As tensions build leading up to the DSFL playoffs, a new piece of the puzzle has been added. Unlike most players who decide to play professional football, Antonio Summer is an eighteen year old high school senior that has announced he will not be playing NCAA and will instead be going directly into the DSFL. Summer was offered full ride scholarships to schools such as Penn State, Michigan, Duke, and Florida St. but declined each of them after getting word of the DSFL's welcoming nature for players at any age. Summer was an all-star in his final season with the Melfort and Unit Comprehensive Collegiate Wings by posting extremely strong stats and setting each of the MUCC records despite missing a number of games due to injury while being named to North Saskatchewan Football. He travels to Halifax later in the month to compete against Canada's top talent for the national high school title. The question many people are asking though, is just who is Antonio Summer, and what has made him excel?
Summer was born in Star City, Saskatchewan, Canada before moving to the nearby town of Melfort which has a population just over six thousand. He was raised in a strong family with a father who taught at MUCC and a mother who worked in the Melfort Community Hospital. Summer's career in football started when he was ten as he began playing competitive tackle football for the Erindale Falcons based out of Saskatoon, one of a number of teams in the Saskatoon Minor Football circuit. He traveled to and from Saskatoon and Melfort multiple times a week to play football up until his freshman year of highschool at MUCC where he played with the school's junior football team. It was very quickly obvious that Summer had a ton of talent and would be able to go somewhere with football if he wanted too, and he ended his season playing in the final senior football game of the year against the Holy Cross Crusaders of Saskatoon in the regional final.
Heading into his sophomore year of football with the Wings, Summer was moved full time up to the senior roster and was slotted in behind starting running back James Elrich for the remainder of the season. Summer saw very few snaps on the senior roster but played the entire season down with the juniors as well where he lead the team to a regional championship before they were defeated by the LeBoldus Bulls from Regina in the provincial final. Summer's junior season started on a lot nicer of a note as Elrich moved out of high school eligibility and Summer was his obvious replacement. Summer took the first snap of the season and opened his real senior career with a sixty-six yard rush for a touchdown on the first play of the year. From that moment, heads were turning to watch a young star in the making. Summer's insane speed was very evidently his biggest strength, and his ability to dodge opposing defenses was insane. He was never a tall player, but instead used his speed against his enemies to dart between their lines and make huge gains. Summer finished the season by setting the Melfort and District area record for rushing yards and rushing touchdowns as well as posting a great season in receptions and receiving yards to couple it.
It all came down to the senior season, and Antonio Summer was the player to watch. People across Saskatchewan were turning heads as the Melfort Wings prepared for one of their strongest seasons in history behind an extremely talented quarterback and one of the best running backs in provincial history. The stage was set for a Cinderella story as the Wings were ranked among the top teams such as Regina's LaBoldus Bulls, Saskatoon's Centennial Chargers and Holy Cross Cruasders and Prince Albert's St. Mary's team. The Wings opened the season by going 4-1, having their only loss against the Centennial Chargers in an epic showdown that went down to the final few drives. Summer was only a few yards from his own record, and down two touchdowns from setting the regional record once again. Summer blew open the doors in his sixth game of the year and posted three rushing touchdowns plus a massive four hundred yards for a provincial record and broke his own regional records. In the seventh game of the season against the Dalmeny Sabres though, it all came to a crashing halt as Summer tore his ACL and was announced out for the rest of the season. Without Summer running balls, the team proceeded to finish with a record of 6-4, still good enough to qualify for the provincial tournament but giving them a very low seed. They lost first round to the Crusaders and the season finished.
After losing his season due to an injury, there was a lot of questions being thrown around as to if Summer would be asked to played in the NCAA, but they were very quickly answered after Penn State reached out to him in a public interview and declared their intent on signing him. It became a national sweepstake, and suddenly the little boy from Saskatchewan was entered into a whole world of crazy as teams across the United States offered up their locker rooms. In the end and after much deliberation, Summer decided instead to sign in the CIS realm with the Saskatchewan Huskies, a national powerhouse that was on pace to win their fifth straight national title. He also joined forces with the Saskatoon Hilltops, a semi-pro or junior squad that was known for being the best team at their level in all of history behind head coach Tom Sergeant. That seemed to be it before Summer threw a curveball at football fans everywhere by recently announcing that he will be playing in the DSFL alongside some of the greats of the game. This new information has changed the landscape of the football community, and the life of Antonio Summer.
