COUNTDOWN TO KICKOFF: No. 81 Sumner Stingrays — 2026 Season Preview, Schedule Analysis, Players to Watch and Playoff Outlook

Sumner is not rebuilding from scratch. It is replacing the players who made the hardest parts look easy. The Stingrays return proven playmakers, an experienced defensive core and enough size to survive a rugged schedule, but their margin for error has narrowed after losing elite production at quarterback, receiver and throughout the defense.

SUMNER STINGRAYS (RIVERVIEW)

Head Coach: George Selvie, third year District: District 5A-10 2024 Record: 6-5 2025 Record: 10-3 2025 Final FPRI Rating: 66.57 2025 Final State Rank: No. 67 2026 Preseason Rating: 64.60 2026 Preseason Rank: No. 81 2026 Class Rank: No. 21 2025 Playoff / FIT Finish: 7A Regional Finalist

Sumner turned 2025 into a 10-win season behind an offense that generated 3,819 total yards and 48 touchdowns and a defense that collected 27 sacks and 21 interceptions. The Stingrays reached the regional finals, but many of the players responsible for those explosive numbers are gone. That changes the assignment for 2026: Sumner must become steadier before it can become spectacular again.

SCHEDULE AT A GLANCE

Category Value Average Opponent Rating 62.99 Opponent 2025 Record 83-35 Opponent 2025 Win Percentage .703 Hardest Opponent Armwood (Seffner) District Games 3

There are no empty-calorie wins built into this slate. Seven opponents enter the season with winning 2025 records, and five carry preseason ratings above 69. Sumner will learn quickly whether its returning core is ready to lead or merely ready to play.

2026 FULL SCHEDULE

Week Date Time Opponent 2025 Record 2026 Rank (Overall | Class) Preseason Rating 1 8/21 7:30 PM @ Strawberry Crest (Dover) 6-4 No. 254 | No. 39 (6A) 41.07 2 8/28 7:30 PM Tampa Bay Tech 9-3 No. 35 | No. 11 (5A) 74.77 3 9/4 7:30 PM Gaither (Tampa) 10-2 No. 47 | No. 15 (5A) 71.67 4 9/10 7:00 PM Durant (Plant City) 5-6 No. 199 | No. 31 (6A) 47.18 5 9/18 7:30 PM @ Armwood (Seffner) 13-1 No. 15 | No. 5 (5A) 86.63 6 9/25 7:30 PM Manatee (Bradenton)* 6-7 No. 50 | No. 16 (5A) 70.89 7 10/2 7:30 PM @ Jefferson (Tampa) 10-2 No. 137 | No. 15 (3A) 55.26 8 10/9 7:30 PM Parrish Community* 9-2 No. 91 | No. 24 (5A) 61.96 9 10/16 — BYE — — — 10 10/23 7:30 PM @ Palmetto* 10-2 No. 55 | No. 18 (5A) 69.60 11 10/30 7:30 PM @ Plant (Tampa) 5-6 No. 167 | No. 39 (5A) 50.89

*District game

The schedule is front-loaded with heavyweight tests, but the district race waits until the Stingrays are already carrying some bruises. That is either excellent preparation or a dangerous tax.

KEY LOSSES

The largest departure is quarterback Antonio Balaguer, who transferred to Lennard after passing for 1,298 yards and 14 touchdowns and rushing for another 164 yards. His exit removes the most experienced passer from a room that now enters the season without an established starter.

The receiving corps loses Taesean Robinson, the offense’s most punishing matchup. Robinson produced 47 catches for 914 yards and 16 receiving touchdowns, accounting for more than half of Sumner’s touchdown receptions. Jonathan Rollins also departs after adding 262 receiving yards, while Jameris Conyers leaves behind a rare two-way résumé: 483 passing yards, 282 offensive yards, eight interceptions and seven total touchdowns.

The defensive drain is just as serious. Damarion Evans led the pass rush with seven sacks and 18 tackles for loss. Kevon Inmon contributed 45 tackles and 15 tackles for loss, Kingston Revels added four sacks, and Michael Joshua recorded 33 tackles and 10 tackles for loss. Sumner did not simply lose starters. It lost the spine of a defense that created chaos.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Player Position Class 2025 Production Tommy Scott RB Senior 315 rushing yards on 33 carries, 203 receiving yards and four total touchdowns Tyler Lynch WR/DB Senior 29 receptions for 511 yards and four touchdowns; six interceptions and two defensive touchdowns Robert Garcia RB/S Senior 261 rushing yards, four rushing touchdowns, 33 tackles, five tackles for loss and three sacks Christian Mollinio CB/WR Senior 50 tackles, 11 pass breakups, three interceptions and one defensive touchdown Trey Brown TE/DE Senior 18 tackles, three tackles for loss, one sack and a team-high 16 quarterback hurries George Selvie III OL/DL Junior 11 tackles and five tackles for loss in nine games Landon Wilson MLB Senior Four tackles in limited varsity action; positioned for a larger linebacker role Josiah Washington K/P Junior Made all four field-goal attempts, including a 30-yarder, and scored 23 kicking points

Tommy Scott is the most obvious candidate to inherit a larger offensive load, but Lynch may be the roster’s most valuable chess piece. He can stretch a defense, erase a possession in the secondary and flip a game without needing 15 touches.

1ST DOWN — THE GAUNTLET

The defining stretch arrives before Sumner reaches October. Tampa Bay Tech, Gaither, Durant, Armwood and Manatee appear consecutively from Weeks 2 through 6. Four of those opponents are ranked inside the preseason top 50, and the fifth offers a physical local matchup that cannot be treated as recovery time.

