Let the playoffs begin: Previews of 5 Volusia-Flagler regional quarterfinal football games (2024)

At long last, playoff time has arrived.

Eight football teams from the Volusia-Flagler area punched their postseason tickets, and seven will begin their journeys Friday night — including a pair of all-local, head-to-head encounters. Mainland, DeLand and University get the added benefit of a first-round home date, earning top-four seeds in their respective regions.

Halifax (7-2) joins the fray next week since only four teams per region in Class 1S crack the field. The Knights, seeded fourth, will return to Melbourne Central Catholic for a semifinal showdown.

Let's take a look at the five playoff matchups scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Friday kickoffs, and predictions made by News-Journal writers Chris Boyle (99-17) and Chris Vinel (89-27) and sports editor Ryan Pritt (83-33).

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Region 3-4S quarterfinals: No. 7 New Smyrna Beach (6-4) at No. 2 University (9-1)

Deltona High School will serve as a neutral host site for this rematch. According to FHSAA rules, venues for Florida high school state series football games must meet a minimum capacity of 2,500 fans for Class 4M and 4S games.

New Smyrna Beach stayed on the right side of the playoff bubble despite losing its last three games, including thrillers at Spruce Creek and Leon, as both Martin County and Viera dropped their respective finales. The Barracudas rushed for a season-high 383 yards and five touchdowns last Friday, with both Armoni Spurlock and Elijah Rooney topping 100 individually. Spurlock also leads the defense with three interceptions, while Kyle Nilsson has enjoyed a breakout junior season with 14 sacks.

University rebounded after losing its shot at the District 9-4S title with 40-plus-point outings against Lyman and Deltona. The Titans rolled to a 41-7 win over New Smyrna Beach back on Sept. 29. Malachi Walters, the area's passing leader at 1,969 yards, fired four of his 23 touchdown passes that night. The Titans average 169.2 yards per game on the ground, with Anthony May and Beechie Morris sharing the team lead with seven rushing touchdowns. Carlito Betancourt has a team-high 70 tackles, Nathan Thomas tops the team charts in both TFLs (11) and sacks (five), and Jaeden Franco snagged three picks in the secondary.

Picks — Boyle: University 38-17, Vinel: University 35-14, Pritt: University 41-27.

No. 6 Spruce Creek (7-3) at No. 3 DeLand (8-2)

Once it was mathematically eliminated from the district title race, Spruce Creek knew what it had to do to make the playoffs: close with consecutive wins over New Smyrna Beach and Hagerty. Mission accomplished. The Hawks qualified for the seventh time in Andy Price's 11-year tenure as coach but have won just one postseason game in that stretch — a 2020 play-in win over West Port. Tony Kinsler ended the year as the top local receiver with 55 catches for 869 yards, hauling in 10 of Luke Smith's 20 touchdown passes.

DeLand drove nearly the entire length of the field to snatch a late fourth-quarter lead, and an eventual 28-27 win, over Spruce Creek at the end of September. The Bulldogs thrive when the ground game gets going (253.5 yards per game), but TJ Moore is more than capable when called upon. The senior threw for 1,197 yards and 15 touchdowns without tossing an interception. Javon Ross is one of the top skill-position weapons in Central Florida, averaging 188 all-purpose yards per game and making 23 trips to the end zone.

Picks — Boyle: DeLand 33-20, Vinel: DeLand 30-21, Pritt: DeLand 27-16.

Region 1-3S quarterfinals: No. 7 Matanzas (7-3) at No. 2 Lincoln (8-2)

Matanzas stamped its playoff ticket with a comfortable 33-0 shutout over Winter Springs, its fourth victory in the final five weeks. After missing most of his junior year with a collarbone injury, Dakwon Evans sparked the offense with 1,377 passing yards and 631 rushing yards, accounting for 20 touchdowns. Cole Hash hit the 100-tackle mark on the nose and was one of three Matanzas defenders to reach double digits in TFLs, along with sack leader Zach O'Gwynn and Jordan Mills, who also brought in two of the Pirates' 10 interceptions.

Lincoln's defense recorded four shutouts this fall and produced big numbers in the sack (34) and interception (19) departments. Jashawn Washington had nearly half of the Trojans' 2,101 rushing yards, scoring 10 times and surpassing the century mark on four occasions. Turnovers have been a problem on occasion; Lincoln has thrown 10 interceptions and lost five fumbles, including a pair in last week's 24-22 loss to reigning Class 2S runner-up Florida High.

Picks — Boyle: Lincoln 27-6, Vinel: Lincoln 28-13, Pritt: Lincoln 27-17.

Region 3-3S quarterfinals

No. 8 Satellite (5-5) at No. 1 Mainland (9-1)

Satellite slipped into the No. 8 seed after the final FHSAA rankings release as Westwood vaulted into the sixth spot. The Scorpions lost each of their final three games to Brevard County rivals: Rockledge, Merritt Island and Palm Bay. Freshman Noah Flores (640 rushing yards, five TDs) and senior Eric Weza (274 receiving yards, five TDs) are two of the top offensive threats. Senior Atticus Henderson is a disruptive outside linebacker with 77 tackles and 17 TFLs.

Mainland could not have defended Lake Mary's vaunted passing game much better, holding Noah Grubbs to a 5-for-22 passing line, but its offense could not muster anything in a 33-0 loss. Forcing opposing defenses out of eight-man fronts will be crucial to the Bucs' credible Class 3S title dreams. Few defenses statewide boast the level of star power Mainland possesses, anchored by Florida commit LJ McCray at defensive end, Tulane commit Rodney Hill at linebacker and four-star defensive back Zavier Mincey.

Picks — Boyle: Mainland 40-7, Vinel: Mainland 42-6, Pritt: Mainland 35-7.

Region 2-2S quarterfinals: No. 8 Atlantic (5-5) at No. 1 Bradford (10-0)

Early-season, fourth-quarter breakdowns came back to haunt Atlantic in terms of playoff seeding, but the Sharks are healthier and hungrier now than at any point of the fall. Kwasie Kwaku fit seamlessly as the single-wing quarterback, gaining 1,151 yards and scoring 15 times in just eight games. Preston Kuznof played important roles at linebacker and running back in key victories over Crescent City and Pine Ridge down the stretch after missing time due to a knee injury and a concussion. Third-year coach Squatty Bell guided the program to its first district championship in his third season at the helm.

Top seed and defending regional champion Bradford has won 22 of its last 24 games. More impressively, the Tornadoes have surrendered just 42 points all year — no more than 13 in a single game. Chalil Cummings, who holds a handful of Power Five offers, is a weapon on both sides of the ball (581 receiving yards, 8 TDs; 50 tackles, five PBUs, INT). Marshall commit Chason Clark has 74 tackles and 13 TFLs from the linebacker spot. Edge rusher Torin Brazell has been a handful as well with 18 TFLs, six sacks and two picks.

Picks — Boyle: Bradford 39-6, Vinel: Bradford 38-14, Pritt: Bradford 37-12.