Hughson seniors reflect on four-year careers before NorCal Bowl Game, final home game
Before his sophomore season, Max Mankins thought he had plenty of time.
He did the math. Playing 10 regular season games over the next three seasons, he knew that at minimum, he would have 30 more high school football games. He was stepping into a starting role alongside Hughson High classmates Robert McDaniel and Malakai Sumter and the trio had time, potential and experience on their side.
Three varsity seasons went by faster than the teammates felt they would, and though they had an abundance of success and made memories, senior year arrived in the blink of an eye.
For their first three seasons, their motto was to win for the seniors. Now, underclassmen are winning for them.
“That doesn’t feel like such a long time ago,” Mankins said, reflecting on his sophomore year. “It’s really just flown by and it’s crazy that this is gonna be my last home game.”
Mankins, McDaniel and Sumter not only are team captains, they are four-year varsity players who head coach Shaun King has said are like extensions of the coaching staff on the field. They were called up to varsity at different points of their freshman year and have worked their way to consistent starters.
“Coach King told us after our junior year that we’d be captains because we were gonna be the four-year (players),” Sumter said. “It meant a lot to us, and coming into high school, I never thought I was gonna be a four-year and a captain that everybody would look up to.”
Said King of the Huskies having four-year seniors at a preseason practice: “It’s definitely not common, and I don’t know if it’ll ever happen again. But I’m taking total advantage of it this year. … It’s been great. They run drills, they’re not only great people but they’re great leaders and the team is following them.”
Last game on their home field
Friday at 7:30 p.m., the three captains will play their last game at Husky Memorial Stadium: the Division 4-AA Northern California Bowl Game.
A loss would mark the end of their season, but with a win, they advance to the state championship game in Southern California.
Mankins, McDaniel and Sumter have each played in around 40 varsity games and have just about seen it all on a football field.
Their careers are well documented.
They have matured each season, going from young freshmen who had small roles on a 7-4 team to starters on a budding dynasty nicknamed the “Heart Attack Huskies.” They have three straight seasons of 10-plus wins, one perfect regular season, a Trans-Valley League title, three section titles across two divisions, three straight NorCal Bowl Game appearances, one NorCal championship and one state championship.
“It definitely helped me out a lot,” Sumter said of joining varsity his freshman season. “Going up in the playoffs, working with all the (older) guys and getting a head start on things helped me out a lot.”
There are mixed emotions about playing in their last ever home game, but the common theme is that all three desperately want to win. They do not want a repeat of last season’s NorCal championship, a 31-21 loss to Palma that all three would likely erase from the record books if given the chance.
“It’s really a blessing to have our last home game,” McDaniel said. “It’s pretty cool having a couple more home games than a few other teams that are playing. Our goal is make sure we don’t come out how we did last year and lose on our home field.”
Friday, they host St. Vincent de Paul of Sonoma County, this season’s North Coast Section Division V champion and the defending Division 6-AA state champion. The Mustangs’ starting quarterback and running back are varsity returners, as are a number of players on defense, led by Rice University signee Rob Rooks.
Looking at the numbers, there are exciting matchups on both sides of the ball: two quarterbacks with over 2,000 passing yards and over 30 touchdowns (McDaniel vs Gabe Casanovas), two rushers with 1,000-plus yards (Eli Wilbanks vs Mason Caturegli) and a pair of Division I linemen (Mankins vs Rooks).
Hughson enters the matchup with a perfect record and 13 wins this season, while SVDP has won 11 straight games after starting 1-1. The Mustangs’ last loss was in their second game, Sept. 6 against Truckee.
They learned a lot as freshmen
Sumter, McDaniel and Mankins would not change how their varsity careers played out.
Mankins was called up first, about midway through his freshman season. “So he holds that over everybody,” McDaniel joked.
Then McDaniel joined them around midseason and Sumter came in the regular season finale against Ripon.
McDaniel was called up from junior varsity around midseason and didn’t think he would play much, but was thrown in against Modesto Christian when the starter got hurt.
“We had a team drop out for our JV team, so they ended up calling some guys up to varsity so they could get some (practice) reps and dress out, not really expecting anyone to play,” McDaniel, who is now a Division I recruit, recalled.
McDaniel made his debut after halftime and Hughson did not throw the ball one time in the third or fourth quarters, but he took the position and ran with it. He started the final four games that season and has not missed a start since. As he’s grown, so has the Hughson offense. In his first section title game, he threw the ball just eight times. This season alone, he has had more than 15 passing attempts in every game. He connected with Mankins for the game-winning two-point conversion in Saturday’s 30-29 section title game win over Sutter.
“Just gradually over time, I’ve gotten better along with the surrounding guys like Max and Malakai.” he said. “With all of us being together and having three section championships, it’s just crazy to say, I definitely wouldn’t have expected that.”
Sumter and Mankins both overcame major injuries to have success. Their perseverance and ability to bounce back are some of the best moments of their varsity careers.
Just weeks after getting called up his freshman season, Mankins broke his leg. It was a tough time, he admits, but relationships and encouragement from the juniors and seniors on the team that year helped him push through.
“I got back to being better than I was when I got hurt,” he said.
Sumter was injured, breaking his collarbone, vertebrae and two ribs his sophomore year. Everyone thought his season was over. But he rested, did proper rehab and came back that season, helping lead the Huskies to their first section, NorCal and state titles in years.
“That was a big eye-opener for me,” Sumter said. “I thought I wasn’t going to be able to do it. I had a mindset that once I got injured, I’d be done. But seeing how much the team cared about me and seeing how everybody wanted me to come back made me push and get my shoulder stronger.”
The Huskies are a brotherhood and their three captains are the catalysts. They have bonded through games, practices and classmates across their four varsity seasons.
“I’ve played 40 games at the varsity level and it’s been with my guys,” McDaniel said. “The practices add up and you’re just gonna build confidence and chemistry over time.”
This story was originally published December 5, 2024 at 12:08 PM.
