For the second week in a row, Sumrall was just a couple of crucial plays away from picking up its first win.
“Offensively, (we’re) an offense with a lot of potential, so we are upbeat about that,” Sumrall coach Shannin White said. “Our performance has been good, but we have not played well whether it be dropped passes, missed throws or play calling. I’m the play-caller, so that’s on me, but we have missed out on some great opportunities. We have had our chances.
For White, the difference in their season has been not successfully executing the little things and the losses resulting from the team’s own mistakes.
“A lot of people lose every week that loses by a touchdown or less, and you should have won that game, but you didn’t,” White said.
“There is a reason why you don’t win those games. It’s not luck. It’s not the cards that fall our way. It’s not referees. It’s us. We are 0-2 because of us and not anything else. We have beaten ourselves two weeks in a row.”
This week Sumrall will go on the road to play West Marion (1-1). After opening the season with a 40-6 win over East Marion, the Trojans narrowly lost to St. Stanislaus 21-19.
“They are just fast and physical,” White said. “They come in all sizes over there. They have got big ones and little ones, but they are fast and physical. They have won a lot of games over the years because of those things.
“They are well-coached and well-prepared. (West Marion coach) Brad Duncan is as good as they come with his staff. Those kids love football and know how to play.”
West Marion’s offense is mostly run-heavy but will mix in short passes in its game plan. The Trojans have four different running backs with at least 60 yards, with senior Jartavious Martin leading the team with 225 yards and two touchdowns.
“They utilize their speed real well,” White said. “They have big offensive linemen. They have really good tailbacks, and they have a bunch of them too. Everybody they play back there looks the same. They just hand it off, run off tackles, get out wide every now, and then quickly gain. It’s a tough man’s game when you play them.”
According to White, Martin is a perfect example of West Marion’s style of football.
“(Martin) is amazing. He’s a guy that doesn’t come off the field. He gets a lot of carries, a lot of yards, and makes a lot of tackles. He’s as tough as nails. He’s just what a great high school football player looks like. He’s a kid that’s on special teams, offense and defense and tackles hard. He runs hard. He just doesn’t seem to get hurt or tired.”
At quarterback is senior Jayden Duncan, who has a 60 percent completion rate and has thrown for 150 yards and two touchdowns on the season. His top target is Qavonte Swanigan, who has eight catches for 80 yards.
“They do a few things in the passing game,” White said. “For the most part, they will hit you in the mouth and see you if you can play or not. They don’t throw a lot of deep stuff. They throw high percentage passes. The guys he is throwing to can make yards after the catch. It’s a good compliment for what they do.”
Defensively, West Marion has held teams to 12.5 points per game, which is higher than last season’s average of five points per game.
“They have speed,” White said. “They are real physical up front. Everybody on the field can run. The defensive ends and the linebackers and the secondary people all can run. They have a lot of guys play both ways.
“They run, and they hit you when you get there and force turnovers. If it looks like it’ll be a 7-yard gain, it’ll be a 3-yard gain. They get to the ball in a hurry and swarm. They enjoy their Friday nights. That’s for sure.”
