- December 4, 2025
Mainland cheerleaders (left to right) Audriana Hall, Michyah Hickley and Sakinah Braswell get ready for the big game against Spruce Creek on Friday, Sept. 12 at the Daytona Stadium. Photo by Michele Meyers
Mainland wide receiver Hajj Gentle warms up before the game against Spruce Creek on Friday, Sept. 12 at the Daytona Stadium. Photo by Michele Meyers
Mainland cheerleaders (bottom left to right) Ja'Maine Jackson, Assata Jamerson, Journi Latson and Paris Duffie (top) warm-up before the big game against Spruce Creek on Friday, Sept. 12 at the Daytona Stadium. Photo by Michele Meyers
Mainland coach Arthur Westbrook (center) gets his players warmed up before the rival game against Spruce Creek on Friday, Sept. 12. Photo by Michele Meyers
Mainland linebackers Chevin Davis Jr. (right) and Brandon Nelson (left) stretch before facing the Hawks on Friday, Sept. 12 at the Daytona Stadium. Photo by Michele Meyers
Mainland linebacker Dennis "Tank" King III (left) warms up with the team before the game against Spruce Creek on Friday, Sept. 12 at the Daytona Stadium. Photo by Michele Meyers
Mainland quarterback Sebastian Johnson watches the action from the sidelines during the game against Spruce Creek on Friday, Sept. 12 at the Daytona Stadium. Photo by Michele Meyers
Spruce Creek quarterback P.J. Miller (left) passes the ball under pressure from Mainland linebacker Dennis "Tank" King III (1) in the rivalry game on Friday, Sept. 12 at the Daytona Stadium. Photo by Michele Meyers
Mainland wide receiver Braylyn Simmons (center) breaks through Spruce Creek's line of defense including linebacker Mason Moore (11) on Friday, Sept. 12 at the Daytona Stadium. Photo by Michele Meyers
Sed Simmons (right) interviews Mainland head coach Jerrime Bell (left) before the game against Spruce Creek on Friday, Sept. 12 at the Daytona Stadium. Photo by Michele Meyers
Mainland cheerleaders (left to right) Ja'Naylah Taylor, Destinee Hines, Natalie Williams and Aleaja Lopez warm-up before the big game against Spruce Creek on Friday, Sept. 12 at the Daytona Stadium. Photo by Michele Meyers
Mainland's Lady Bucs and drill team join the band for a pre-game performance on Friday, Sept. 12 at the Daytona Stadium. Photo by Michele Meyers
The Mainland AF JROTC presents the colors before the game against Spruce Creek on Friday, Sept. 12 at the Daytona Stadium. Photo by Michele Meyers
The Mainland band took the field for a pre-game performance on Friday, Sept. 12 at the Daytona Stadium. Photo by Michele Meyers
Mainland's Lady Bucs, drill team and majorettes join the band for a pre-game performance on Friday, Sept. 12 at the Daytona Stadium. Photo by Michele Meyers
Mainland captains (left to right) Christian Cooper, Dennis "Tank" King III, Sebastian Johnson and Chevin Davis Jr. Photo by Michele Meyers
Mainland and Spruce Creek captains meet for the coin toss before game time on Friday, Sept. 12 at the Daytona Stadium. Photo by Michele Meyers
Spruce Creek cheerleaders and football team kickstart the game against Mainland on Friday, Sept. 12 at the Daytona Stadium. Photo by Michele Meyers
Mainland senior Christian Cooper (4) beams as his team takes the field before the game against Spruce Creek on Friday, Sept. 12 at the Daytona Stadium. Photo by Michele Meyers
Mainland's Bubba Westbrook (19) carries the flag as his team takes the field before the game against Spruce Creek on Friday, Sept. 12 at the Daytona Stadium. Photo by Michele Meyers
Mainland's Josh Dudley (23) and Malcolm McArthur (17) run the field with their teammates before the game against Spruce Creek on Friday, Sept. 12 at the Daytona Stadium. Photo by Michele Meyers
Chucky occupies a bench on the sidelines during the Mainland-Spruce Creek game on Friday, Sept. 12 at the Daytona Stadium. Photo by Michele Meyers
The Mainland band celebrates as the Buccaneers are introduced before the game against Spruce Creek on Friday, Sept. 12 at the Daytona Stadium. Photo by Michele Meyers
Mainland's Kadin Flores grabs the pass in the game against Spruce Creek on Friday, Sept. 12 at the Daytona Stadium. Photo by Michele Meyers
