Mainland, Spruce Creek begin football title quests with emotionally charged spring game

PORT ORANGE — The long awaited spring football clash between Volusia County rivals Mainland and Spruce Creek generated electricity more reminiscent of a championship prizefight than a meaningless exhibition.

The result won't count for either team, but local bragging rights still hold some value for a few months.

And Spruce Creek celebrated when Anthony Hayden scored the go-ahead touchdown with 1:05 left in the second of two varsity quarters, and Kamron Chamble preserved a shutout by corralling an interception. The Hawks defeated Mainland 6-0 and took care of Class 2S semifinalist Booker 20-0. The Bucs also shutout the visitors from Sarasota 13-0.

Hawks coach Andy Price believes the results have reinforced the belief that Spruce Creek could finally put together a deep playoff run when the fall rolls around.

No surprises: University adapts to status as known Volusia-Flagler football contender

"The kids came out and played great, man," Price said. "It's not clean either way because it's spring ball; (Mainland) is going to fix things. We've got guys that didn't play, and they've got guys that didn't play. But May 22, 2024, all that mattered was the end score, and we ended up getting it. That's a good football team."

Spruce Creek went 7-4 and qualified for the FHSAA playoffs for the fourth time in five seasons. However, the Hawks return one of the most talented groups of underclassmen in Central Florida, each of whom made key contributions when called upon.

Chamble, who committed to Conference USA-bound Kennesaw State on Tuesday, caught a 32-yard touchdown on fourth down against Booker to kickstart the night for the Hawks. Pitt commit Tony Kinsler fought through four tacklers near the goal line to punch in an 8-yard TD catch several drives later.

Highly coveted defensive lineman Derry Norris recovered a fumble, registered a late sack and routinely knifed his way into opposing backfields.

"We all know we're the big playmakers, but our biggest goal is to bring up the younger guys and have them on the same wave that we're on," Chamble said.

"I think we are very gritty. We definitely fight with a lot of passion. Sometimes that can get the best of us but, at the end of the day, we're still all a great family."

Mainland, unsurprisingly, carries a similar burden of expectation after ending a 20-year title drought last December, defeating St. Augustine in a 21-19 FHSAA Class 3A championship classic. The Bucs face a significant roster overhaul after losing more than a half-dozen Division I signees — headlined by All-American defenders LJ McCray (Florida) and Zavier Mincey (Alabama) — and a change in leadership along the sideline.

Jerrime "Squatty" Bell was named the Bucs' head coach in March, taking over for his cousin Travis Roland, who accepted the coaching job at Camden County in Kingsland, Georgia. Bell, who attended Mainland from 1998-2002, plans to hold his retooled team to the exact same standard out of the gate.

"It's state championship or bust for Mainland High School. It's always been that way, even when I played," Bell said. "We expect to show up, win football games and make deep playoff runs.

"If we're not practicing on Thanksgiving Day, it's not a successful season."

The Bucs' cupboard is far from bare despite the losses to graduation. Two-way lineman Christian Hudson holds more than 20 offers, linebacker Dennis King cracked On3 Sports' Top 300 for rising junior prospects, and Tyree Weatherspoon and Phillip Moore made key catches during Mainland's playoff run.

Edward Williams, a newcomer from Appling County (Ga.), rushed for a pair of touchdowns in Mainland's outing against Booker.

"We took a 'loss' tonight, but we're still brothers and we're going to stick togehter and battle through anything we go through," Hudson said.

Mainland and Spruce Creek go their separate ways; there will be no regular-season rematch in 2024, and the two schools are grouped into different classifications. However, they hope to reach the same destination — Bragg Memorial Stadium in Tallahassee — and to achieve far greater goals than Volusia-Flagler superiority.

"They're going to do great things in the fall, and hopefully we do as well," Price said. "We'll take this and parlay it into a good summer, I think."

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: High school football: Spruce Creek, Mainland renew fierce rivalry