Story
Replacing Keith Byars, new coach Lewis Burnham will lead Boca Raton against No. 1 Glades Central
Thursday, September 29, 2011
by
Matt Porter
As Lewis Burnham is often reminded, dealing with the unexpected is part of an athletic director's job description.
Burnham, 27, began an apprenticeship under former Boca Raton AD Bill Massey four years ago, and took over when Massey retired in August. The timing was expected.
Burnham, however, didn't expect to be named head football coach of the Bobcats last week.
Burnham was named to the position after Keith Byars was dismissed after a sideline outburst during which he allegedly pushed junior quarterback Kevin Anderson. Byars' son, Keith II, is the team's leading ballcarrier.
Two weeks after the incident, Boca Raton's new head coach - and the youngest in Palm Beach County - will lead his team tonight against top-ranked Glades Central.
While Burnham's main goal always has been to be a head coach, his first opportunity has come on sudden and strange terms. He said he was hardly caught off-guard.
"If it's something that you truly want, you're prepared for it to happen," Burnham said.
At the University of North Carolina, Burnham was a 6-foot-4, 255-pound tight end who didn't see much playing time. He realized he wouldn't follow the path of his father, Lem - who spent four years in the NFL as a defensive end for the Philadelphia Eagles - but Burnham knew he wanted to remain around football.
He's spent the past five seasons as a Boca assistant, coaching the offensive line and increasingly handling more of the offense. He earned a reputation on staff for being organized, computer-savvy and a show-don't-tell teacher.
While Burnham wants to establish himself as coach, his more immediate challenge is to help his team block out the turmoil of the past two weeks.
"Unfortunately, we've had a lot of distractions lately," he said. "With 15- to 18-year-old boys, it's hard to get their minds back on business. I want to see how they're able to focus on football. Whether we're able to do that will be reflected in how we play."
Martin County volleyball faces the best: The top-ranked Martin County volleyball team will compete with 23 other teams Friday and Saturday in the highly competitive Asics Challenge at Chicago's Mother McAuley High School. The tournament will feature nine of ESPN's top 50 high school volleyball teams. Martin County is No. 31 in the national rankings. Tampa-Berkeley Prep and Fort Lauderdale-St. Thomas Aquinas are also in the field.
Martin County has been paired with McAuley and La Grange-Nazareth of Illinois in the opening-round pool.
Staff writer Jeff Greer contributed to this report.
~matt_porter@pbpost.com
Staff writer Jeff Greer contributed to this report.
.
User Comments:
Daryl D.Bufiinogui commented on September 29, 2011 at 5:53 p.m.: report abuse
Good luck to the players.
BABY D commented on September 29, 2011 at 5:57 p.m.: report abuse
LET'S GET ONE MORE UNDER OUR BELTS RAIDERS!!!
glades central commented on September 30, 2011 at 12:29 p.m.: report abuse
have fun getting blowed out by the raiders lol
flowhammed al-broseff commented on September 30, 2011 at 12:57 p.m.: report abuse
i hope reddish throws a 75 yd TD then runs over and pushes burnham in the chest
THRILL WILL commented on September 30, 2011 at 1:01 p.m.: report abuse
WELL COACH BURNHAM THEY SET YOU UP FOR THA KILL GIVING U A HEAD COACHING JOB AND UR 1st GAME IS AGAINST THA MIGHTY "GC" RAIDERS,JUST LOOK @THA BRIGHT SIDE U ONLY PLAY US ONCE A YEAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! LMAO
@GC commented on September 30, 2011 at 3:43 p.m.: report abuse
Boca will win by 3
Toy commented on September 30, 2011 at 5 p.m.: report abuse
I live in Tallahassee, but I am a MUCKSTEPPA to my heart, and as I read this article it was inspiring, but if I know my fellow MUCKSTEPPAs they were not going to be phased...and just like sista odell they never let me down...The 2nd comment proved my point and I quote...."Have fun getting blowed out by the Raiders lol" and that was very funny! Well I chime in and agree, have fun getting blowed out by the Raiders...lol!!! (True BlueDevil)
buy oem software commented on February 12, 2012 at 10:43 a.m.: report abuse
blyFPG Good day! I do not see the conditions of using the information. May I copy the text from here on my site if you leave a link to this page?!...
cheap web design commented on April 18, 2012 at 11:06 a.m.: report abuse
6in2GJ A big thank you for your post.Really looking forward to read more.
Bristol Airport Hotels commented on April 18, 2012 at 3:47 p.m.: report abuse
R1zKh1 Say, you got a nice blog article.Really thank you! Will read on...
Robin commented on July 18, 2012 at 4:46 p.m.: report abuse
/ I personally want to thank, Village Tavern Miami for spnorosing Kids Hooked On Fishing's event in Miami. Together, we have and will continue to make a difference . We Sincerely Thank You, President and Founder, Susan Olsen
Illespalm commented on September 11, 2012 at 12:18 a.m.: report abuse
what is the name and place of this correction
bookmarking service commented on September 20, 2012 at 11:18 a.m.: report abuse
BRFFGu I value the blog.Much thanks again. Cool.
bookmarking service commented on September 21, 2012 at 10:45 a.m.: report abuse
Nc96xj Very good post.Thanks Again. Cool.
bookmarking submission commented on October 21, 2012 at 11:26 p.m.: report abuse
lTToQ1 Im obliged for the blog article. Really Great.
cheap seo services commented on November 4, 2012 at 9:31 p.m.: report abuse
5FWuc3 I am so grateful for your post.Thanks Again. Want more.
pills for lose weight commented on February 1, 2013 at 7:19 p.m.: report abuse
TDcK0j Major thankies for the post.Thanks Again. Great.
buy clomid no prescription commented on February 28, 2013 at 8:41 p.m.: report abuse
px7IEU I cannot thank you enough for the article post.Much thanks again. Fantastic.
buy social bookmarks commented on April 19, 2013 at 12:08 p.m.: report abuse
9t20Zk I really like and appreciate your blog article.Thanks Again. Great.
good seo commented on May 25, 2013 at 3:40 a.m.: report abuse
fkqrxc I really like and appreciate your blog article.Much thanks again.
good seo commented on May 25, 2013 at 1:04 p.m.: report abuse
1iHIc0 I appreciate you sharing this article. Much obliged.
seo service commented on May 27, 2013 at 12:03 p.m.: report abuse
qYXXOA Really informative blog article.Thanks Again. Will read on...
seo service commented on May 27, 2013 at 2:20 p.m.: report abuse
HnhlRU Awesome blog post.Thanks Again. Awesome.
best social bookmarks commented on June 19, 2013 at 9:47 a.m.: report abuse
LtlMIN Major thanks for the article post.Really looking forward to read more. Great.
Add Your Comment:
We'd like your thoughts on this topic. I appreciate your willingness to share them. We want to avoid comments that are obscene, hateful, racist or otherwise inappropriate. If you post offensive comments, we will delete them as soon as we can. If you see such comments, please flag them to notify us. -- Tim Burke, Publisher and Executive Editor, The Palm Beach Post