Sumner's hot start continues with 39-0 homecoming rout of Schlagle

Sumner freshman quarterback Kingston Malone raced to the right sideline in the Sabres’ 39-0 win over Schlagle Friday night.

Sumner Academy ran over Schlagle 39-0 on Friday, Oct. 2, giving the Sabres a homecoming shutout and a 4-1 record. It is the team’s best start since 2010, when Coach Todd Wasserman’s team won its first eight games.

The Sabres piled up more than 300 yards of offense and held the Stallions under 60. Sumner’s defense sacked Schlagle quarterback Da’Marion Dale four times, recovered four fumbles, and added a safety.

A program on the rise

Coach Steve Williams Jr. said this year’s improvement comes from a roster that has grown up together. “Last year it was a lot of freshmen and sophomores,” Williams said. “The more reps just paying off really.”

Williams, in his fourth year helming the Sabres, said his message to the team is to keep stacking days. “As long as we keep preparing the right way, we’ll have good outcomes,” he said.

Athletic Director Andrew Wright credited Williams and his staff for the ongoing improvement and impressive start. “It’s just the culture that he’s built,” said Wright, himself Sumner’s former head coach for eight seasons.

Wright said that a smaller roster forces many Sabres to play both offense and defense. “They play a full 48 minutes,” he said. “Regardless of the score, they go down after down, and they just compete very hard.”

Asked about challenging Washington, Wright urged patience. “We got a long ways to go before we get to Washington, but Coach Williams and his staff, they go about it the right way, just one game at a time,” he said.

Sumner senior running back Adrian Kays found some clear running room on the right side of the line. Kays scored a touchdown and also figured heavily on the defense.

Ground game sets the tone

Sumner took the opening kickoff and marched 75 yards without throwing a pass. Senior Adrian Kays finished the drive with a 6-yard touchdown run midway through the first quarter.

Freshman quarterback Kingston Malone ran for more than 100 yards and a touchdown in the game, including a run of about 50 yards in the second quarter. He also threw two touchdown passes.

Wright said that Malone even as a freshman has established himself in the starting QB role. “I will say he’s one of the most mature freshmen we’ve had,” Wright said. “Just how he carries himself in the hallways, how he is academically. He is a freshman, but he carries himself a lot older than that. He’s a great kid, and he’s a great leader.”

Sophomore Elgin Price added more than 70 yards rushing, a touchdown run, and a 42-yard touchdown catch.

Williams praised his offensive line, led by senior Gael Escobar and junior Aurielano Martell. “[Those] guys are what you want your son to be, right?” Williams said. “They battle for four quarters. It’s only six of them, so they do a heck of a job.”

Sabres pull away

Price scored early in the second quarter, and senior Uriel Rosales kicked a 31-yard field goal to make it 17-0. Malone then found senior Jeremiah Robinson for a 29-yard touchdown just before the half.

Rosales, a former soccer player, made four extra points. A 45-yard attempt fell short as the half ended with Sumner ahead 24-0.

“I was pretty mad about it, but it’s all good,” Rosales said. “I probably just have to kick it a little harder, honestly, because I know I can kick the 45.”

Escobar and junior Cameron Williams tackled Dale in the end zone for a safety early in the third quarter. Malone scored on a 1-yard sneak.

The final touchdown was the night’s most remarkable play. Sophomore Gio Morasch and Stallions safety T.J. Jones contested Malone’s pass in the air, and the ball deflected a few yards downfield. Price alertly snared it and ran in for the score.

Kays and Cameron Williams each had a hand in multiple sacks, and Roy Davis added another. Kays, Mijael Valencio, and Martell each recovered a fumble.

Schlagle junior wide receiver Capone Lewis also showed his speed on returns.

Young Stallions show flashes

Coach Brent Lewis fields one of the younger teams in the area. Freshmen and sophomores fill more than half of the Schlagle roster, including Dale, a sophomore captain.

Penalties and turnovers undercut the Stallions all night. Officials flagged Schlagle more than a dozen times, and all four lost fumbles came in the first half.

Schlagle had its moments. The defense stopped Sumner on downs at the Stallion 10-yard line late in the first quarter, with sophomore Johnnie Sanders breaking up the fourth-down pass.

Sophomore captain Desmond Campbell led Schlagle on the ground and broke runs of 15 and 10 yards. Senior Taveair Cole helped move the Stallions into Sumner territory late in the third quarter.

Senior captain Jessie Goodwin made a tackle for loss in the fourth quarter, and senior Edu Nichols recovered a fumble on the same drive. Schlagle also blocked Sumner’s final extra point.

Schlagle (2-3) won back-to-back games over KC East and KC Northeast in September.

KCK football on the way up

Wright said Sumner’s progress is part of a wider trend in the city’s schools. “I think our league’s going to get better,” Wright said. “I see the bodies coming back out.”

Rosters like Schlagle’s, heavy with freshmen and sophomores, support his point. Wright said the gains show first in participation and may not yet appear in the results.

“I think for sure that our football in KCK is on the way up,” he said. “As a whole, I think our conference is going in the right direction, and we are too.”

State wrestling champion senior Angie Mensah was recognized on field by athletic director Andrew Wright.

Homecoming crowd

F.L. Schlagle Stadium was packed, with the student section full and noisy. Members of the classes of 1986 and 1991 also attended the homecoming game, complete with vintage letter jackets.

Sumner honored state wrestling champion Angie Mensah on the field after the first quarter. Mensah, a junior this year, won the Class 5A girls’ wrestling title in the 110-pound class in February.