Stakes are higher with Mainland, Seabreeze in the same district

Ormond Beach Observer
Sports

Mainland football coach Travis Roland believes the local teams made out pretty well with the FHSAA’s new metro-suburban split.

And that was the idea.

Metro schools have dominated the state championships in recent years. Last year, schools from the eight largest counties won six of the seven titles from Class 2A to 8A. Class 1A is a rural classification, and it will change in name only (1R).

The other classes will be divided among metro schools and suburban schools with four classifications in each. That means enrollment ranges in each class will be greater.

So, Mainland and Seabreeze, which were in different classifications last season, will now be in the same district, 4-3S (S for suburban), along with Pine Ridge and Deltona.

“Playing in Week 10 for a district championship is a good possibility if both teams take care of business, which would be fun.”

TRAVIS ROLAND, Mainland football coach

“It gives the rivalry a little more flair,” Roland said.

Not that it needs it. When both teams are having good seasons, fans fill the cavernous Daytona Stadium and traffic in and out of the parking lot becomes a nightmare.

“Playing in Week 10 for a district championship is a good possibility if both teams take care of business, which would be fun,” Roland said. “But the rivalry is already a rivalry.”

As for other changes, Mainland no longer has to worry about Orlando Jones, a metro school, being in its way for a district or region title.

Seabreeze and Mainland don’t have to worry about meeting schools from Tampa, Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Orlando or Jacksonville in the later playoff rounds, should they advance that far.

Roland notes that Miami powerhouses Central and Northwestern wouldn’t have been in Mainland’s classification in 2022 if the former system remained.

“For us, the only difference is no (Tampa) Jesuit or Orlando Jones,” he said. Jesuit won the Class 6A state title last season.

Seabreeze coach Pat Brown says he prefers the old system.

“I kind of have an old-school mindset,” he said. “If you want to be the man you’ve got to beat the man. Just because suburban teams haven’t won (championships) doesn’t mean they can’t.”

Indeed, there was a time when suburban teams, such as Bradenton Manatee and Lakeland, were dominating.

Brown said any benefits the split will have for suburban schools won’t come into play until the later rounds of the playoffs, and looking ahead is dangerous.

“We have to focus on winning the first and second round,” he said. “You can’t worry about things further down the pipe. That’s how you get those first- or second-round exits.”