State championship hopefuls Mainland, Bartram Trail clash | High school football primer

Mainland looks the part of an FHSAA state football title contender once again, but the Buccaneers' credentials will be put to the test Friday with a showdown against St. Johns County's premier program.

The Bucs (2-0) put their unbeaten record on the line against Bartram Trail (2-0), which is seeking a Daytona Beach sweep for the second year running. The Bears battered Seabreeze 55-0 a week ago, and similarly clamped down on Mainland last September in a 17-3 victory.

Mainland holds the No. 1 ranking in Class 3S in the USA TODAY Florida Sports Network's statewide poll. Bartram Trail, under first-year coach Cory Johns, sits in the No. 5 spot in Class 4S.

"I look at Bartram as just like Mainland. We may change coaches, but the kids you have stay in the program," Bucs coach Travis Roland said. "There are a couple of wrinkles, but it's still Bartram.

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"You want to win 'em all and put yourself in position to have home games in the playoffs. Last year, we only had one. This is about testing your mettle against another state championship-caliber team. … We're going to be tested five of these next eight games from sheer rankings and talent. I tell our kids all the time that all our games are big games because Mainland is involved. It's always a big game no matter who we're playing."

3 things to keep an eye on

Riley Trujillo's availability due to knee 'tweak'

UCF commit Riley Trujillo sat out for the Bears' Week 2 win after suffering a minor tweak of his right knee in the opener against Ponte Vedra. First-year coach Cory Johns indicated that the 6-foot-4, 215-pound dual threat could return in time to face Mainland or the Sept. 22 showdown with St. Johns County rival St. Augustine.

Should Trujillo sit once again, sophomore Jaden Weatherly will make his second straight start behind center.

"He did a great job stepping in, as a 10th-grader," Bears coach Cory Johns said in a post-game interview. "He did a really good job of running the offense, controlling the offense and being that dude, which I had no doubt he was going to do.

"He's going to be the guy here the next two years after Riley graduates, so I was pleased to get to watch him play tonight and excited for him."

Trujillo completed 6 of 11 passes for 104 yards and a touchdown, and ran six times for 76 yards and another touchdown in his lone appearance. He's the No. 45 senior quarterback prospect in the country, according to 247Sports.

Mainland D-line tested by Bartram's run game

Whoever draws the start at quarterback for Bartram Trail, Mainland will need to understand the assignment of slowing down a dominant read-option rushing attack.

The Bears average 248.5 yards per game on the ground, and 8.6 yards per attempt. Navy commit Laython Biddle is the workhorse, carrying the ball 27 times for 177 yards and four touchdowns thus far. Sophomore Arthur Lewis IV, who claims offers from Austin Peay, Georgia Southern and Western Kentucky, has chipped in 111 yards and one touchdown on just eight carries.

"(Biddle) is not just shaking people, but he runs hard," Roland said. "Laython is going to stick his face in your chest. It's a throwback style of football. There's no glitz or glamour about what they're doing.

"He makes kids, in 2023, have to tackle. Not everybody wants to do that in this era of football."

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Mainland, meanwhile, boasts one of the state's best defensive lines with LJ McCray, Ramon McCollough and Christian Hudson. McCray shined in the Bucs' opener at DeLand, credited with 10 tackles (eight solo), three sacks and two pass breakups.

Behind that trio, Mainland's got a deep and destructive group of linebackers, anchored by Tulane commit Rodney Hill, though the unit took a hit when Malik Daniels suffered a leg injury last week, Roland said.

Mainland 'staying ahead of chains,' aiming to finish drives

Calling the offensive plays for the first time in his high school coaching career, Roland is pleased with the Bucs' ability to piece together long, grinding drives, protect the football and avoiding costly holding penalties.

"(Senior quarterback Dennis Murray Jr.) has not put us in a bad situation, and our running backs are not putting the ball on the ground," Roland said. "We are staying ahead of the chains."

Murray ran for four touchdowns in his debut, a 43-31 win at rival DeLand. He secured the running clock against West Broward with a 21-yard scoring strike to Marquis McCants. Khamani Robinson ran for touchdowns in both games.

