High School Varsity Football Touchdown Preview: Sumner High School, 2026

Sumner had their best season in school history in 2025. They finished with an overall record of 10-3 and won two playoff games, reaching the regional final. The team has made it to the regional final two out of the last three years. The Stingrays have the coaching and talent to make it even further in 2026.

The Stingrays have made the playoffs for five straight seasons and have had winning seasons every year since the program’s inception in 2020. Head Coach George Selvie took over as the head man in July 2024 after being an assistant with the program for the four years prior.

Sumner had a dominant showing in week one, defeating Strawberry Crest 55-0. Selvie wants to establish his team’s identity on physicality, tackling and speed. He was happy with their effort and discipline in the opener. Selvie said they hit the weight room in the offseason and worked on their technique, using the loss in the regional final as motivation. “Swarm and punish” is the team motto.

The Stingrays have a lot of talent and experience coming back with six returning starters on offense and five on defense. They have a really stout offensive line that they will establish the run behind. Four-star offensive tackle George Selvie III, junior guard Zaiden Tolmoff and senior tackle Nathan Smith will anchor the offensive line. They also have many elite athletes on the perimeter that they want to get the ball to in space. Selvie wants his defense to attack and swarm to the ball. Senior linebacker Michael Joshua, senior defensive end/linebacker Myerick Stewart, senior defensive end Trey Brown, junior cornerback Antrell Johnson and senior defensive back and Bowling Green commit Robert Garcia will lead the defense.

Junior Makai Frederick will take the reins at QB-1, replacing three-year starter Antonio Balaguer, who transferred to Lennard in the offseason. Selvie said that Frederick is doing a great job at controlling the offense and making the plays that he’s supposed to make. He’s tall, athletic, mobile and poised in the pocket with a strong arm. He had minimal playing time as the backup last year but will quickly be thrown into the fire against tough competition.

Three-star senior wide receiver/defensive back and Bowling Green commit Tyler Lynch will be a nice target for Frederick. Three-star running back and FAU commit Tommy Scott is coming back from an injury to add a boost in the running game, along with senior running back Cedric Johnson.

Sumner is in a tough district and has one of the toughest schedules in Hillsborough County, facing elite competition such as Armwood, Gaither, Tampa Bay Tech, Plant and Jefferson. Sumner will make the playoffs for a sixth straight season, and they have eyes on a state title. The brutal schedule will make them battle-tested come playoff time.

“Getting the opportunity to go out and compete against those teams is a great opportunity for our team that’s so young,” said Selvie. “Our goal is always to win states. We expect to go out there and compete every game.”

Schedule:

8/21 @ Strawberry Crest

10/30 @ Plant