Mainland's Kadin Flores (center) grabs the pass and a first down as Spruce Creek players Kameren Giddens (24) and Baron Kocchi (22) put the squeeze on him on Friday, Sept. 12 at the Daytona Stadium. Photo by Michele Meyers
Mainland sophomore Kadin Flores runs into the end zone for the first touchdown of the game against Spruce Creek on Friday, Sept. 12 at the Daytona Stadium. Photo by Michele Meyers
Mainland's Kadin Flores (15) and Amarion Lane (53) celebrate Flores' touchdown during the game against Spruce Creek on Friday, Sept. 12 at the Daytona Stadium. Photo by Michele Meyers
Mainland's Kadin Flores (15) and Jaden Parks (right) celebrate Flores' touchdown during the game against Spruce Creek on Friday, Sept. 12 at the Daytona Stadium. Photo by Michele Meyers
Mainland quarterback Sebastian Johnson (10) passes to wide receiver Kadin Flores (15) during the first quarter of the game against Spruce Creek on Friday, Sept. 12 at the Daytona Stadium. Photo by Michele Meyers
Mainland junior Chris Butler grabs a 59-yard touchdown pass from Sebastian Johnson in the game against Spruce Creek on Friday, Sept. 12 at the Daytona Stadium. Photo by Michele Meyers
Mainland's Jaden Parks (left) and Chris Butler (right) celebrate Butler's touchdown during the game against Spruce Creek on Friday, Sept. 12 at the Daytona Stadium. Photo by Michele Meyers
Mainland's Chevin Davis Jr. (right) lifts Chris Butler (right) after Butler's touchdown in the game against Spruce Creek on Friday, Sept. 12 at the Daytona Stadium. Photo by Michele Meyers
Mainland offensive lineman Keandre Jackson (64) blocks for Braylyn Simmons (center) as he makes his way up the middle in the game against Spruce Creek on Friday, Sept. 12 at the Daytona Stadium. Photo by Michele Meyers
Mainland jumps to stop the kick by Spruce Creek's Blake Harrison (28) on Friday, Sept. 12 at the Daytona Stadium. Photo by Michele Meyers
Mainland's Malcolm McArthur (bottom) recovers the fumble by Spruce Creek quarterback P.J. Miller on Friday, Sept. 12 at the Daytona Stadium. Photo by Michele Meyers
Spruce Creek's Cameron Oxendine (right) eyes the pass by quarterback P.J. Miller as Mainland's Bubba Westbrook (left) chases him down on Friday, Sept. 12 at the Daytona Stadium. Oxendine makes the catch and scores the touchdown. Photo by Michele Meyers
Local middle and elementary schools join the Mainland band to perform at the Spruce Creek game on Friday, Sept. 12 at the Daytona Stadium. Photo by Michele Meyers
Spruce Creek quarterback P.J. Miller passes from the end zone on Friday, Sept. 12 at the Daytona Stadium. Photo by MIchele Meyers
Spruce Creek quarterback P.J. Miller (center) loses a shoe as Mainland's Denzel Shropshire (left) makes the tackle with an assist by Theo Bryant (right) on Friday, Sept. 12 at the Daytona Stadium. Photo by Michele Meyers
Mainland's Dennis "Tank" King III (right) takes off after Spruce Creek quarterback P.J. Miller (left) on Friday, Sept. 12 at the Datyona Stadium. Photo by Michele Meyers
Mainland's Chris Butler (left) jukes out Spruce Creek's Kaden Joseph (right) on Friday, Sept. 12 at the Daytona Stadium. Photo by Michele Meyers
Spruce Creek's Kaden Joseph (right) interferes with Buccaneer Chris Butler's (left) catch on Friday, Sept. 12 at the Daytona Stadium. Photo by Michele Meyers
Spruce Creek's Cameron Oxendine (left) goes up for the pass by quarterback P.J. Miller as Mainland's Bubba Westbrook (right) goes for the tackle on Friday, Sept. 12 at the Daytona Stadium. Photo by Michele Meyers
Spruce Creek's Daniel Proenza (14) is taken down by Mainland's Tamaj Woodard (3) on Friday, Sept. 12 at the Daytona Stadium. Photo by Michele Meyers
Mainland coach Ethan Simpson (left) and Tommy Bostick Jr. (center) celebrate Davdi Aponte's (right) successful field goal on Friday, Sept. 12 at the Daytona Stadium. Photo by Michele Meyers
Mainland's defense takes down Spruce Creek quarterback P.J. Miller on Friday, Sept. 12 at the Daytona Stadium. Photo by MIchele Meyers
Spruce Creek eked out a 20-16 win over Mainland, scoring the winning touchdown with 18 seconds left on Friday, Sept. 12.
