By FRANCIS FEDOR
The Stingrays (ranked at 25 MaxPreps/23 FHSAA headed north up I-75 to Lakeland and lost 41-9 to the highly touted Dreadnaughts (8 MaxPreps/24 FHSAA). The only Lakeland loss came at the hands of De La Salle, a team out of Concord, CA, (ranked #19 Nationally) in a tight 10-6 game. The only other Sumner loss came at the hands of the FHSAA top ranked Armwood, creating the highly anticipated Lakeland v. Sumner match-up.
The Rays tough luck started with a Lakeland punt that was touched by a Stingray and recovered by the Dreadnaughts. The game went from a 7-3 deficit for Sumner to a 14-7 lead for Lakeland, and the Stingrays struggled to recover. The game was going to be a challenge for the Stingrays, given the aura and lofty expectations for Lakeland. The game, albeit a loss, will be a good game for Sumner to use to create motivation as the season heads into its final weeks. Sumner did have a few highlights in the loss, notably two interceptions from the defense; Jamareis Conyers and Tyler Lynch had one each. And QB Antonio Balaguer found Taesean Robinson for a late TD.
The Rays still control their district destiny as this game was not a district match-up, and they will finish up against less ballyhooed opponents, including Alonso, whom the Stingrays share the top spot in the district bracket with a win each.
Morgan continued its JV season, losing to Riverview 33-20 in Wimauma, the team’s second loss of its inaugural season. The Mustangs close out their JV schedule on Oct. 16 at home against the Newsome Wolves, and head coach Marlo Hollingshed and staff then will turn their attention to ramping up for their first varsity campaign in 2026. They will sit down and evaluate their talent and look to the incoming students to build out their varsity roster.
It was announced this week, by the Florida High School Athletic Association, that a Florida Invitational Tournament (FIT) will be established, starting in this coming playoff season. The FIT will create a competitive tournament for those teams that do not qualify for the state playoffs; it is expected to run into December. The state playoff structure will remain as it is with the traditional 32-team brackets for 1A thru 7A. A structure that is broken down into a 1A – 3A and a 4A – 7A brackets will take the next 16 highest ranked schools to participate in the FIT tourney, creating two 16-team brackets for each. It will give programs that were just on the outside of their state playoff bubble new life and a chance to continue their season in a competitive environment.
See separate article for the rest of the South Shore Six write-ups.
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Photos available for purchase at https://www.maxpreps.com/photography/photographers/ Florida-Francis Fedor
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