Summer was born in Star City, Saskatchewan, Canada before moving to the nearby town of Melfort which has a population just over six thousand. He was raised in a strong family with a father who taught at MUCC and a mother who worked in the Melfort Community Hospital. Summer's career in football started when he was ten as he began playing competitive tackle football for the Erindale Falcons based out of Saskatoon, one of a number of teams in the Saskatoon Minor Football circuit. He traveled to and from Saskatoon and Melfort multiple times a week to play football up until his freshman year of highschool at MUCC where he played with the school's junior football team. It was very quickly obvious that Summer had a ton of talent and would be able to go somewhere with football if he wanted too, and he ended his season playing in the final senior football game of the year against the Holy Cross Crusaders of Saskatoon in the regional final.
Heading into his sophomore year of football with the Wings, Summer was moved full time up to the senior roster and was slotted in behind starting running back James Elrich for the remainder of the season. Summer saw very few snaps on the senior roster but played the entire season down with the juniors as well where he lead the team to a regional championship before they were defeated by the LeBoldus Bulls from Regina in the provincial final. Summer's junior season started on a lot nicer of a note as Elrich moved out of high school eligibility and Summer was his obvious replacement. Summer took the first snap of the season and opened his real senior career with a sixty-six yard rush for a touchdown on the first play of the year. From that moment, heads were turning to watch a young star in the making. Summer's insane speed was very evidently his biggest strength, and his ability to dodge opposing defenses was insane. He was never a tall player, but instead used his speed against his enemies to dart between their lines and make huge gains. Summer finished the season by setting the Melfort and District area record for rushing yards and rushing touchdowns as well as posting a great season in receptions and receiving yards to couple it.
It all came down to the senior season, and Antonio Summer was the player to watch. People across Saskatchewan were turning heads as the Melfort Wings prepared for one of their strongest seasons in history behind an extremely talented quarterback and one of the best running backs in provincial history. The stage was set for a Cinderella story as the Wings were ranked among the top teams such as Regina's LaBoldus Bulls, Saskatoon's Centennial Chargers and Holy Cross Cruasders and Prince Albert's St. Mary's team. The Wings opened the season by going 4-1, having their only loss against the Centennial Chargers in an epic showdown that went down to the final few drives. Summer was only a few yards from his own record, and down two touchdowns from setting the regional record once again. Summer blew open the doors in his sixth game of the year and posted three rushing touchdowns plus a massive four hundred yards for a provincial record and broke his own regional records. In the seventh game of the season against the Dalmeny Sabres though, it all came to a crashing halt as Summer tore his ACL and was announced out for the rest of the season. Without Summer running balls, the team proceeded to finish with a record of 6-4, still good enough to qualify for the provincial tournament but giving them a very low seed. They lost first round to the Crusaders and the season finished.
After losing his season due to an injury, there was a lot of questions being thrown around as to if Summer would be asked to played in the NCAA, but they were very quickly answered after Penn State reached out to him in a public interview and declared their intent on signing him. It became a national sweepstake, and suddenly the little boy from Saskatchewan was entered into a whole world of crazy as teams across the United States offered up their locker rooms. In the end and after much deliberation, Summer decided instead to sign in the CIS realm with the Saskatchewan Huskies, a national powerhouse that was on pace to win their fifth straight national title. He also joined forces with the Saskatoon Hilltops, a semi-pro or junior squad that was known for being the best team at their level in all of history behind head coach Tom Sergeant. That seemed to be it before Summer threw a curveball at football fans everywhere by recently announcing that he will be playing in the DSFL alongside some of the greats of the game. This new information has changed the landscape of the football community, and the life of Antonio Summer.