By FRANCIS FEDOR
Sumner continued its winning ways with a 30-14 road victory over Strawberry Crest on Oct. 17. The Rays have now won six of their last seven, with the Lakeland loss the only disruption in the string. The Stingrays, first place in the 7A District 7, face the Alonso Ravens (6-1) in the Tank on Oct. 24 in a crucial district match-up as the regular season nears its end, with the winner becoming district champion.
Sumner opened the scoring with a 52-yard pass from Makai Frederick to Jamareis Conyers to give the Stingrays a 6-0 lead over Strawberry Crest early in the quarter. The Chargers roared back with a TD to take a 7-6 lead. The Stingrays punted to Strawberry Crest with eight minutes left in the quarter, giving the Chargers possession at their own 23-yard line. During the drive, the Chargers fumbled, allowing Sumner to set up an offense drive at the Strawberry Crest 16-yard line, which led to a Cedrick Johnson 1-yard rushing TD to put the Rays back on top at 13-7.
Sumner extended the lead with a Josiah Washington 24-yard field goal to open the second quarter, giving the Stingrays a 16-7 lead. The Chargers would not cede and cut that lead to 16-14 with eight minutes left in the half on a rushing TD. The Chargers intercepted a Sumner pass on their own 21-yard line, but the Stingray defense held to go to the half with the 2-point lead.
The defense did its job to keep Strawberry Crest from taking the lead, first with a big sack by Jayden Porter, followed up by key interceptions, first by JJ Conyers and then by Tyler Lynch. The Rays took advantage of the defense, and Conyers big day continued with an 8-yard rushing TD to go up 22-14 late in the game. The Stingrays were not finished yet as they wrapped up the victory with a Pick 6 by Jayden Porter for a 90-yard return to take a 28-14 lead. The 2-point rush conversion was successfully giving the Stingrays a 30-14 win over the Chargers.
Conyers finished his night with 88 yards and the TD trifecta, passing, receiving and rushing, with an INT on defense. He is now sixth in FLA for INTs. Christian Mollinio also contributed an INT, and Kevon Inmon recovered a fumble to round out the defensive effort.
The Stingrays came into the season with the goal of winning the district and making noise in the playoffs, and that goal is near at hand. It will be an exciting night in the Tank as Coach George Selvie and the Rays look to celebrate on the first step of the ride.
The Morgan Mustangs finished their inaugural JV season at 4-4, under Coach Marlo Hollingshed, with a 9-7 homecoming loss to the Newsome Wolves. It was a fun season for the new Wimauma school as it begins its athletics journey. The team will continue to evolve as the juniors will make up the first Senior class in 2026, and football will have a varsity team enter the South Shore landscape.
Contributions from Karis Fedor to this article
For more South Shore action, look for the South Shore summary in this edition.
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