- April 25, 2024
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The Mainland Buccaneers ended the season with a 25-14 win over Olympia and will travel to Lake Gibson for the first round of the playoffs next week.
BY MATT MENCARINI | STAFF WRITER
Mainland didn’t play a perfect game Friday night, but made plays when it needed.
The Buccaneers ended the regular season with a 25-14 win over the visiting Olympia Titans and will play will play Lake Gibson on the road in the first round of the playoffs next week.
Early in the second half, quarterback Cameron Hadley completed a pass on third and 13, for what would’ve been a first down. However, the receiver fumbled the ball ball up into the air and Olympia recovered and took over possession inside Buccaneers territory.
With Olympia threatening, junior defensive back Chris Scott intercepted a tipped pass and ran it back 63 yards to set up a touchdown.
It only took running back Stephen Bostick two carries, the second a 16-yard touchdown run, to put Mainland up 17-7 in the third quarter.
The first quarter was marked by mistakes by Mainland, but the Buccaneers were able to enter half up three points.
On a third and long, Hadley scrambled and ran right, looking for a first down, when he fumbled and the Titans recovered.
“When you live by running the ball, and using Cameron Hadley the way that we do -- the explosiveness -- it’s going to happen every once in awhile,” head coach Scott Wilson said. “We just have to fix it.”
John Armstrong scored on a long run on the ensuing Olympia possession to put the visitors up 7-0, early in the game.
The other first quarter mistake actually benefited the Buccaneers.
Mainland lined up for a field goal, and after a bad snap, Hadley scrambled left and found a receiver in the end zone. However, an illegal man down field penalty brought up another fourth down for Mainland.
The Buccaneers punched the ball into the end zone several plays later and ended the drive with seven points, instead of a potential field goal
Mainland pushed its lead to 10-7 in the second quarter when kicker Nick Bruno kicked a field goal inside the red zone.
That scoring drive was extended by an Olympia pass interference penalty, which negated an interception by the Titans defense.
Olympia missed a field goal with five seconds left in the first half.
In the third quarter, Olympia pulled to within three points after John Armstrong’s second touchdown run of the game, a 1-yard run on third down.
Mainland answered on its next possession when Hadley scored on an 18-yard run, on a quarterback draw.
The Buccaneers went for two-points and conversion on a pass to Quinton Powell.
