In the 2023 season, Travis Roland led Mainland High School to its second state championship in almost two decades. The Mainland Buccaneers finished with a 14-1 record and defeated St. Augustine 21-19 in the Class 3S finals. Despite his offensive coordinator leaving for a college job, Roland focused on improving the offense and it paid off as they averaged 34.5 points per game. The defense also did exceptionally well, allowing only 12.6 points per game and featuring two All-Americans.
On the other hand, Tim McRae coached New Smyrna Beach to a second-place finish in both Olympic and traditional scoring at the FHSAA Class 2A girls weightlifting championships. The team had three double gold medalists: seniors Mopelola Tofade and juniors Asha-Mahri Manzueta and Olivia Bond-West. Additionally, New Smyrna Beach’s boys team also finished second in Class 2A traditional, with champions senior Ryan Geary and junior Isaiah McCloud. Both Travis Roland of Mainland Football and Tim McRae of New Smyrna Beach Weightlifting were awarded Boys and Girls Coach of the Year at the Volusia-Flagler High School Sports Awards on June 3 at the Ocean Center Arena, sponsored by Halifax Health.
