Taylor

More than half of the Volusia-Flagler area's football teams will spend this Friday night away from the football field, most as a direct or indirect result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Nancy Wait, a spokeswoman for the Volusia County school district, said Monday that COVID-19 related incidents would force Atlantic, Deltona and Pine Ridge to enter 14-day quarantine periods. Father Lopez, which hosted Atlantic last week, is also in quarantine though it reported no positive cases, according to assistant principal Scott Drabczyk.

The Wildcats finally defeated rival Crescent City Friday night.   Amir Brown gashed the NSB defense for 161 yards and three scores and Blake Boda threw for 153 yards and a touchdown strike to Matthew Bosset as the Sandcrabs (3-2) dominated the 'Cudas, 27-10. New Smyrna's (3-2) Cam Martel finished with 85 rushing yards and a touchdown pass to Jeremy Mitchell.

Against all odds, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, football season starts Friday night for the public high schools in Volusia and Flagler counties. A summer's worth of uncertainty — back-and-forth board meetings at the state level, staggered start times for conditioning programs, scrambled schedules, putting together protocols to reduce the potential spread of contamination — is finally in the past. Games kickoff around the area at 7, headlined by a local rivalry renewed: Mainland at Spruce Creek.

PIERSON — In this COVID-delayed 2020 high school football season, depth and experience could prove more valuable than ever.   Luckily for the Taylor Wildcats, they have both. And with Friday night's season-opener against Bell High School looming, head coach Antuarn Williams knows he'll have to lean on his regulars now more than ever.