Mainland heads to Ponte Vedra for regional final after holding off Mosley 36-31

Ponte Vedra will host the Buccaneers in the Region 1-5A championship game on Friday.

  • By Michele Meyers
  • | 8:58 a.m. November 26, 2025
  • Ormond Beach Observer
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Mainland is moving on to the Region 1-5A final after beating Lynn Haven Mosley 36-31 in a semifinal on Friday, Nov. 21, at Daytona Stadium in a battle that persisted until the final two minutes. The Ponte Vedra Sharks will host the Bucs on Friday, Nov. 28.

With less than two minutes left and Mosley driving deep into Mainland territory, linebacker Dennis King secured the victory with an interception that ricocheted off the Dolphins' intended receiver.

“It’s my second interception this season, so I’m happy about that,” King said. “We are looking very good right now. It’s exciting to see my guys out here play ball.”

The No. 2 seeded Bucs and the No. 1 seeded Ponte Vedra Sharks will play for a spot in the Class 5A state semifinals on Dec. 5. Ponte Vedra improved to 10-2 after beating Beachside 38-3 in the other 1-5A semifinal.

“It’s about surviving to advance,” Mainland head coach Jerrime “Squatty” Bell said. “We’re road warriors — we’re going to play Ponte Vedra. When we travel on the road, we walk in a little different. We’ve got to have a great week of practice before going to see Ponte Vedra. Ultimately, the number one goal at Mainland is to continue practicing on Thanksgiving — we’ll be practicing on Thanksgiving.”

Mainland ventured into “Groundhog Day” territory when Mosley’s Holden Hinson rushed for the game's first touchdown. Middleburg also scored first against Mainland the previous week in round one of the playoffs.

“We beat ourselves in a couple fourth downs,” Bell said of Mainland's early hiccups. “We dropped the snap, then we had miscommunication on one. It was crazy chaotic. But like I said, it is what it is. They got hot and it was hard to stop, but we made enough stops to win a football game.”

Minutes after Hinson’s touchdown run, running back Braylyn Simmons — who rushed for 181 yards — scored his first of two touchdowns. Mainland wide receiver Kadin Flores then grabbed a pass, broke multiple tackles and switched back for a 32-yard sprint into the end zone, giving the Bucs a 13-7 lead.

We can’t let anybody come back from a lead like that. Executing and winning are the things we worry about the most. (Going to Ponte Vedra), we have to keep bases with each other and stay a team — family. We have to keep our heads on and get ready for the next round.
— DENNIS KING III, Mainland linebacker

Bucs quarterback Sebastian Johnson amped up the second quarter with a long pass to Flores who took it to the Dolphins' 1-yard line. Johnson finished the drive with a keeper for a touchdown.

Defensive backs Theo Bryant, Jhavin “Bubba” Westbrook and Marcus Day all had interceptions for the Bucs. Bryant returned his pick 97 yards for a touchdown.

Mosley finished the half with a 47-yard touchdown run by Khalil Lauderdale and a 37-yard field goal by Talan Moore.

As the leader of Mainland’s defense, King said it was necessary to keep his teammates motivated and encourage them to keep their heads up throughout the game.

“We can’t let anybody come back from a lead like that,” he said. “Executing and winning are the things we worry about the most. (Going to Ponte Vedra), we have to keep bases with each other and stay a team — family. We have to keep our heads on and get ready for the next round.”

After Mainland went up 36-17 with a 24-yard field goal by David Aponte and Simmons' second touchdown run, Mosley pulled to within five points with two touchdown runs by Sammy Chisholm. But King's interception — the Bucs' fourth of the game — ended the visitors' comeback.

“Mosley is a championship level ball club,” Bell said. “The’ve got a great offense line, receiver corps and linebackers. They’re a great football team with a great coaching staff and they coached their butts off tonight. That was Lane Kiffin-esque coaching ... I’ve got to take my hat off to (Mosley coach Tommy Joe Whiddon). But we made one more play than they did and we survived.”

Mainland athletic director Terrence Anthony said the Bucs utilized what they learned from last year’s experience (losing in the first round) to continue advancing in the playoffs this year.

“Coach Squatty stated at the beginning of the season the he wanted to get back to a world tour,” Anthony said. “This was a real fault game between two quality programs. I think us being battle tested with some of the games that we played this year put us in the right mind frame to finish this off. Hats off to them. But we ever stay the course and we’re still moving on. It’s the thing with Mainland High School — our goal is to always be practicing on Thanksgiving and we’re doing that so the road continues.”

 

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