With the Hawks on the Bucs’ 3-yard line with less than a minute left in the game, Spruce Creek quarterback P.J. Miller handed the ball off to Keenan Nephew who was stopped at the 1-yard line by Mainland’s Stephone Ross and Kiarin Sullivan.
The ball popped out of Nephew’s grasp, but officials ruled he was down before he lost the ball. Nephew finished the job on the next play. The 2-point conversion failed.
With seven seconds remaining, Mainland’s Damarion Phillips took the ensuing kickoff and sprinted 71 yards to Creek’s 13-yard line. After pass interference by the Hawks moved the ball closer, Sebastian Johnson’s pass to Chris Butler fell incomplete with Creek’s Davern Cole defending.
The Bucs fell to 2-1, while the Hawks improved to 4-0 in a battle of Volusia County powers.
Mainland coach Jerrime Bell addressed his players following the loss at the Daytona Stadium.
“You can’t leave it close,” he said. “When you leave it close, you let other people decide the fight. When the opportunity presents itself, you have to take advantage of it. This was supposed to hurt. Everything you want to accomplish is still in front of you.”
Junior running back Braylyn Simmons got the Bucs’ first drive rolling with a long run early in the first quarter. Johnson followed up with two passes to sophomore Kadin Flores — the second for a 2-yard touchdown.
... This was supposed to hurt. Everything you want to accomplish is still in front of you. You cannot let this beat you two or three weeks in a row because Coffee (high school) doesn’t care about these results and it’s a long bus ride.
— JERRIME BELL, Mainland football coach
Bell said he thought the Bucs’ defense did a good job containing Miller. He said Sullivan had an exceptional game in the secondary.
“As always, I thought our quarterback, Sebastian Johnson, managed the game well,” Bell said. “I thought our O-line did pretty well, at times. We’ve got to get a little bit more push when we’re in the red zone. When people know we’re running the ball, we still have to be able to execute it. So we’ve got to get better in that aspect.”
Late in the first quarter, Miller tossed a 31-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Cameron Oxendine. The extra point tied the score until Johnson launched a 59-yard touchdown pass to Butler. The extra-point kick failed.
The Bucs held onto the 13-7 lead until three minutes into the fourth quarter when Nephew ran in from the 1 on third down. Buccaneer David Aponte answered with a 30-yard field goal to put Mainland back on top, 16-13.
Butler ended the game with five receptions for 124 yards. Simmons finished with 88 yards rushing on 14 carries.
Mainland travels to Douglas, Georgia, to play Coffee High School (2-2) on Friday, Sept. 19. Last season, Coffee finished 11-3 and advanced to Georgia's Class 5A final four. Coffee has been to the semifinals four times in the past eight years.
“... All our goals are still right there," Bell said. “We just got to get this out of the way. On Monday, it’s all about Coffee — single track mind. We’ll get it done.”
