Mainland-NSB, DeLand-FPC lead Friday night prep football action

It's do-or-die time in District 13-6A, where the outright title and an automatic bid into the playoffs is up for grabs on Friday night.

Mainland (5-3, 3-0) travels to New Smyrna Beach (6-1, 3-0) for one of the biggest games of the season in the Volusia/Flagler area. The winner gets a home game in the first round, while the loser will have to survive a hotly contested race for one of four regional wild cards.

"We've been talking about this one for a while," Barracudas coach John Wilkinson said. "Now, we need to play our best game. That's what it's going to take to even have a shot."

READ MORE: NO CHANGE IN FAB 5

Mainland looks to clinch its 25th consecutive postseason appearance. NSB has neither won the district nor reached the playoffs since 2012, a regular season in which the 'Cudas went 9-0.

The Region 4-6A wild card race is cloudy, at best. The Miami Central/Miami Carol City loser and Miami Northwestern appear to be locks, but the final two spots will be a scramble involving the loser of this game, Eau Gallie, Jensen Beach and Deltona, at the very least.

3 THINGS TO KEEP AN EYE ON

1. Touchdown machines

The two main backs in this game have traded the area touchdown lead back and forth throughout the 2018 season.

Mainland senior D'Andre McMillian, who enters the game just 39 yards shy of 1,000, upped his overall total to 14 scores last week. He trails only the 17 scores of NSB's Einaj Carter, though three have come via defense and special teams contributions.

McMillian said the duo have engaged in friendly competition on the football field since the eighth grade.

"Whatever it takes, he’s willing to do (it). It's been like that since we were young," McMillian said of Carter. "We’ve challenged each other and always had conversations on our futures. We always helped each other on what we needed to perfect."

Carter added: "D'Andre is a special player. I've known him for a good minute, and I call him my brother. For us to be the top two in touchdowns this year has been something I've enjoyed. Competition is key, and that's just what we've been doing thus far."

2. Up front

The key matchup in this game will be NSB's interior offensive line against Mainland's disruptive defensive tackle Kevon McCrary.

McCrary, who frequently commands double teams, entered last week with 39 total tackles, 6.5 sacks and seven tackles for loss. He recovered a fumble on the first snap of the game at Matanzas.

Wilkinson will trust in the trio of All-Area first-teamer Drew Peterson, Luke Warner and Garrett Marple to open holes and protect quarterback Stone Vondran-Turner on dropbacks.

"He's unbelievable," Wilkinson said of McCrary, a four-year starter. "(Our linemen) will have their hands full. For being that big, he's very athletic, nimble and explosive. He's definitely one of the best D-lineman we've seen, for sure."

3. Spread it around

NSB's secondary will have to account for a balanced Mainland passing attack.

Andrew Plummer emerged as the go-to target over the summer, and he's been hard to stop since returning from a preseason head injury. The USF commit leads Mainland in receptions (32) and yardage (399).

Junior quarterback Taron Keith shares the wealth, though. Shawn Daffin and Ra'Mello Dotson each caught a touchdown at Matanzas last Friday, while McMillian, Sam McKenzie and Da'Onte Ireland have also had impacts in the passing game.

STAFF PICKS

Chris Boyle (@ChrisBoyleDBNJ): Mainland 23, New Smyrna Beach 21. Record: 72-14

Zach Dean (@ZachDeanDBNJ): Mainland 27, New Smyrna Beach 24. Record: 71-15

Godwin Kelly (@godwinkelly): Mainland 28, New Smyrna Beach 21. Record: 64-22

IN OTHER ACTION

DeLand (6-1) at Flagler Palm Coast (7-1), 7

In this week's co-main event, DeLand and FPC square off with major ramifications in District 1-8A. DeLand can haul itself right back into the race with a victory, while FPC can potentially set up a winner-take-all game next Thursday at Mandarin. Florida commit Dionte Marks caught 10 passes for 151 yards and two touchdowns in DeLand's 47-28 win at Lake Mary. FPC will face the arduous task of shutting down both Marks and running back Demaurez Bellamy, who notched his third 100-yard rushing game. Both teams have weapons in the return game as well — Avantae Williams (DeLand) and Jarien Ramos (FPC). Ramos housed a Spruce Creek punt for a 58-yard score a week ago.

Picks: Chris — DeLand 27-17; Zach — DeLand 17-14; Godwin — FPC 35-28

Mandarin (4-3) at Spruce Creek (2-5), 7

Spruce Creek can certainly throw a wrench in the district if it can pull off another home upset of Mandarin, as it did in 2016. Junior running back Marvin Scott nearly topped 100 yards against FPC, though the overwhelming majority of his total came in the second half. The Hawks will have their hands full with Alabama commit Carson Beck. The junior quarterback has thrown for 1,345 yards with 16 touchdowns and four interceptions. Three receivers have topped 300 yards for the Mustangs — seniors Demario Douglas, Darian Oxendine and Kris Mitchell.