Armwood is the peak of the climb. The Hawks went 13-1, reached the 6A State Semifinals and enter 2026 with an 86.63 rating. One week later, Sumner must immediately pivot into its district opener against Manatee. There is no emotional reset button between those games.

Scott’s ability to create efficient early-down yardage will matter because Sumner cannot expose an unsettled quarterback situation to endless third-and-long snaps. Defensively, Brown and Selvie must generate pressure without constant blitz help. Against this stretch, passive football will be punished before halftime.

KNOW YOUR OPPONENT

Opponent Week/Location 2025 Record 2026 Rank (Overall | Class) Preseason Rating 2025 Finish Armwood (Seffner) Week 5/Away 13-1 No. 15 | No. 5 (5A) 86.63 6A State Semifinalist Manatee (Bradenton) Week 6/Home 6-7 No. 50 | No. 16 (5A) 70.89 5A Regional Finalist

THE BOTTOM LINE: Sumner does not have to dominate this five-game run, but it cannot emerge from it searching for an identity. The Stingrays must know exactly how they intend to win before Manatee arrives.

2ND DOWN — STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE

The opener at Strawberry Crest offers the closest thing Sumner has to an on-ramp. After that, the schedule accelerates immediately. Tampa Bay Tech and Gaither combined to go 19-5 last season, and both bring top-50 preseason profiles into Riverview.

That places pressure on the quarterback competition. Santana Griffin, Landon Mezyk and Oliver Sink are among the listed options, but none should be labeled the starter before the competition is settled. Sumner does not need the winner to imitate Balaguer. It needs clean decisions, manageable turnovers and enough accuracy to prevent defenses from crowding Scott.

The back half is less imposing by rating, but it is not soft. Jefferson won 10 games, Parrish Community won nine and Palmetto won 10. By then, younger players such as Landon Wilson and George Selvie III must be more than promising pieces. They must be dependable ones.

THE BOTTOM LINE: This schedule does not allow Sumner to develop quietly. Every mistake becomes public, and every improvement gets tested the following Friday.

3RD DOWN — THE PROVING GROUND

The obvious swing games are Gaither, Manatee, Parrish Community and Palmetto. Gaither will reveal whether Sumner can trade possessions with a top-50 opponent. The three district games will reveal whether the Stingrays can turn talent into leverage.

Manatee presents the first major physical examination after the Armwood game. Parrish Community is the matchup Sumner cannot overlook, especially with the bye coming one week later. Palmetto, on the road in Week 10, may carry district-title weight and could force Sumner to win with composure rather than momentum.

Those games will also test the senior secondary. Lynch and Mollinio combined for nine interceptions in 2025, while Garcia supplied physicality closer to the line of scrimmage. Sumner’s defense may no longer have Evans wrecking protections, so the back end must buy the front more time.

Offensively, Scott’s workload and the development of the passing game will determine the ceiling. A one-dimensional Sumner team can still be difficult. It cannot be elite.

THE BOTTOM LINE: The Stingrays’ season will not be defined by whether they can compete with Armwood. It will be defined by whether they consistently finish the games they are capable of winning.

4TH DOWN — PLAYOFF PICTURE

District 5A-10 is compact, balanced and unforgiving. Manatee owns the highest preseason rating at 70.89, followed by Palmetto at 69.60, Sumner at 64.60 and Parrish Community at 61.96. There is no clear runaway favorite, which means every district possession will carry more weight than usual.

The district champion receives an automatic playoff bid. The remaining path runs through the MaxPreps rankings, which determine wildcard selection and seeding. Sumner’s demanding nondistrict schedule can help its profile, but only if the Stingrays convert enough opportunities into wins. Strength without results is just a difficult schedule.

Lynch, Mollinio and Garcia give Sumner enough experienced defensive playmakers to remain in the district race. Scott gives the offense a proven centerpiece. The unresolved question is whether the quarterback position stabilizes before the district opener against Manatee.

DISTRICT BREAKDOWN

Team 2025 Record 2026 Rank (Overall | Class) Preseason Rating 2025 Finish Manatee (Bradenton) 6-7 No. 50 | No. 16 (5A) 70.89 5A Regional Finalist Palmetto 10-2 No. 55 | No. 18 (5A) 69.60 6A Regional Semifinalist Sumner (Riverview) 10-3 No. 81 | No. 21 (5A) 64.60 7A Regional Finalist Parrish Community 9-2 No. 91 | No. 24 (5A) 61.96 6A Regional Quarterfinalist

THE BOTTOM LINE: Sumner is good enough to win the district, but not experienced enough to assume anything. The road to an automatic bid likely runs through surviving Manatee and winning at Palmetto.

SEASON OUTLOOK

Difficulty Rating: 8/10

An 8-2 regular season is attainable if the quarterback competition produces steady play and Sumner’s returning defensive backs continue creating turnovers; 7-3 is the more realistic projection against this schedule. The ceiling is another deep playoff run, but replacing Robinson’s scoring, Balaguer’s experience and Evans’ disruption is a three-part problem with no single-player solution.

COUNTDOWN TO KICKOFF: No. 81 Sumner Stingrays — 2026 Season Preview, Schedule Analysis, Players to Watch and Playoff Outlook

A demanding September and a reshaped offense will determine whether the Stingrays remain among the Tampa Bay area’s most dangerous teams.

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COUNTDOWN TO KICKOFF: No. 81 Sumner Stingrays — 2026 Season Preview, Schedule Analysis, Players to Watch and Playoff Outlook

A demanding September and a reshaped offense will determine whether the Stingrays remain among the Tampa Bay area’s most dangerous teams.

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