The Sumner Stingrays play in a tough district with Newsome and Plant City and have one of the hardest schedules overall. The program has the talent, experience and leadership to make noise in Hillsborough County. The team has made the playoffs for four straight seasons and has had winning seasons every year since the program’s inception.
Head Coach George Selvie, the University of South Florida all-time sack leader, took over as the head man in July 2024. Selvie was an assistant coach for four seasons, helping build the elite program. He has made the team in his image as a tough, blue-collar, hard-nosed program.
Sumner played an elite Tampa Jesuit team in the preseason and had a good showing but came up a little bit short 7-0. The game was played with a running clock because of the late start time. Selvie was very happy with his defense, but his offense didn’t perform like he wanted them to. He feels that they have a lot to improve on.
Junior Antonio Balaguer is in his second year as the starting quarterback. Selvie wants him to manage the game, keep the chains moving forward and check plays at the line of scrimmage. He said that he releases the ball quickly, can read defensive coverages well and knows where the open receivers are. He makes fast decisions, has a quick release and can pull the ball down and run, if needed.
Selvie has a young but experienced core group of players mixed with about 20 seniors on the roster. He wants his team to play hard, athletic and fast, imposing their will against their opponents.
He likes the upside and talent of his receivers, the versatility of his defensive backs and the skill of his offensive line. He wants his team to become more mature and disciplined on the field, having fewer penalties and turnovers, not jumping offsides and having less false starts.
Senior receiver Taesean Robinson is committed to the University of Delaware and senior defensive back Jameris Conyers is committed to Rutgers University. Selvie has six returning starters on offense and five on defense.
Sophomore kicker Josiah Washington will handle the kicking duties. Senior Jonathan Rollins will be a key factor on both side sides of the ball as a defensive back and a receiver. Junior Robert Garcia plays defensive back and running back. George Selvie III is a talented sophomore starting left tackle and has several college prospects, along with a high rating.
Selvie has goals of going out and winning every game. He feels that they practice, prepare coach and play with effort every week, giving them a chance to win on any given Friday.
The Newsome team is a pivotal district matchup for the Stingrays. They beat the Wolves in the regular season but lost to them in the first round of the playoffs last year. They will also have to beat Plant City and Strawberry Crest to win the district. Expect them to make the playoffs for a fifth straight season.
“We need to take the necessary steps as a program,” said Selvie. “We have to compete against the tough schedule that we have. I think I have the right guys to do it. We have guys that want to be here, that want to play hard. I’m excited to see what we can do this year.”
Schedule:
8/22 vs. Bartram Trail
8/29 @ Armwood
9/5 vs. Wharton
9/12 @ Newsome
9/19 vs. Plant
9/26 vs. Plant City
10/3 @ Lakeland
10/10 @ Hillsborough
10/17 @ Strawberry Crest
10/24 vs. Alonso
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