The Stingrays had an elite season last year, going 11-2 and making it to the second round of the playoffs. They have made the playoffs the last three seasons and have a winning record in their first four seasons of existence as a program.
The team will face a different challenge this season in a new district with a new head coach, University of South Florida all-time sack leader George Selvie. He took over as the head man in July. Selvie was an assistant coach for the last four seasons, helping build an elite program.
Selvie said that his team’s major strength will be up front on the offensive and defensive lines. He said the main focus will be establishing the running game and stopping the run on defense. They want to establish a physical identity on both sides of the ball. He said that his team has to learn to play through adversity, trust the process and improve on the little details of the game, such as watching film and understanding the standard set forth.
Antonio Balaguer will take snaps at quarterback. The sophomore dual-threat signal caller completed 19 of 35 passes for 181 yards through the air with a touchdown and interception, and he had 45 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown as well in the regular season opener against Bartram Trail. Selvie said he has a strong arm, can get the ball out quickly, has some speed and will get better with experience. Junior running back Ronald Wilson Jr. had 19 carries for 80 yards, averaging 4.2 yards per carry. He also had six receptions for 42 yards and 122 all-purpose yards. Junior receiver Jonathan Rollins had four receptions for 36 yards and a receiving touchdown.
Other key players include senior running back/linebacker Jaheim Hudson; sophomore running back Tommy Scott; senior free safety Jeremiah Jones, who is a USF commit; senior defensive tackle/fullback Makhi Foster; senior defensive end/tight end Dean Gee Jr., who is an Army commit; and senior defensive back Charles Williams Jr. Selvie’s son, George Selvie III, is a 6’4”, 260-pound freshman starting left tackle.
Sumner is the cream of the crop in Hillsborough County but will face its toughest schedule to date because of how well they performed last year. Expect this team to win its district and go to the playoffs for a fourth straight season. The program has already made it to the second round of the playoffs before. They might take the next step soon and compete for a state title.
“It’s my first season, so it’s going to be a journey,” said Selvie. “I know that it’s going to have its ups and downs, but at the end of the day, I just want my team to fight every game and just have that team camaraderie and go out there and just give it our best and do it the Sumner way.”
Schedule:
8/23 @ Bartram Trail
8/30 vs. Armwood
9/6 @ Wharton
9/13 vs. Newsome
9/20 @ Plant
9/27 @ Plant City
10/4 vs. Lakeland
10/10 vs. Hillsborough
10/18 vs. Strawberry Crest
10/25 @ Alonso
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