Lake Mary blanks Mainland in showdown of top-ranked Florida football teams | 3 takeaways

DAYTONA BEACH — Perfection is no longer attainable this season for Mainland's football team. Lake Mary handed the Buccaneers their first defeat in relatively emphatic fashion, a 33-0 result at Daytona Stadium — the first shutout suffered by the hosts since Sept. 22, 2017.

However, the FHSAA Class 3S championship ring that eluded the Bucs (9-1) last December is still very much up for grabs, not that coach Travis Roland or his players needed any reminding.

"(We've got to) stay together, man; handle the negative. You've got to win right, you've got to lose right, you've got to do everything the right way," Roland said. "We've got to make sure we keep the noise out from anywhere else and understand that we've got a great football team. We got whooped by a great football team. That's a part of football."

Volusia, Flagler high school football: Final scores for Week 11 regular season games

Sophomore Noah Grubbs connected with Caden Harshbarger for three touchdown passes, and John Scarelli recorded a pair of important second-half sacks for Lake Mary (9-1), the No. 1 team in Class 4M according to the FHSAA's rankings. Mainland, which sat atop the Class 3S rankings, drove the ball into Rams territory just once and committed two early turnovers.

Here are three takeaways from the Bucs' season finale.

Lake Mary delivers haymakers to start second, third quarters

Grubbs misfired on 5 of his first 6 passing attempts as Mainland pushed the pocket and stuck tight to the Rams' deep cast of receivers. However, Lake Mary's offense — which averaged 43.9 points through its first nine games — delivered the night's first significant blow to start the second quarter.

Ahead 3-0 after converting a Mainland fumble into a field goal, Grubbs fired a dart across the middle that Harshbarger caught and cruised 61 yards with into the end zone.

"They were doing a lot of good stuff on defense, disguising what they were doing in the secondary," Lake Mary coach Scott Perry said. "We just timed it right and caught them in the right coverage."

The Rams put together their best drive of the half in a two-minute drill. Isaiah Thomas strung together runs of 28, 15 and 18 yards inside the Bucs' 10-yard line. Following a pass interference call in the end zone, Grubbs hit Harshbarger on a quick slant across the goal line to give Lake Mary a 17-0 halftime lead.

"Grubbs is a good quarterback. He can sling the mess out of the ball," Mainland senior defensive lineman Ramon McCollough said. "(The first TD pass) kind of told us that this kid and this team are not here to play with us. He can put the ball anywhere."

The dagger, though, came moments after halftime. Lake Mary forced a three-and-out, and the ensuing snap skied over punter Gavin Greathouse's head. The Rams blocked the kick, and Luke Prieto walked in for an easy score.

Passing game could ultimately determine how far Bucs can go

Mainland's offensive woes were comprehensive Friday, but Lake Mary executed its primary objective of confining quarterback Dennis Murray Jr. within the pocket. There were very few lanes for the speedy senior to run through, and he and his receivers never truly found a rhythm.

Last winter, the Bucs found a running game when they needed it, moving Ajai Harrell into the backfield and forming a new identity. It helped, of course, to have Damarcus Creecy, James Randle and Harrell as the foundation of the passing attack.

For this postseason journey, Roland believes it will be paramount to develop reliability through the air.

"We've got to find a way to complete some passes," Roland said. "They came out, literally, with an eight-man box, zero coverage and had confidence. We've got to back some people off with the passing game. That's going to be the biggest thing moving forward."

Justin Battillo batted away Mainland's last hope, a fourth-down prayer toward the end zone from the Rams' 36-yard line midway through the fourth quarter.

Mainland left tackle Madden Santiago hopes the disappointment can be a 'catalyst' for his team ahead of its first-round matchup, likely against either Westwood or Satellite.

"We can hone in on this and put our frustration out on the field and in practice every day," Santiago said.

Mainland awaits playoff fate, hopes to hang onto No. 1 seed

With the loss, Mainland will wait until Sunday to learn whether it maintained its grip on the No. 1 seed within Region 3-3S. Eau Gallie, the Bucs' lone potential threat for home field advantage, hammered rival Melbourne 50-0 and posted a 9-1 final record.

Entering Week 11, the Bucs held a 1.784-point advantage over the Commodores for the top spot.

Mainland prevailed in three road playoff games last year on its path to the state championship game, knocking off Rockledge, Jensen Beach and Dunbar in their respective backyards.

"You get what you deserve, right? If you lose the first seed, you lose the first seed," Roland said. "There's nothing you can do. We'll still be at home for a minimum of two games. I swear to God that I'm losing no sleep over it.

"Last year, it didn't matter if we were at home or on the road. We had to play the games. We're going to play the games and the chips are going to fall where they fall. I'm not going to let this sour the amazing season we had."

St. Augustine appears likely to assume the No. 1 overall spot in Class 3S. The Yellow Jackets capped off a perfect regular season with a 41-6 rout of Palatka in Northeast Florida's oldest high school football rivalry.

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: High school football: Mainland falls to Lake Mary | 3 takeaways