SOUTH SUMTER RAIDERS
2015: 8-3 record, 2nd in 4A District 4
Last Playoff Appearance: 2015, Lost in 1st round to Santa Fe High School.
Head Coach: Ty Lawrence, 1st year Head Coach
Key Returners: DE/OLB Carson Wells (36 solo TKL, 75 assists, 25 TFL, 6 sacks, 1CF, 1 FR), SS Deric Dixon (15 solo TKL, 49 assists, 2 INT, 1 blocked kick), RB Deon Williams (48 carries for 333 yards, 3 TD) RB Bokeyon Rice (71 carries for 576 yards, 5 TD)
The Scoop: The Raiders are under new leadership for the first time in 32 seasons as former Defensive Coordinator Ty Lawrence takes over for a retired Inman Sherman. It’s a full roster for Lawrence, with only nine seniors graduated from last year’s 8-3 squad.
Quotable: “We want it more than last year. Last year we were used to winning so it really wasn’t nothing. But we lost that first game, so we are definitely ready to come back stronger this year.” – Senior Strong Safety Deric Dixon
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It’s the same story, different coach at South Sumter High School. It’s still work, work, work out at the small school in Bushnell, but the only difference is the man at the helm. Former Defensive Coordinator Ty Lawrence stepping up for Inman Sherman, who retired after 32 years. It’s been a seamless transition – mostly.
“I get to see all of the things that Coach Sherman always did, all the stuff that doesn’t really concern with football. Right now I am trying to keep my head above the water.”
It’s a new coach, but the same mentality. Summer workouts at South Sumter are intense, with a two-hour circuit of weights, sprints, and sleds.
“They are just really hard-working kids, and it has always been our forte here at South Sumter,” said Lawrence. “This year is no different.”
Their workout times are proof enough of the kind of hard work Lawrence is talking about. A 6 pm call time.
“That’s why we go at 6 o’clock at night because most of them have jobs during the day,” said Lawrence. “They come straight here after work and we put them through a pretty hard workout. They are worn out afterwards.”
Their work ethic has certainly produced results in the past. Last season the South Sumter Raiders were riding a 39 game regular season winning streak when they came up against eventual 5A State Champs Bishop Moore. Couple that loss, with a first round dismissal from the playoffs, and the Raiders ended the season disappointed – with an 8-3 record.
“We want it more than last year. Last year we were used to winning so it really wasn’t nothing,” said Deric Dixon. “But we lost that first game, so we are definitely ready to come back stronger this year.”
“There’s definitely an energy around here. We’re looking to prove that we are for real, and to help start Coach Lawrence out on the right leg,” said Carson Wells.
The Raiders only lost nine seniors from last season’s squad which is an unusually low number at South Sumter. That means plenty of starters headed back to the field, to get back to work.
2016 Schedule
8/18: @Admiral Farragut
8/26: @Leesburg
9/2: Freedom
9/9: Hernando
9/16: Umatilla
9/23: @Trinity Catholic
9/30: @Tavares
10/7: Bishop Moore
10/14: The Village Charter
10/21: @Dunnellon
10/28: @Mount Dora