WEEK 5 HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL ROUNDUP: Matanzas edges Atlantic in defensive slugfest
Cole Hash scored the lone touchdown of the night early in the third quarter, and Matanzas' defense made two important goal-to-go stops in a 7-0 win Friday at Atlantic.
The Pirates (2-3) snapped a three-game losing streak despite the absence of junior quarterback Dakwon Evans, who suffered a collarbone injury earlier this month. Head coach Matt Forrest described the night as a "grind," but saluted his team for controlling the clock, protecting the football and forcing a pair of takeaways.
Matanzas faces an uphill climb next week with a district home date against St. Augustine.
Atlantic (1-4), shut out for the first time this fall, opens district play next week against Lake Weir.
Mainland 39, Lake Minneola 26
Mainland took its first lead (9-7) in the second quarter and never trailed the rest of the way.
If Damarcus Creecy's 315 yards and three touchdowns through the air didn't wow enough, he supplemented those stats with 94 yards and another score on the ground. Ajai Harrell caught three touchdown passes and finished with 149 receiving yards. The Bucs' defense grabbed two interceptions.
Mainland (3-1) gets another short week next week, hosting Pine Ridge Thursday.
Nease 27, Orange Park 12
Cam Smith rushed 26 times for 139 yards and the visiting Panthers (1-4) halted their losing skid at Orange Park (1-4). Florida-committed quarterback Marcus Stokes ran 11 times for 65 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
The Panthers (1-4) face Sandalwood at home next Friday.
Beachside 42, Ridgeview 15
The Barracudas continued their impressive beginning, overpowering host Ridgeview (1-4). Brick Balcita capped the Beachside (3-1) scoring with a TD pass to Cohen Beebe.
Beachside (3-1) heads to Hilliard next Friday.
Tocoi Creek 26, Clay 21
Wendell Dean's 16-yard touchdown run, his third score of the night, helped the Toros to victory at Clay (2-3). Dean also caught a TD pass from Ryan Killmer for Tocoi Creek (4-1). Payton Dykas caught two more touchdown passes for the Blue Devils and Merrick Rapoza rushed for another score.
The Toros (4-1) hit the road for a district contest against Palatka next Friday.
Cocoa Beach 34, Halifax 0
Halifax was shutout for the first time this season. Cocoa Beach scored 14 points in the first quarter and tacked on 20 more in the second half.
After beating Trinity Christian in Week 1, the Knights (1-4) have dropped four straight games. They look to right the ship next Friday with a district road game at Holy Trinity Episcopal Academy.
Deltona 44, Liberty 6
Deltona remained undefeated with a comfortable home win against Liberty.
The Wolves (5-0) are one win shy of matching the best start to a football season in program history. They will open play next week at Daytona Stadium next Friday against winless Seabreeze.
Seabreeze edged Deltona, 14-10, in overtime last September en route to its first district championship since 2007.
Keswick Christian 28, Trinity Christian 8
Keswick Christian scored its first points of the season in a home victory over Trinity Christian.
The visiting Eagles (1-4) will look to halt a two-game losing skid at Eagle's View Friday.
— Chris Vinel and Clayton Freeman contributed to this report.
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Volusia-Flagler-St. Johns high school football Week 5 roundup
