Meet your 2023-24 Volusia-Flagler All-Area High School Football Defensive Team

Defensive dominance sparked two Volusia County programs to Florida high school football's Final Four, and one to its first state championship in 20 years.

Mainland pitched six shutouts and limited high-powered St. Augustine to a season-low 19 points in the FHSAA Class 3S championship game, eventually winning at the buzzer on a field goal. The Bucs have an area-best eight Defensive Player of the Year candidates and will send no fewer than five defenders to Division I programs, including two All-Americans.

Gators get their man: Mainland's LJ McCray, 5-star DL recruit, signs letter of intent with Florida

DeLand also made huge improvements on defense, and offer up a pair of award nominees — two members of arguably the most loaded batch of Volusia-Flagler D-linemen in a decade. Spruce Creek and Matanzas also have mutliple candidates for the presitigious year-end honor.

On Christmas eve, the Volusia-Flagler All-Area Offensive Team will be announced, meaning athletes not listed below could still show up in another separate list.

The Volusia-Flagler High School Sports Awards is proud to announce the athlete of the year nominees for football. The winners will be announced during the live show on Monday, June 3, at the Ocean Center.

The show is presented with the support of Halifax Health.

During the live show, athletes of the year in 30 state-sanctioned sports will be honored. In addition, top teams, coaches and overall athletes will be honored as will a Courage Award winner. Nominated athletes who RSVP will receive a complimentary ticket to the event thanks to sponsors. Details on how additional tickets can be obtained will be available soon.

For more information about the show and to opt into email updates, visit its website and you can follow it on Facebook.

The Volusia-Flagler High School Sports Awards show is part of the USA TODAY High School Sports Awards, the largest high school sports recognition program in the country. This year, one school from the area will win a $1,000 donation to its school’s athletic department through our School Spirit Contest. Details on how to vote for your school will be coming soon.

Nominees

Colby Cronk, DL, Flagler Palm Coast: The junior returned from a knee injury with a vengeance, compiling 61 solo tackles, 12 sacks and 27 tackles for loss. Also a state placer in the shot put, Cronk added an offer from N.C. State in November.

LJ McCray, DL, Mainland: One of the nation's top-ranked defensive recruits, Florida signee McCray turned in one of the most dominant seasons in Volusia-Flagler history. The 6-foot-6, 270-pounderrecorded 37 TFLs, 13 sacks and three forced fumbles.

Ramon McCollough, DL, Mainland: The senior brought the heat and surged into backfields with ease, recording 30 TFLs and 13 sacks. McCollough signed with Wofford after garnering interest from a handful of Group of Five schools.

Caleb Oliver, DL, DeLand: A huge addition from Deltona, the senior finished as the Bulldogs' second-leading tackler (78). Oliver totaled 18½ TFLs and eight sacks as part of a dominant trench trio.

MJ Smokes, DL, DeLand: The senior, who is also among the area's best wrestlers, slid inside to defensive tackle and paced the Bulldogs with 12 sacks, contributing 63 tackles (44 solo) and 21½ TFLs.

Andrew Halleran, LB, Spruce Creek: The senior stepped into a significantly larger role as an outside linebacker and led the team with 91 tackles (29 solo), adding 12 TFLs and 3½ sacks. Halleran also broke up five passes and snagged an interception.

Cole Hash, LB, Matanzas: The senior topped the 100-tackle mark for the first time, and was still a key contributor on offense. He averaged nearly 70 scrimmage yards per game and scored six touchdowns.

Rodney Hill, LB, Mainland: The senior arrived from FPC and instantly slotted into the heart of the Bucs' defense. Hill, who had a team-high 103 tackles with eight sacks and 33½ TFLs, flipped his commitment to South Florida from Tulane.

Dennis King III, LB, Mainland: Just a sophomore, King managed to stand out in one of the state's best defenses. Nicknamed 'Tank,' the 6-foot-2, 197-pounder produced 96 tackles, 31 TFLs and 11 sacks from the second level.

Myron Shafer III, LB, Mainland: The junior, expected to take over as one of the Bucs' leaders next fall, had a hand in 89 tackles (45 solo) with four sacks and 29½ TFLs.

Kamron Chamble, DB, Spruce Creek: The junior safety continued to prove he is one of the area's top ballhawks with four interceptions and 13 pass breakups, adding a team-best 45 solo tackles. Chamble also blocked two kicks and caught 17 passes for 289 yards and six touchdowns.

Jaeden Franco, DB, University: The senior was a leader in a reconfigured Titans secondary, grabbing three interceptions and knocking down five passes. Franco added a career-high 18 solo tackles.

Zavier Mincey, DB, Mainland: An All-American with a major decision set to be revealed next month, Mincey punished passers that targeted him with three picks and 13 PBUs. He will choose between Alabama, Florida, Florida State and Miami on national television.

Jordan Mills, DB, Matanzas: A potential Ivy League recruit, the senior finished the year as the Pirates' second-leading tackler with 69 solos. Mills also shared the team lead with two interceptions and forced a pair of fumbles.

Ezaiah Shine, DB, Mainland: The senior found a home at cornerback and blossomed into a D-I recruit this past spring. Heading to Tulane, Shine batted down four passes and returned his lone pick for a 46-yard touchdown in a Class 3S semifinal win over Vanguard.

Kwasie Kwaku Jr., ATH, Atlantic: The junior is garnering Division I interest after leading the Sharks to their first district championship in program history. Kwaku finished the regular season as one of the area's top rushers (1,151 yards, 15 TDs),, forced three fumbles and had a game-ending pick 6 against Father Lopez.

