- April 24, 2024
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Sandcrabs head coach Troy Coke is frustrated with his players after an unsportsmanlike penality. Photo by Ray Boone
A Seabreeze defender tries to scoop up a ball that hit the ground. Photo by Ray Boone
Sandcrabs defenders force Titusville's quarterback to fumble the ball. Photo by Ray Boone
Quarterback Isaiah Shirley sprints through a hole in the defense. Photo by Ray Boone
Teammates celebrate with quarterback Isaiah Shirley (No. 7) after Shirley's 45-yard run in the first quarter. Photo by Ray Boone
Seabreeze defenders sack Titusville's quarterback. Photo by Ray Boone
Quarterback Isaiah Shirley throws a pass to receiver Robert Mack. Photo by Ray Boone
A Seabreeze defender tackles Titusville's running back. Photo by Ray Boone
Sandcrabs wide receiver Orion Mountain tries to break a tackle. Photo by Ray Boone
Seabreeze defenders bring down the Terriers' running back. Photo by Ray Boone
Seabreeze defenders close in on the Terriers' quarterback. Photo by Ray Boone
The Sandcrabs' Robert Mack dodges a defender during a long run. Photo by Ray Boone
Seabreeze's Jakob Lyke walks away with his hands on his hips after the Terriers scored a touchdown to take the lead. Photo by Ray Boone
With more than 6 minutes left in the game, the Sandcrabs were down three points. The game was still well within reach. But looking at the Sandcrabs’ sideline, or even at some of the players on the field, you’d think their kickoff classic against Titusville was already over.
Surrender cobras. Hands on hips. Heads down.
And yellow flags littered the field at Daytona Stadium after several unsportsmanlike penalties throughout the third and fourth quarters.
“I’m embarrassed right now,” Sandcrabs coach Troy Coke said after the team’s 12-3 loss to the Terriers on Thursday, Aug. 16. “If we’re nothing else, I want us to be classy, and I didn’t like the way that we handled ourselves tonight. I’m not happy about it.”
For spurts of Thursday night’s game, Seabreeze looked like a team that could potentially string together multiple wins this season. The Sandcrabs forced two fumbles, three players recorded sacks, they held the Terriers scoreless until the 8-minute mark in the third quarter (the second quarter wasn’t played due to a lightning delay) and first-time quarterback Isaiah Shirley put up two highlight plays: a 45-yard run in the first quarter and an on-the-money pass to receiver Orion Mountain for a 50-yard gain.
But then the mistakes that have plagued this team over the last few years reared their ugly heads.
Shirley fumbled twice, including the opening snap, and threw three interceptions, and a snap over the head of Seabreeze’s punter set up the Terriers for their first score of the game and the lead, which they never surrendered.
Tensions between the Sandcrabs and the Terriers started to rise in the third period, with players having to be separated on more than one occassion and several flags being thrown.
“There’s just too many mistakes, and we don’t have enough composure to overcome that,” Coke said. “Some of that’s being a young team. Give Titusville credit, but I coach Seabreeze, and I feel like we beat ourselves. When you beat yourself, it’s a hard pill to swallow.”
