of its leading rusher (Davari MacKey), receiver (Joseph Brittain), tackler (Jahquavious Linton) and top offensive lineman (Izaac Fernandez). Bill Cosens enters his first year as head coach of the Eagles.

West Oaks shook off a rough start, with four defeats in its first five outings, to finish 4-7 last season.

Pine Ridge at Celebration, 7:30

Determined to change the narrative after "bottoming out" with an 0-10 record, Pine Ridge coach Eric Poyner expects his group to be much more competitive in his second year in charge. Trey Nephew and Jayden Campbell returned from neighboring Deltona, and both Alex Johnson and Chris Boddie are experienced playmakers in the backfield.

Celebration underwent similar struggles in 2022, though the Storm edged Tohopekaliga by a point last October for its lone victory. Opponents scored 37.8 points per game on Celebration's defense.

Father Lopez at Seffner Christian, 7:30

Hired during the spring, Matt Nasser takes charge at his alma mater; he played right tackle and linebacker for the Green Wave in the late '80s, eventually earning a scholarship to Holy Cross. Former DeLand, Warner Christian and Flagler Palm Coast coach Steve Allen will call the plays on offense, with Jacob Lohman expected to start at QB, and Lech Sweeney and Chester Alvarez among the playmakers. Leading tackler Boston Milligan and AJ Maxey are the team's defensive captains.

Seffner Christian went 5-5 last fall and challenged itself against several of the top private schools on the state's west coast. This game will take place at King High School, just northeast of downtown Tampa.

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: A rundown of 13 Volusia-Flagler preseason kickoff classics on Friday