- September 16, 2026
Mainland football coach Jerrime Bell was pleased with his team’s 27-9 victory in the preseason kickoff classic Aug. 14 at Kissimmee Osceola. Now he’s hoping the Bucs can keep carry that momentum into their high-profile season opener against Miami Carol City on Friday, Aug. 21, at Daytona Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.
The game between the two traditional powerhouses will draw interest from around the state. Mainland advanced to the regional final last year. Carol City is coming off a 24-23 kickoff classic overtime win against two-time defending Class 6A state champ West Boca Raton.
New Carol City head coach Toro Wallace, the former offensive coordinator at Chaminade-Madonna in Hollywood, Florida, has brought in several highly ranked transfers including cornerback Jailen Hill (a Nebraska commit from St. John Bosco in California), wide receiver Nick Lennear (University of Miami commit from Miami Northwestern) and sophomore quarterback Malik Leonard (from Chaminade-Madonna).
Mainland’s varsity defense shut out Osceola last week. The Kowboys scored a safety off a Mainland bad snap and a touchdown against the Bucs’ JV players.
“I was very impressed with the way the kids played,” Bell said. “I wanted to see how we would respond to Osceola’s physical style of play, and our defense played lights out.”
Bell said quarterback PJ Miller was efficient and wide receivers Nolan Caliendo and Jaden Parks had big games.
