Stetson University has announced that head football coach Brian Young has resigned his position to pursue other opportunities.
Young recorded an overall record of 13-30 in four seasons as head coach. He also served for seven years as the defensive coordinator 2013-19. His defenses ranked either first or second in the Pioneer Football League during that time period.
Offensive coordinator Sheldon Cross will serve as the interim head coach. A national search will begin immediately.
The Winter Holiday for Volusia County Schools will begin Monday, Dec. 23, and end Monday, Jan. 6.
Discovery Elementary School
Discovery Elementary School in Deltona has received a book vending machine. Students will have the opportunity to earn tokens and select their very own books to enjoy. The donation for the machine was made possible through AdventHealth and the Erik Jones Foundation.
DeLand High School football
The DeLand High School Bulldog football team of 2024 finished the year with a 5-6 record, after making it into the first round of the FHSAA playoffs. The team was 0-3 in district play.
DeLand outscored its opponents during the year by 16 points, while scoring 401 points and giving up 385. In the area of passing, the team completed 96 of 157 passes for 1,768 yards, while rushing the ball 395 times for 2,832 yards or a 7.2-yard average per carry. The team had 5,445 all-purpose yards for the year. These numbers were collected from MaxPreps.
On Dec. 1, MaxPreps also rated DeLand football 106th in Florida, 18th in 7A competition, and 19th in the Orlando area.
DeLand High School athletics
The DeLand High School girls weightlifting team traveled to New Smyrna Beach High, and those taking firsts were Katherin Rodriguez (2), Payton Mathis and Elena Cruz (2), while those collecting seconds were Amelia Rizzo, Mathis, Sarah Lamay (2) and Ashantiana Gilbert (2). Thirds were lifted by Yanelie Echevarria (2), Ashleigh Mina (2), Makena Harkness (2), Julia Valbuena and Katie Hulsman (2).
The DeLand boys basketball team, after losing their season-opener, have rattled off three victories. The team topped Mount Dora High School, 62-51, with Justin Suarez making 23 points. They then beat Pine Ridge, 75-60, with Suarez making 26 points, along with six assists and five steals, while teammate James Rushing added 15 points. The next victory was a close one over Flagler Palm Coast, 56-55.
The Lady Bulldog basketball players lost a close one at Mount Dora Christian Academy, 45-42.
The DeLand High boys basketball annual Winter Tournament will take place in the Bulldog gym Thursday-Saturday, Dec. 19-21, with four games daily.
On Dec. 19 and 20, the girls basketball team will compete in the Annual Shootout at New Smyrna Beach, facing Flagler Palm Coast at 4:30 p.m. on the first day of the tournament, and Rockledge at 6 p.m. on the second day.
The Bulldog soccer team knotted up with Flagler Palm Coast, 1-1, and lost to Spruce Creek, 6-1, while the Lady Bulldog soccer team lost to Seabreeze, 3-0, but bounced back with a 5-3 victory over Belleview.
Friday, Dec. 20, has the boys soccer team competing at Pine Ridge at 5 p.m. and 7 p.m., while the wrestling team competes in the Lyman Christmas Tournament Dec. 20 and 21.
Stetson University basketball
The Stetson University Hatter men’s basketball team nearly pulled out a win at USF, but just fell short with a 74-72 score. Mehki Ellison scored 19 points, with Josh Massey scoring 18 points with seven rebounds, and Tristan Gross added 11 points.
The Lady Hatters lost to Iona, 58-46, with Cameron Thomas scoring 16 points with nine rebounds, one block and two steals, while Tiasia McMillan scored 12 points, with nine rebounds and two steals.
Friday, Dec. 20, has the Stetson women in the Edmunds Center on the Stetson campus against Bradley at 11 a.m., and the men are at home against Fort Lauderdale at 2 p.m.
