Boca win, Dwyer loss shake up landscape early

The opening week of the 2014 football season produced a few surprising results, but none were quite as attention-grabbing as Boca Raton's 25-21 win against Seminole Ridge, a team expected to contend for its sixth consecutive trip to the playoffs.

Boca Raton, which has not qualified for the playoffs since 2009, has been a below-.500 team each of the past three seasons. Less than two weeks into spring practices in May, head coach Jeff Dellenbach surprisingly handed in his resignation, leaving the program after only one year at the helm.

Eric Davis, a 1979 Boca Raton graduate who has been an assistant coach for 30 years at a handful of Palm Beach County schools, including his alma mater, was handed the reins in mid-May, becoming the Bobcats' fifth head coach in seven years. He quickly scrambled to assemble his own coaching staff and make systematic changes.

Graduation and transfers left the Bobcats with only one returning starter when August practices began, and another mediocre season appeared on the horizon. That perception changed, at least temporarily, Friday night when junior quarterback Philip Santiago connected with senior wide receiver Ben Smith on a game-winning 65-yard touchdown pass with 2:20 remaining, avenging a 30-7 loss to Seminole Ridge last year.

"It was a big win," Davis said. "We're trying to teach them how to win and how to finish."

Asked to give his team an overall grade on their performance Friday night, Davis handed out a 'B' and commended the Bobcats for the character they showed in not giving up. Next up for Boca Raton is neighboring rival Atlantic, which will be another challenging test for the young Bobcats, who suddenly are feeling better about this season than they did back in mid-May.

Champs have work cut out

Dwyer had a magical run in 2013, winning the Class 7A state title to cap a 15-0 season. The Panthers might have a tough time defending their district title this year, however.

Glades Central's defense smothered quarterback Daniel Parr and the Panthers' offense in a 12-7 win Friday night a week after Plantation-American Heritage rolled over Dwyer in a preseason Kickoff Classic matchup that was televised live on ESPN.

Glades Central sacked Parr, the 2013 7A state player of the year, four times and limited Dwyer's offense to 138 yards.

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Boca win, Dwyer loss shake up landscape early