Mainland, however, struggled to produce points against Bartram Trail last year. Roland attributed rust as a factor at the time, considering its game with Flagler Palm Coast was rescheduled due to inclement weather, but the Bucs came away with a solitary field goal on their numerous chances in plus territory.

Staff picks

Chris Boyle (@ChrisBoyleDBNJ): Mainland 20, Bartram Trail 14. Record: 20-4.

Chris Vinel (@ChrisAVinel): Mainland 28, Bartram Trail 21. Record: 17-7.

Ryan Pritt (@RPritt): Mainland 21, Bartram Trail 10. Record: 19-5.

Other games

University (2-0) at Seabreeze (0-2), 7

University can match its win total for all of last season if it can keep momentum rolling against Seabreeze. The Titans steamrolled Oviedo on the ground, totaling 308 rushing yards and five touchdowns in a 37-21 victory against the Region 1-3M semifinalist. Malachi Walters leads a balanced attacking, throwing for 207.5 yards per game and completing 71.9% of his passes. Seabreeze is still in search of its first offensive touchdown of the season. Dylan Hayes' 77-yard scoop-and-score at Spruce Creek stands as the lone points thus far for the Sandcrabs.

Picks — Boyle: University 34-7, Vinel: University 35-10, Pritt: University 42-6.

Columbia (0-1) at DeLand (1-1), 7

DeLand smoked Centennial, rebounding from its Week 1 defeat to Mainland by putting 60 points on the scoreboard. TJ Moore threw two touchdowns, LaDamion Bletcher ran for three and Javon Ross accounted for 287 all-purpose yards with a pair of scores. Columbia's Week 2 matchup with Union County was called off due to Hurricane Idalia. Bynton Edge (80-yard TD reception) and Timothy Smith (72-yard TD run) scored long touchdowns in a Week 1 loss for the Tigers, who defeated DeLand 21-16 last fall.

Picks — Boyle: DeLand 29-23, Vinel: DeLand 36-28, Pritt: DeLand 27-24.

Father Lopez (1-1) at Atlantic (0-2), 7

Jacob Lohman, Lech Sweeney and Jonathan Felton put on an aerial clinic last week for Father Lopez in a 48-12 win over Cedar Creek Christian. Lohman threw for 270 yards and six touchdowns — four to Sweeney and two to Felton, who also returned an interception 45 yards to the house. Atlantic suffered backbreaking, fourth-quarter losses in back-to-back weeks. The Sharks let a 12-point lead against Tavares slip, and were beaten by Palatka last week on a 14-yard scramble by Tommy Offord as time expired. Kwasie Kwaku Jr. ranks among the area's leaders in rushing with 285 yards and three touchdowns.

Picks — Boyle: Atlantic 33-13, Vinel: Atlantic 26-24, Pritt: Atlantic 35-21.

Matanzas (2-0) at Deltona (0-2), 7

Matanzas' defense forced three takeaways in the final five minutes, highlighted by Jordan Mills' 15-yard fumble return touchdown, to surge past Tocoi Creek 20-14. Dual-threat quarterback Dakwon Evans returned to action for the first time in a calendar year, and Landon Grover set a new school record with a 54-yard field goal. Deltona gained just 34 yards from scrimmage in a 42-0 defeat at Spruce Creek. Junior Taylor Crane and sophomore Jeremiah Hancock continue to split reps at quarterback for the Wolves.

Picks — Boyle: Matanzas 38-6, Vinel: Matanzas 30-8, Pritt: Matanzas 35-0.

Bishop Moore (0-2) at Flagler Palm Coast (0-1), 7

Back from an early bye week, Flagler Palm Coast rotated its three quarterbacks in a Week 1 loss at Suwannee. Sophomore La'Darius Simmons drew the start, while senior Caden Gonzalez and sophomore Cole Walker each took their turns; the trio combined to complete 13 of 27 passes for 166 yards with one touchdown and three interceptions. Mikhail Zysek and Quan Grimes had the touchdowns for the Bulldogs. Bishop Moore battled Edgewater and Eau Gallie to the final whistle, coming up on the short end by seven points. Talented sophomore edge rusher Jake Kreul has 10 tackles for the Hornets.