Derry Norris, ATH, Spruce Creek: The junior, who has collected nearly a dozen Division I offers, tormented used his size and quickness to register 13 TFLs, 9½ sacks and 20 QB pressures.. Norris, who also started at tight end.

Jacob Gettman, P, Mainland: The senior averaged 40.4 yards per punt with a long of 55, but will forever be remembered for his placekicking heroics. Gettman knocked through the game-winning 23-yard field goal as time expired to clinch the Bucs' 21-19 victory over St. Augustine.

Other Athletes of Note

BJ Campbell, DL, DeLand: At 6-foot-4 and 220 pounds, Campbell made a huge leap as a senior with a team-high 23 TFLs and 10½ sacks off the edge.

Omahri Meeks, DL, New Smyrna Beach: The senior filled the gaps and penetrated backfields in key games, finishing the campaign with 31 tackles, seven TFLs, three sacks and four fumble recoveries.

Kyle Nilsson, DL, New Smyrna Beach: Among the area's sack leaders with 14, bolstered by a pair of three-sack performances, the junior also returned a fumble for a 35-yard, game-winning touchdown against Horizon.

Zach O'Gwynn, DL, Matanzas: In a breakout senior season, O'Gwynn had 60 tackles, nine sacks and 19 TFLs as the focal point of the Pirates' D-line.

Nathan Thomas, DL, University: The senior, who missed the playoffs due to injury, led the Titans with 11 TFLs and five sacks from the defensive tackle spot.

Carlito Betancourt, LB, University: The senior made 92 tackles with two sacks and two TFLs, and also blocked a potential game-winning field goal against Flagler Palm Coast.

Dante Mascio, LB, DeLand: The senior led DeLand with 91 tackles to go with 10 TFLs, three sacks and one interception.

Boston Milligan, LB, Father Lopez: The senior shined for a rebuilding Green Wave squad, recording 105 tackles with seven TFLs, 3½ sacks and two forced fumble.

Mason Moore, LB, University: The sophomore matched teammate Thomas with five sacks off the edge and tallied 86 tackles with seven TFLs.

Sawyer Vanrider, LB, New Smyrna Beach: The senior led the 'Cudas with 71 tackles (48 solo), adding six TFLs, one sack and two forced fumbles.

Justin Brown Jr., DB, DeLand: The senior safety recorded 64 tackles with seven TFLs and two interceptions, one of which clinched the District 9-4S title against his former team, University

Jaay-R Cook Jr., DB, University: The hard-hitting junior safety finished with 40 tackles, eight PBUs and a fumble recovery.

Sho'Marion Gaines, DB, Matanzas: Gaines, a Warner commit, returned from Texas for his senior year and made 41 tackles with seven TFLs, two sacks and an interception.

Rameir Gordon, DB, DeLand: Verbally committed to Navy, the senior registered 39 tackles, five PBUs, two fumble recoveries, an interception and a special-teams touchdown against University.

Cameise Sloss, DB, Halifax: The senior was one of the Knights' stars in their most successful season in school history, leading the area with six interceptions, averaging 35.3 yards per return and scoring five non-offensive touchdowns (three on interceptions, one punt return, one kickoff return).

Preston Kuznof, ATH, Atlantic: Injuries cost the senior some time in the season's first half, but state javelin champion Kuznof still recorded 14 sacks and rushed for nearly 500 yards with four touchdowns.

Dre Hill, ATH, Spruce Creek: The junior edge-setter was perched around the top the area's sack charts all season, finishing with 13 as a hybrid outside linebacker/defensive end. Hill tallied 6½ TFLs and returned a fumble for a touchdown.

Chase Magee, P, Flagler Palm Coast: The senior, who also nailed all 23 of his PAT attempts, pinned eight of his 25 punts inside the opponents' 20-yard line while maintaining an average of 38.0 yards per kick.

Top Coach

Travis Roland, Mainland: A back-to-back recipient of this award, Roland coached the Bucs to an elusive FHSAA state championship in his third season in charge, almost 20 years to the day after captaining the program to its first crown. Rick Darlington, who guided DeLand to its first Final Four berth since 2009, and Justin Roberts, who steered University to a program-record 10 wins, rounded out one of the most accomplished groups of candidates in recent memory.

Honorable Mention

Atlantic: Dominic Outlaw, Kiarin Sullivan

DeLand: Anterio Wright

Deltona: Ricknomar Campos, CJ Estridge

Father Lopez: Jonathan Felton, Teddy Loach, Dylan Tocci

Flagler Palm Coast: Zaiden Greene, Zyquan Neal, Ayden Peterson, Corinthians Watson Jr.

Halifax: David Bahoque, Lebron Maceant, Marlan Sampson

Mainland: Elyjah Gilyard, Gavin Greathouse, David Hall, Demond Norelien, Bubba Westbrook, Drayden Wood

Matanzas: Seth Clark, Braden Russell, Jaxson Saterfield

New Smyrna Beach: Peyton Harlowe, Brison Sullivan

Pine Ridge: Will Bocker, Jayden Campbell, Kahiem Nephew, Zachary Patterson

Seabreeze: Brody Boda, Gio Mitchell, Jesse Shirley

Spruce Creek: Jake Adkins, Chadwicke Cannon, Truth Hill, Michael Hourican, Rajaee McKinney

Taylor: Francisco Perez, Josiah Smith

Trinity Christian: JQ Linton

University: Dominic Maultsby, Justin Ortiz

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Volusia-Flagler High School Sports Awards: All-Area Football Defense