- October 5, 2026
A year later, Seabreeze is still talking about last year’s double-overtime loss to New Smyrna Beach.
Barracudas running back Todd Cutler scored a touchdown with less than three minutes reamining to send the game to overtime. Both teams scored a touchdown in the first overtime period and again in the second overtime period, but NSB blocked the Sandcrabs’ extra-point kick to leave Daytona Stadium with a 28-27 victory.
“We played a really good game, but we didn’t finish,” Seabreeze coach Mike Klein said. “Looking back, you question, should we have gone for two? I know we had a good field-goal kicker. But they end up blocking it up the middle and that was all she wrote.”
The Sandcrabs will meet the ’Cudas again on Friday, Sept. 25, at New Smyrna Beach. This is a chance, Klein said, for the ’Crabs to put the shouldas, couldas and wouldas behind them.
“If we win that game last year we probably have a good chance to make the playoffs,” Klein said, noting that this game will probably also play a role in the playoff picture. New Smyrna Beach is 4-0 overall and 1-0 in District 6-4A, while Seabreeze is 2-2 and 0-1 with two district games remaining.
It's only the fifth week of the season, but I’m treating this like a playoff game. We want to take care of business.
— MIKE KLEIN, Seabreeze football coach
“It's only the fifth week of the season, but I’m treating this like a playoff game,” Klein said. “We want to take care of business.”
Cutler, a junior is having an outstanding season with 801 yards rushing and nine touchdowns. Containing him will be key, Klein said.
“He’s a strong kid, a hard guy to tackle,” Klein said. “He’s one of the motors that make that team go. He spins off a lot of tackles. We’ll have to fly to the ball, because one guy doesn’t tackle this kid very often.”
New Smyrna Beach is well-coached under John Wilkinson, Klein said. The ’Cudas like to show a lot of different looks and formations — double tight-end sets, four receivers, three receivers, unbalanced sets.
“They try to find weaknesses in your scheme,” Klein said.
Seabreeze had a bye week last week, so the Sandcrabs have had two weeks to prepare.
“We have a good game plan,” Klein said. “I think the kids are understanding what we’re trying to do. We have to be consistent on every rep, because it’s going to be a battle. They don’t beat themselves. We have to bring physicality to the table, because they always do. This will be a true test for us. To me, it feels like playoff football.”
