DAYTONA BEACH — Weather affected a plethora of Week 1 football games across Volusia County, and Seabreeze vs. Father Lopez was on the list.
Unlike most of their counterparts, though, the Sandcrabs and Green Wave made it to halftime with Seabreeze leading 30-14. Because the game made it halfway, the score was able to count as final, earning the Sandcrabs their first win of the 2026 season.
“They kind of set a hard deck time of 9:15. And if the lightning were to strike again at 9:15, now you can’t even check again until 9:45, so administration set a hard deck on that,” Father Lopez coach Mark Gabbard said afterward. “Coach (Mike) Klein and I both agreed. He and I went and talked privately that if it does get banged, we were going to leave it at halftime, being the first game of the season.”
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Before lightning and heavy rain took the headlines, the excitement of a new rivalry showdown between Seabreeze and Father Lopez produced an atmosphere that filled both sets of bleachers and had spectators lining the fence at Father Lopez Catholic High School.
The inaugural edition of the Melee at LGPA went to the Sandcrabs. Here are three takeaways.
1. Seabreeze QB Noah Bogdanowicz shines in regular-season debut
Traditionally known for its defense under Klein, Seabreeze’s offense propelled it to victory on Friday night.
Sophomore quarterback Noah Bogdanowicz made his first regular-season varsity start after his debut in the Sandcrabs’ kickoff classic against Matanzas. Bogdanowicz went 9 for 15 for 124 yards and two touchdowns without any turnovers.
One of his best non-touchdown throws was a 45-yard completion to Danny Spada that set up Seabreeze’s first score, a 3-yard touchdown run by Beckett Fowler.
“He’s got a great head on his shoulders, man,” Klein said. “He’s a smart kid; He studies the game. He’s got a great mind as a quarterback. He’s very cool under pressure. He thinks well. Much better game out of him. I think last week, his first varsity start, there’s some jitters there. It didn’t feel like those jitters were there as much today.”
The Sandcrabs were knotted at 7 with the Green Wave before scoring 23 second-quarter points. Bogdanowicz threw a 16-yard touchdown pass to extend their lead to 14-7 and threw a 9-yarder to Spada with 20 seconds left in the first half.
2. Sandcrabs defense remains solid
Of course, it wouldn’t have been a Seabreeze game without some defensive scoring.
After Bogdanowicz’ 16-yard touchdown pass, the Sandcrabs scored on a safety after Father Lopez’s long snapper sailed a snap out of the back of the end zone with 7:48 left in the second quarter.
After receiving the free kick, Seabreeze drove down the field to the 1-yard line before fumbling the ball to Father Lopez with 5:19 left in the half. The Green Wave lost the ball on a botched handoff at their own 3-yard line on the very next play, and Sandcrabs’ linebacker Tristan Miller fell on it in the end zone.
Miller’s fumble recovery gave Seabreeze a 23-7 lead. Miller also had a sack in the win.
Still, there’s room for improvement, as the Sandcrabs had a couple blips that resulted in long Green Wave touchdowns.
“We’re always chasing perfection, so still just a little disappointed in some of the things we did, giving up big plays. Because defensively, that’s one of our big three things,” Klein said. “We can’t give up the big plays, got to stop the run, and we got to cause turnovers. We were able to do two out of the three.”
3. Father Lopez QB Colt Davis sidelined by injury
Father Lopez’s usual starter, Colt Davis, was sidelined with an injury, relegating him to street clothes with his No. 8 jersey on top. Sophomore quarterback Shipley Rosenberg earned his first start as a result.
“Tonight was (Rosenberg’s) first varsity start as a quarterback,” Gabbard said. “He threw the two touchdowns and had the big run, and he played pretty well for a first start. So we’re excited for his opportunity.”
Other than his fumble on the handoff, Rosenberg was the Green Wave’s most productive playmaker. He completed all four of his pass attempts for 113 yards and two touchdowns.
The first was a 50-yarder to tight end Rylan DeMarsh to tie the game at 7 with 1:51 left in the opening quarter. Then Rosenberg added a 55-yarder to Brett Hickman to cut Seabreeze’s lead to 23-14 with 2:19 left in the first half.
After the late Bogdanowicz-Spada scoring connection, Rosenberg had a 50-plus-yard run that nearly turned into a miracle touchdown as time expired.
Gabbard said Davis’ timeline for getting cleared is “supposedly” around Labor Day.
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: 3 takeaways from Seabreeze’s shortened victory over Father Lopez
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Reporting by Zach Allen, Daytona Beach News-Journal / The Daytona Beach News-Journal
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By Zach Allen, Daytona Beach News-Journal | USA TODAY Network
