Wesley Sumpter had high hopes for his senior year. He saw all-city accolades and huge rushing numbers.
His final season of high-school football wasn’t everything he expected – nagging shoulder and ankle injuries in addition to depth in the backfield negating those hopes – but the Brooklyn native wouldn’t trade any of it in, not after its ending.
After sitting much of the first half, the 6-foot-1, 220-pound bulldozing back was brilliant when it mattered most, running for 51 yards on 10 carries in No. 2 Fort Hamilton’s thrilling 8-6 PSAL City Championship title game victory over top-seed Lincoln at Yankee Stadium in The Bronx.
“We showed them who’s No. 1,” said Sumpter, who ran for 707 yards and seven touchdowns during the regular season despite playing in only seven games. “We came out [in the second half] as beasts.”
Sumpter was Fort Hamilton’s feature back during the regular season, though the Tigers did spread around the wealth. He ran for 707 yards and seven touchdowns in seven games, but suffered a shoulder injury against New Utrecht and tweaked his ankle early in the playoffs. In his absence, junior Tyrone Raymond, a tough and speedy 5-foot-7, 170-pound back, filled in spectacularly, amassing 179 yards in the semifinal victory over Tottenville.
Raymond didn’t run nearly as well against Lincoln’s monstrous front seven and Sumpter was given the call.
Sumpter’s first carry didn’t come until the third quarter of the title game, in front of more than 5,000 fans in a brand new, state-of-the-art Major League stadium. He made the most of it, igniting the Tigers (13-0) comeback with his physical running.
“I was definitely gonna get Wesley in, he’s been doing it all season for us,” Fort Hamilton coach Danny Perez said. “Wesley is the kind of kid, the first hit, he can move the pile. He keeps his left moving and gets that extra yardage. That was the difference.”
On the eventual game-winning scoring drive – Fort Hamilton’s only such possession of the brisk evening – Sumpter carried the ball three times for 24 yards, including a monster 17-yard pickup up the middle. He also had a big 14-yard gain in the fourth quarter to keep a drive going that would stall deep in Lincoln (12-1) territory, but take plenty of time off the clock.
“I wasn’t going home without a win and I promised that to my team, that we weren’t going to lose,” he said. “I had to give all I had. They couldn’t tackle me. I’m much bigger and stronger [than Raymond].”