Picks — Boyle: Bishop Moore 27-16, Vinel: Bishop Moore 31-17, Pritt: Bishop Moore 21-20.

Spruce Creek (2-0) at Haines City (1-1), 7

Luke Smith and Tony Kinsler helped Spruce Creek punctuate drives last week against Deltona, recording three touchdowns apiece. The Hawks' defense has not allowed a point through eight quarters, a strong response following a 47-0 preseason defeat at St. Augustine. Haines City, on the other hand, is fresh off a scoreless outing in a 7-0 loss to Auburndale. Keshon Tyler had 199 scrimmage yards and two touchdowns in Week 1 as Haines City knocked off Davenport.

Picks — Boyle: Spruce Creek 29-0, Vinel: Spruce Creek 27-7, Pritt: Spruce Creek 24-3.

Space Coast (0-1) at Pine Ridge (1-0), 7

Enduring a rainout, likely to be rescheduled for October, Pine Ridge sat out last week but can still string together back-to-back wins for the first time since 2014. Chris Boddie went for 125 yards and two touchdowns on the ground as the Panthers snapped a 16-game losing skid, edging Winter Springs 19-7. Space Coast will play its second contest in the span of four days after taking a 33-7 loss to Lake Howell on Tuesday night. The Vipers are allowing 40.5 points per game defensively.

Picks — Boyle: Pine Ridge 27-14, Vinel: Pine Ridge 19-7, Pritt: Pine Ridge 16-10.

Taylor (2-0) at Cocoa Beach (0-2), 7

Speaking of surprising local winning streaks, Taylor goes for three in a row with a road trip to Cocoa Beach. The Wildcats have rediscovered their rushing roots, switching to a flexbone option scheme prior to its opening game and averaging 296 yards per game. Six different players have tallied a touchdown run, led by quarterback Anthony Miler with three. Cocoa Beach has been outscored 101-14 to this point, although the Minutemen pushed themselves with games against Holy Trinity Episcopal and Foundation Academy. They have won four in a row against Volusia County opposition, including a 49-0 rout of Taylor last September.

Picks — Boyle: Cocoa Beach 41-28, Vinel: Cocoa Beach 32-22, Pritt: Cocoa Beach 30-28.

St. Joseph (0-2) at Halifax (1-0), 7

Halifax hammered Cornerstone Charter 44-0, one of its most lopsided wins in program history. The Knights picked off four passes, one of which was brought back by Cameise Sloss for a 75-yard touchdown. Jeremiah Barthelemy, Tola Dixon and Tyler Jenkins each surpassed 100 rushing yards, and the group ran for four touchdowns. St. Joseph suffered heavy defeats in its first two outings, allowing 84 unanswered points to Oak Hall and Windermere.

Picks — Boyle: Halifax 36-12, Vinel: Halifax 26-20, Pritt: Halifax 21-14.

Trinity Christian (1-1) at Aucilla Christian (1-0), 7

Trinity Christian ended a four-game scoreless run, prevailing 28-6 in its first head-to-head showdown with Warner Christian in six years. Joseph Brittain caught a 32-yard touchdown and returned another 80 yards on a kick return; Josiah Torres and Allen Baldwin added a first-half touchdown run apiece. Aucilla Christian endured consecutive weather cancellations, most recently its game with Graceville due to Idalia. Brandon Key and Landon LaRosa scored in a 20-point second quarter of Aucilla's Week 0 triumph over Fullington (Ga.).

Picks — Boyle: Aucilla Christian 37-18, Vinel: Aucilla Christian 20-12, Pritt: Aucilla Christian 22-14.

Joshua Christian (0-1) at Warner Christian (0-1), 7

First-year coach Artie Rose expressed pride at his team's conditioning, and Warner scored in the fourth quarter when Breydon Flores scrambled for a 16-yard touchdown. Joshua Christian is in a similar position in terms of experience, last playing a full season in 2019. The visiting Eagles fell 41-0 against Rocky Bayou Christian last week.

Picks — Boyle: Joshua Christian 14-12, Vinel: Joshua Christian 18-14, Pritt: Warner Christian 16-14.

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: High school football: Volusia-Flagler Week 3 previews, predictions