Just three weeks into the high school flag football season, there is already a trophy — and local bragging rights — at stake in Volusia and Flagler counties.
The eight top teams, according to the Florida High School Athletic Association's rankings as of Monday, will pair off at Sperling Sports Complex in DeLand on Saturday morning for the Five Star Conference tournament. Quarterfinals are set to begin at 10 a.m., followed immediately by the semifinals and the championship game.
The first-round matchups are as followed:
- (8) Deltona vs. (1) Seabreeze
- (7) Spruce Creek vs. (2) Mainland
- (6) DeLand vs. (3) New Smyrna Beach
- (5) Taylor vs. (4) Flagler Palm Coast
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Ahead of the tournament, let's take a look at five stories developing in the first half of the flag football season.
Mainland opens season with 4 straight wins
Brielle Jackson has fit in seamlessly as Mainland's starting quarterback, throwing for 796 yards with nine touchdown passes and helping the Bucs to a 4-0 start. She has distributed the ball all over the field, too. Adrianna Mallumacci leads the team with 24 catches, Cadence Haley has team-highs in receiving yards (168) and TD grabs (three), while four other players have at least 10 receptions.
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Defensively, Kiera Williams brought the heat in her two appearances — registering eight flag pulls and four sacks apiece in wins over Deltona and DeLand. For reference, the junior had 62 pulls and 14 sacks last season as she earned an All-Area honorable mention.
Beware of the Barracudas
Seeded third in the eight-team field, New Smyrna Beach might be the favorite on paper. The Barracudas are off to a 3-2 start, with their two defeats coming to a pair of unbeaten powerhouses: Fleming Island (7-2 score) and Apopka (13-6).
New Smyrna Beach handed top-seeded Seabreeze its first loss of the spring Tuesday in a 13-7 overtime battle. Junior quarterback Emma Corr rushed for a team-high 91 yards and also completed 10 of 17 attempts for 73 yards.
The 'Cudas are unbeaten in three games against area opposition and have demonstrated they can make plays in crunch time and grind out results.
DeLand getting it done with defense
DeLand needs just one win to match its total from the 2023 season, a 4-8 record overall despite a plus-9 point differential.
The Bulldogs have relied upon their defense, a unit that has surrendered a paltry 19 points across five games. Dejah Mitchell and Tatiana Gonzalez-Garcia have each surpassed 20 flag pulls, with the former also producing a team-leading seven sacks.
In the secondary, Kayla Hill and Desi Lemay have each snagged two interceptions. DeLand has batted down 19 passes in total and picked off seven, including four forced turnovers in Tuesday's 6-0 win over Taylor.
Reloaded Spruce Creek rallies after early loss
Spruce Creek had its most successful flag football season ever in 2023, posting a 19-2 record and ending the year ranked No. 9 in the state according to MaxPreps. However, Player of the Year Kaitlyn Herb and fellow four-year starter Taylor Snowden are gone, leaving two huge holes in the squad.
Or so it was assumed. The Hawks bounced back from a season-opening defeat to DeLand with four consecutive wins over Holy Cross Lutheran, Atlantic, University and Pine Ridge. They scored 85 points in those contests, and allowed only six.
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Anastasia Neal and Jillian Truax have split reps at quarterback, with both completing around 64% of their attempts. Nina Macy paces the Creek defense with 23 flag pulls, Zion Wilis has seven sacks and both Chloe Waldo and Kamryn Learn have picked off three passes.
Seabreeze lighting up scoreboard, snatches top seed
As mentioned earlier, Seabreeze gained the distinction of the top Five Star seed thanks to being ranked 48th overall in the FHSAA's poll — one spot ahead of city rival Mainland. Consistently among the area's top flag football programs during the last decade, the Sandcrabs lit up the scoreboard in their first three games.
Seabreeze scored a staggering 94 points in victories over Flagler Palm Coast, Trinity Christian and Matanzas behind a potent passing game spearheaded by Caya Asbille, Carly McNerney and Ylan Phan. The roster got a boost of talent when the Sandcrabs' soccer season ended in the regional final round; Kylie Watson and Morgan Long are among the school's top athletes.
First-round opponent Deltona split its first two games, but toppled its neighbor Pine Ridge 12-6 back on Feb. 22.
