Spruce Creek defense to be tested by Noah Grubbs, Lake Mary | High school football primer

Spruce Creek's dominant defense, which held opposing offenses out of the end zone for 11 consecutive quarters to start the 2023 season, welcomes in one of the state's most prolific passing attacks Friday night.

The Hawks (4-0) host Lake Mary (3-0) in one of Week 5's most intriguing showdowns, a clash on undefeated squads with contrasting styles.

Lake Mary allowed 60 points in its first game of the fall — and still comfortably won by two scores. Standout sophomore quarterback Noah Grubbs has already piled up 1,144 yards and 17 touchdowns while throwing just three interceptions out of 90 attempts.

High school football power rankings: Potato Bowl provides first shakeup in Volusia-Flagler area this fall

Spruce Creek has not quite clicked on all cylinders offensively, though the Hawks dropped 42 on Deltona and 35 at Haines City. Luke Smith has played largely turnover-free football and thrown for 765 yards and 10 touchdowns, six of which have landed in the hands of dynamic junior Tony Kinsler.

"He's done a great job. I think he improved a lot during (the kickoff classic)," Spruce Creek coach Andy Price said of the senior quarterback. "He hasn't really thrown a ball that almost was picked, either. Very decisive throws he's making that aren't going to put us in trouble."

3 things to keep an eye on

Lake Mary's wide array of weapons

Grubbs has plenty of help around him, starting up front with Vanderbilt-committed tackle Josh Raymond and junior interior lineman Dominic Sorrentino. But the Rams can stretch the deepest secondaries, considering six players have already hauled in receptions — with three seniors in triple digits.

Carson Hinshaw — nephew of UCF offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Darin Hinshaw — leads the Rams across the board with 17 receptions, 347 yards and eight touchdowns.

"As a receiver, he knows defenses," Grubbs said this week on the State of Florida Recruiting HQ podcast. "He knows the zones that will be open as he's running his route. That's the elite receiver level we have at Lake Mary."

Caden Harshbarger and Logan Cook have posted nearly identical individual stat lines, combining for a further 25 catches, 526 yards and six touchdowns (three apiece).

Dre Hill, Derry Norris bring the heat for Hawks

What the Hawks' defense lacks in interceptions, just one snagged by injured sophomore Cameron Oxendine, it more than makes up for in quarterback pressure.

Dre Hill is among Volusia-Flagler's leaders with 10 sacks, and coveted junior recruit Derry Norris has 6½. Norris, who picked up offers from the likes of Georgia Tech, Louisville, Pittsburgh and Purdue during the spring, has added 15 tackles for loss.

"If we don't put pressure on him, he's going to pick us apart. Our secondary is not bad, but you can't ask anybody to sit back against them," Price said.

Andrew Halleran has emerged as a leader among the linebacker corps. The senior leads the team in tackles (35½), making 7½ stops behind the line of scrimmage.

Will the Hawks try to keep pace, or slow the game down?

Stopping Lake Mary — averaging 52.3 points per game — seems a daunting task. But Spruce Creek's offense could lend a hand by simply keeping the Rams off the field.

Moving the chains consistently and stringing together long drives could be critical for the Hawks' chances for success. Even on a night where Creek struggled to score, its Week 1 home win over Seabreeze, it marched inside the red zone six times on eight possessions.

"As much as we can hold onto the football is going to benefit us. We're not trying to push the pace," Price said.

The Hawks have relied on three primary ball-carriers to grind down opponents in their read-based run game: Smith, junior Anthony Hayden and senior Luke Koenig. Overall, the Hawks average 5.9 yards per carry, and Hayden has two of the four rushing touchdowns.

Staff picks

Chris Boyle (@ChrisBoyleDBNJ): Lake Mary 33, Spruce Creek 24. Record: 37-7.

Chris Vinel (@ChrisAVinel): Lake Mary 35, Spruce Creek 20. Record: 34-10.

Ryan Pritt (@RPritt): Lake Mary 28, Spruce Creek 21. Record: 35-9.

Other games

Seabreeze (0-3) at DeLand (2-1), 7

Both teams should be well rested after their bye week, and both turned in strong Week 3 showings despite different results. Seabreeze scored a season-high 36 points as Hayden Hayes topped 300 passing yards with four touchdowns in a loss to University. DeLand, meanwhile, jumped out to a huge lead against Columbia and produced 446 yards of offense. Javon Ross rushed for 134 yards with two touchdowns, and also caught five passes for 102 yards.

Picks — Boyle: DeLand 48-17, Vinel: DeLand 45-14, Pritt: DeLand 49-24.

