- April 25, 2024
Loading
Mainland is the champ. How did the team get to the top?
The Lady Buccaneers kicked off the first round of the flag football District 5-1A playoffs Wednesday, April 21, with a 43-0 blowout against the Palatka Panthers at the Ormond Beach Sports Complex. The Lady Buccaneers have dominated the regular season, finishing it off with a 12-1 record and a ranking of 11th in the state. The team had one loss to Spruce Creek midway through their season but they rebounded with five wins prior to heading to districts.
The Seabreeze Sandcrabs also had a strong regular season and compete in the same district as Mainland. Seabreeze stepped onto the field to face the Matanzas Pirates in the second game of the playoffs immediately following the Buccaneers on April 21. Seabreeze had lost their quarterback Chelsea McQuarrie the night before due to a broken arm she suffered during preparation for a competitive cheerleading competition. Freshman Morgan Long was put in as her replacement where she ran for a touchdown and helped lead her team to a 30-0 victory over the Pirates.
Districts continued Thursday, April 22, with Mainland’s barrage of touchdowns against the Pine Ridge Panthers. The Buccaneers celebrated their second win of the playoffs with a 33-0 win.
The Lady Sandcrabs fell to the Deltona Wolves in their second game of the tournament, holding them to one touchdown. Head coach Todd Barnes expressed pride for his young team.
“I would say, overall, it was a great season with an awesome group of young, talented student athletes,” Barnes said. “It was unfortunate to lose our quarterback just prior to districts, but our ladies fought hard to the bitter end. Congratulations to Deltona in their close, hard-fought win against us. We will be back.”
The Lady Buccaneers took the championship on Friday, April 23, away from Deltona with a 13-0 win. The team heads south to play the Jensen Beach Falcons for the flag football regional championship tournament Wednesday, April 28.