- April 25, 2024
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Tank Dell was out of breath as he walked off the practice football field at Mainland High School on Monday, Nov. 6.
Most of his teammates and coaches had already trudged off to the locker room or headed home. For nearly half an hour after practice, Dell, starting quarterback Richard Kamara and a handful of other players stayed behind, working tirelessly to perfect their chemistry well after the sun had dipped under the horizon.
“We’re used to this,” said Dell, a speedy wide receiver for the Buccaneers. “We always put in the extra work.”
With the opening round of the playoffs inching closer, scenes like Monday night have become commonplace for Mainland over the last few weeks.
The No. 2 seed Buccaneers (6-3) will host No. 7 seed Miami Norland Senior High School (6-3) at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 10, for the first round of postseason action for Region 4-6A.
Mainland has advanced out of the first round the past six seasons. However, the Buccaneers were bounced by a team from Miami the past four seasons.
The Buccaneers’ standout defensive tackle Kevon McCrary isn’t worried about facing yet another team from down South, though.
“I’m not worried about it at all because they bleed just like me,” McCrary said. “They’re humans just like me. That’s our mindset. A Miami team, it’s just a name on their jersey.”
Mainland has advanced to the playoffs each season for over 20 years. However, five games into the season, it began to look like missing the postseason was an all too real possibility. After the first five games, the Buccaneers were 2-3 with a 20-0 loss to Dr. Phillips — Mainland’s first shutout loss since 2013 — and a 21-7 defeat at the hands of the Cocoa Tigers.
But since the road loss to the Tigers on Oct. 6, Mainland has been on a tear. The Buccaneers won their last four games of the season and have outscored their opponents 189-3 over that span.
It was a needed spark heading into the playoffs.
“Just for the team to have confidence. That was the deal,” Mainland coach Scott Wilson said. “It was never our ability. Any team that peaks at the beginning of the season is not going to finish the greatest. So, we’re trying to get to where we’re rising every week and peaking in the playoffs, which I feel like we’re doing.”
After pounding Seabreeze 44-0 in the final game of the regular season on Oct. 27, the Buccaneers had an extra week to prepare for Miami Norland. And despite facing a low seed, McCrary said the past few weeks have been all about maintaining a tight focus.
“We worked on our fundamentals and getting back to our roots,” he said. “We had a week earlier than our opponents did to practice. So that makes us better. It makes the team better.”
As for McCary, he has one goal on his mind entering Friday night’s game.
“States,” he said. “I want a ring on my finger.”
