Sumner (Florida) playing about as good as anyone in Tampa Bay
RIVERVIEW, FLORIDA- Will the real top team in Hillsborough County please stand up?
We thought before the season that'd be either Jesuit or Tampa Bay Tech. Both teams have proven to be somewhat hot or cold on any given night, but still stockpiled with plenty of talent. Maybe not trustworthy to hand over the title to at this time.
Armwood seemingly made believers out of everyone after smacking Venice in the season opener 34-25 and racing out to an impressive 4-0 start. All that came crashing down Friday night in the 28-21 loss to Jesuit. Maybe the Hawks just can't be it either.
Well, what about Berkeley Prep, Gaither, Plant, Riverview or Wharton or isn't there another team out there that's shown unequivocally they're the top team out of the 813?
How about the Sumner Stingrays entering the chat on this debate. Not many had the Stingrays being undefeated at 5-0 at the midpoint of the season and a lot can point to players that had graudated or transferred out.
I mean, how could this team remain one of the best without having every single player from last year? Easy. They still have one of the top all-around athletes in the Tampa Bay Area in Greg Smith III and a budding star receiver in Tyler Williams.
Smith III really took off last season, helping lead the Stingrays to the Class 4M playoffs and if not the ball bouncing their way a few times, they would've gone a little further. Now the quarterback is back on the scene at Sumner and playing at a high level on both sides of the ball.
Before Friday night's tilt against Wharton (40-14 win), the quarterback had completed 24-of-38 passes for 552 yards and 12 touchdowns to zero interceptions. Smith III had also rushed for 81 yards and scored three times. Don't forget about his impact on defense as well, with the athlete making 11 tackles and intercepting a pass.
Now let's focus on his teammate, Williams. Back in the summer of 7-on-7's, the wide receiver was starting to become discovered by scouts and analysts around the state at the University of South Florida's passing tournament.
All Williams has done this season is reassure people that he plays the same way in pads as he did in those 7-on-7's everyone was watching in the summer months. The wideout has caught 13 passes for 288 yards and eight touchdowns this junior campaign.
Both Smith III and Williams are playing with the proverbial chips on their respective shoulders as they feel overlooked by many. Very much the same way Sumner as a team feels they've been under the radar for many around the region and the state.
Is it time to stop thinking about the regulars at the top of the leaderboard in Hillsborough County and think outside the box? Could Sumner be that team that could run the table? With games against Durant, Lennard, Riverview, Newsome and Middleton left, the Stingrays will be the favorite in each contest.
Going 10-0 is a dream and Sumner feels like they're on cloud nine right now.
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-- Andy Villamarzo | villamarzo@scorebooklive.com | @sblivefl