Atlantic (2-2) at Matanzas (2-1), 7

Atlantic evened its record with two wins in the space of five days, blanking both Father Lopez and Deltona. All-purpose athlete Kwasie Kwaku is responsible for more than half of the Sharks' rushing yards (554) with eight touchdowns. Matanzas will look to shake off a seventh straight loss in the Potato Bowl, though Andre Andrews turned in a breakout performance at wide receiver. The Pirates allowed Flagler Palm Coast to gain 337 yards on the ground last week.

Picks — Boyle: Matanzas 21-13, Vinel: Matanzas 21-14, Pritt: Atlantic 24-21.

Lake Minneola (1-2) at Mainland (4-0), 7

Mainland posted its second shutout of the season in a dominant home victory over Raines as defensive linemen LJ McCray and Ramon McCollough set the tone up front and Elyjah Gilyard brought back a pick-six. The Buccaneers are up to No. 10 statewide in MaxPreps' rankings, with sights set on guaranteeing home field advantage in the FHSAA Class 3S playoffs. Lake Minneola was idle last week after upending Wekiva for its first win of the fall, thanks to Jacob Kania's three touchdowns and Dane Thompkins' 144-yard rushing day.

Picks — Boyle: Mainland 36-6, Vinel: Mainland 34-10, Pritt: Mainland 31-0.

Pine Ridge (3-0) at Lake Howell (1-2), 7

Off to its best start in 15 years, Pine Ridge is rolling behind workhorse running back Chris Boddie. The junior carried the ball 29 times for 298 yards and three touchdowns in the Panthers' 28-22 victory at Orlando First Academy. He broke off a 98-yard TD sprint versus Lake Howell last year, a game the Silver Hawks survived via a 14-12 final score. Lake Howell opened district play last week with a 39-10 defeat to cross-county rival Lyman.

Picks — Boyle: Pine Ridge 22-10, Vinel: Pine Ridge 28-14, Pritt: Pine Ridge 35-12.

Horizon (3-1) at New Smyrna Beach (3-0), 7

New Smyrna Beach is 3-0 for the first time since 2012, a season in which it ran the table in the regular season and won its most recent district championship. The Barracudas survived a downpour at Astronaut last week, winning 8-2 as Kyle Nilsson recorded three sacks and Elijah Rooney converted a short-yardage touchdown run. Jamarie Pierre will test the NSB defense; the junior averages 228.3 rushing yards per game (7.9 per carry) with 12 scores to his name.

Picks — Boyle: NSB 24-20, Vinel: NSB 24-20, Pritt: Horizon 24-20.

Halifax (3-0) at Cocoa Beach (1-2), 7

Continuing a Volusia-Flagler trend, Halifax has enjoyed its most successful start to a season ever. The Knights jumped out to a 22-point lead against District 4-1S opponent Father Lopez last week and hung in for a landmark win. Tola Dixon, Jeremiah Barthelemy and Marlan Sampson each scored once. Cocoa Beach halted Taylor's modest win streak two weeks ago and rolled past Halifax 34-0 last season.

Picks — Boyle: Halifax 27-21, Vinel: Halifax 20-12, Pritt: Cocoa Beach 23-17.

Holy Trinity Episcopal (3-1) at Father Lopez (1-3), 7

Still in search of a consistent running game (27 carries for 20 yards to date), Father Lopez is moving the ball through the air with some success. Jacob Lohman is up to 10 touchdown passes, and Lech Sweeney is among the area's top receivers with 15 catches, 341 yards and five TDs. Holy Trinity has back-to-back district games against Volusia opposition, hosting Halifax next week. Brogan McNab can hurt defenses with his arm (716 passing yards, six TDs, two INTs) and with his legs (343 rushing yards, eight TDs).

Picks — Boyle: Holy Trinity 42-13, Vinel: Holy Trinity 36-14, Pritt: Holy Trinity 35-20.

Keswick Christian (1-3) at Trinity Christian (1-2), 7

Trinity sandwiched its win over Warner Christian with a pair of lopsided losses, outscored by a combined total of 88-0. Allen Baldwin notched the Eagles' lone 100-yard rushing performance against Warner, breaking free for a touchdown. Landon Pauley-Sherman leads Keswick with five touchdown runs, and freshman Caleb Nordenbrook makes eight tackles per game.

Picks — Boyle: Keswick 34-18, Vinel: Keswick 26-12, Pritt: Keswick 31-17.

Warner Christian (0-2) at Marco Island Academy (0-2), 7

No local team makes a longer journey this week than the 4½-hour bus ride Warner will make down to Marco Island, located just south of Naples. To their credit, the Eagles have scored in both games and are inching closer to an elusive first victory since restarting the 11-man operation. Perhaps this is the week they get it done. The host Rays, outscored 103-6 in their first two contests, are riding a 35-game losing streak stretching back to Oct. 27, 2017.

Picks — Boyle: Warner 16-9, Vinel: Warner 12-8, Pritt: Marco Island 8-7.

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Volusia-Flagler high school football: Week 5 previews, predictions