Picks: Chris — Mandarin 34-14; Zach — Mandarin 35-21; Godwin — Mandarin 45-24

Deltona (3-4) at Seabreeze (1-6), 7

Deltona snapped its four-game losing streak in a big way, throttling crosstown rival Pine Ridge, 49-7. Marlon Bradley is coming in on a tear, credited with nine sacks in his last two games. The Wolves' running game also churned out big numbers (399 yards and 4 TDs on 28 attempts), including 100-yard games for both Isaiah Gordon and Josh Ramirez. Seabreeze showed some fight in the second half against New Smyrna Beach, avoiding a shutout on Isaiah Shirley's late touchdown run. Despite coming up short in the last three head-to-head meetings, the Sandcrabs have kept it close with Deltona each time, losing by a combined total of 15 points.

Picks: Chris — Deltona 21-10; Zach — Deltona 28-7; Godwin — Deltona 21-7

Matanzas (2-5) at Pine Ridge (0-8), 7

Matanzas deserves a ton of credit for battling Mainland to the bitter end last week, staying within a single score for nearly the entire ballgame. Noah Cundiff caught a 51-yard touchdown off a tipped pass, his second score of the campaign. The Pirates forced four turnovers and now prepare for a sputtering Pine Ridge offense that has scored just 37 points all season. The Panthers have suffered five straight defeats of at least 35 points, dating back to the start of district play on Sept. 14.

Picks: Chris — Matanzas 24-7; Zach — Matanzas 22-14; Godwin — Matanzas 24-13

Atlantic (5-1) at Mount Dora (3-4), 7

Atlantic is still very much involved in the Region 3-4A playoff race, but will likely need to run the table in order to complete its season-long mission. Aaron Manning accounted for 238 yards of total offense and three touchdowns in a rout of Tohopekaliga last week. Mount Dora is reeling, having dropped four of its last five games, most recently a 42-28 defeat at South Sumter. Junior Isayah Hatter needs only 13 yards to reach 1,000 for the season, in addition to 16 touchdowns on the ground.

Picks: Chris — Mount Dora 17-13; Zach — Atlantic 21-13; Godwin — Atlantic 24-10

Halifax (5-3) at Naples First Baptist (3-4), 7

Halifax set a new single-season program record for wins last week and moved several spots in the Region 2-2A race. Unfortunately, this game, only recently added to the schedule, will not count for points. Jarrett Reddin threw for 277 yards and five touchdowns, two of which were directed to Dominiq Northington. First Baptist has played a difficult schedule, including recent games against Fort Myers Bishop Verot and Sarasota Cardinal Mooney. Senior Thomas Casey is a two-way standout for the Lions, with 12 rushing touchdowns and 10 tackles for loss.

Picks: Chris — First Baptist 45-7; Zach — Halifax 42-35; Godwin — First Baptist 42-14

Umatilla (0-8) at Taylor (2-5), 7

Despite a lopsided home loss to Father Lopez last week, Taylor still clings to the No. 6 seed in Region 2-3A. The Wildcats will need to handle their business against winless Umatilla to stay on the right side of the bubble. Jaden Reeves added another 133 yards and a touchdown to his season total, surpassing the 1,000-yard rushing mark for the season in the process. He could be in for another big night against a Umatilla defense allowing 46.4 points per game.

Picks: Chris — Taylor 55-14; Zach — Taylor 30-16; Godwin — Taylor 14-7

University (1-7) at Lake Mary (4-3), 7

University blew a 20-point lead against previously winless Winter Springs, dropping to 0-5 in the treacherous District 2-8A. Jalyx Hunt continues to be one of the area's top receivers in 2018, averaging 25.3 yards per catch. Lake Mary's defense got burned for 436 net yards by DeLand last week. However, senior tight end Pedro Rodriguez turned in another monster performance. The UT-Martin commit caught eight balls for 112 yards and two scores.

Picks: Chris — Lake Mary 49-14; Zach — Lake Mary 38-14; Godwin — Lake Mary 50-24

Merritt Island Christian (1-5) at Warner Christian (0-6), 7

This very well could be Warner's best chance at picking up a win this year. The Eagles haven't scored a point in 20 varsity quarters this fall. Merritt Island Christian has not fared much better, being outscored 235-51 with four scoreless outings.

Picks: Chris — MIC 38-12; Zach — MIC 26-19; Godwin — MIC 30-10