Noah Bogdanowicz tries to get a pass off as Father Lopez's Vinny Zimmerer rushes the quarterback. Photo by Sydney Tevin
Father Lopez quarterback Shipley Rosenberg tries to run past Seabreeze's JD Dougherty. Photo by Sydney Tevin
Seabreeze student Wyatt Moore holds up his spirit sign. Photo by Sydney Tevin
Father Lopez's Maverick Grimm (1) tries to strip the ball from Seabreeze's Beckett Fowler who goes on to run for a touchdown. Photo by Sydney Tevin
Father Lopez lineman Miles Venables (72) lifts up Alex Lacomb (12) after the receiver's touchdown catch put the Sandcrabs on top, 14-7. Photo by Sydney Tevin
Seabreeze cheerleaders hold up their custom banner for the players to break through. Photo by Sydney Tevin
The Seabreeze football team runs onto the field, tearing through the banner. Photo by Sydney Tevin
Seabreeze quarterback Noah Bogdanowicz threw two touchdown passes in his first varsity start. Photo by Sydney Tevin
Nolan Penney kicks an extra point. Photo by Sydney Tevin
It was a long night but a short, action-filled game in the newly dubbed “Melee on LPGA.”
Seabreeze led Father Lopez 30-14 at the half on Aug. 21 at the Green Wave’s stadium. The teams then waited out a long lightning delay before coaches and administrators decided to end the game at that point.
“So much lightning came out at halftime,” Seabreeze coach Mike Klein said. “We got stuck in the locker room for a while. Administration called me and [Father Lopez] coach Mark Gabbard, and we decided we played enough, it was a good battle.”
Playing one half is enough for the game to be official, so for the first time since 2020 the Sandcrabs opened their season with a victory.
Administration called me and [Father Lopez] coach Mark Gabbard, and we decided we played enough, it was a good battle.
— MIKE KLEIN, Seabreeze football coach
Seabreeze scored 23 points in the second quarter with the help of some Father Lopez miscues. A bobbled punt snap set up a first-and-goal at the Green Wave 16, and sophomore quarterback Noah Bogdanowicz cashed in with a 16-yard touchdown pass to Alex Lacomb to give Seabreeze a 14-7 lead with 11:06 left in the half.
Another bad punt snap by the Green Wave sailed through the end zone for a Seabreeze safety. And a mistake by the Sandcrabs turned into a Seabreeze touchdown. Tristan Miller fumbled at the Father Lopez 1-yard line, but then recovered a fumbled handoff by Lopez in the end zone for the touchdown.
“The first thing he said was, ‘I made up for it, I made up for it,’” Klein said.
After Father Lopez quarterback Shipley Rosenberg launched a 55-yard touchdown pass to a wide open Brett Hickman, Bogdanowicz threw his second touchdown of the quarter, a 9-yarder to Danny Spada.
“We played well on defense, but we did give up a couple of big plays,” Klein said.
The Green Wave scored their first touchdown on a 50-yard strike from Rosenberg to Rylan DeMarsh.
“I thought we came out more ready to play this week than we did last week [in the preseason kickoff classic against Matanzas],” Klein said. “It was a great atmosphere, the right kind of chippy. Guys were trying to get after it on both sides. The fans were getting into it. It’s a great atmosphere at their stadium.”
Klein said Bogdanowicz looked a lot more comfortable this week.
“We were more sound in a lot of areas,” he said. “We put the ball on the ground a couple of times, nd it didn’t hurt us too bad, but we have to take better care of the football.”
Seabreeze also had a touchdown called back because of an illegal crackback block.
“Jeremias George turned around to block behind the ball carrier, and that’s a point emphasis this year,” Klein said.
The Sandcrabs will play on the other side of LPGA Boulevard on Friday, Aug. 28, in a home game at Daytona Stadium against Tocoi Creek. The Toros lost to Bartram Trail 37-3 in their opener last week.
“If we can improve every week, that’s our goal,” Klein said.
Father Lopez will travel to The Master’s Academy (1-0) on Friday.
