Travis Roland leads Mainland to 2nd state title two decades after first

TALLAHASSEE — Travis Roland made a postgame vow.

After answering questions in front of television cameras, he was more than happy to talk with another gaggle of reporters approaching him. But he needed a moment. He had something to do first.

“Can I please go hug my teammates?” he asked. “I’ll be back. I promise!”

Then, he sprinted from the field and jumped into the stands at Bragg Memorial Stadium where his Mainland Buccaneer teammates from 20 years ago welcomed him with smiles and embraces.

Mainland coach Travis Roland (bottom) celebrates with teammates from the 2003 Bucs’ squad, the last to win a football state championship before doing it again on Thursday in a 21-19 win over St. Augustine.

Thursday was five days short of 20 years since those boys — all of them now men — won Volusia County’s first state football championship. They beat Naples 24-13 on Dec. 12, 2003, at the University of Florida’s Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.

Roland served as a captain on that squad.

Now, here they were, celebrating the second ring in Bucs’ history together, 21-19 over St. Augustine, almost two decades to the day after the first. Again, Roland was at the center of it.

“It’s humbling,” Roland said. “People give you so much credit when you’re the captain of a team or one of the better players with your teammates, and you get all of the credit or blame as a head coach. To get to this place now, it’s humbling because you realize how hard it is when it takes 20 more years.”

RECAP: Last-second field goal propels Mainland to 1st state football championship in 20 years

Mainland coach Travis Roland celebrates after his Bucs earned a 21-19 win over St. Augustine on Thursday in the Class 3S state championship game in Tallahassee.

Roland joined as Mainland’s head coach before the 2021 season. Last year, he piloted the…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/travis-roland-leads-mainland-2nd-020652712.html

Author : Daytona Beach News-Journal

Publish date : 2023-12-08 02:06:52

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