Greg Tunnicliff
Sports Scene
SWARTZ CREEK – Jaylen Schoenfield and Max Cummings have put up a lot big numbers for Swartz Creek’s football team this fall.
The Dragons’ senior quarterback-wide receiver combination set one Flint Metro League record and tied another during the program’s first three games.
But those accomplishments pale in comparison to the number that is most important to them – Swartz Creek’s 5-0 start.
“With a new coach [Brad Brown], we want to build a program that can carry on for many years after us,” Cummings said. “The community is behind us all the way, and the fans are really into watching us play football on Friday nights.”
Swartz Creek’s football program has struggled in the recent past, posting only three winning seasons in the previous 28, with their last above .500 season being a 5-4 mark in 2009.
The Dragons have never qualified for the state playoffs, and they haven’t won or shared a league championship since they captured a share of the Metro title in 1972. This season represents their first 3-0 start in 59 years, dating back to the 1953 squad.
Brown, a letterwinner at Swartz Creek in 1989 and 1990, spent the previous five seasons coaching at Genesee and Flushing before returning to his alma mater this fall.
Like he did at his previous stops, Brown instituted a wide-open, no-huddle, shotgun, spread offense at Swartz Creek. Schoenfield and Cummings wasted little time grasping the new scheme and becoming one of the most prolific passing combinations in the Flint area.
Through three games, the 6’1″ Schoenfield was very efficient, completing 49 of 74 passes (66 percent) for 851 yards, 12 touchdowns, and only two interceptions. Cummings has been his main target, catching 20 balls for 485 yards and six scores.
“They worked extremely hard in the off-season,” Brown said of Schoenfield and Cummings. “The biggest thing is our offensive line and their ability to give us time to throw the ball.”
Right from the start, the twosome has created numerous headaches for opposing teams. In the Dragons’ season-opening 37-19 victory over Holly on August 24, Cummings caught 10 balls for a league-record 206 yards and two scores.
It was the first 200-yard receiving game in the Metro’s 45-year history. His 10 catches tied for the second-most in league history, two shy of the league record of 12 set by Clio’s Craig Kirbitz against Holly on October 2, 2009.
The 6’1″ Cummings had three touchdown receptions on August 30 against Clio, tying the league record shared by 19 guys, including his teammate Jacob Littles, who caught three touchdown passes August 24 against Holly.
“I love the opportunities everyone gets,” Cummings said of the Dragons’ new offense. “If I get double-teamed, it opens up everyone else. If [Jaylen] gets me the ball in space, I can make a play. If I can make one guy miss, I am in the open field.”
Schoenfield is averaging 288.7 yards passing per game, including a career-high 290 against Holly. He had five touchdown passes against the Bronchos, tying four other players for second in league history, one shy of the league record of six set by Lapeer West’s Mike Templeton in 1993 and equaled by Linden’s Dustin Mayner in 2006.
With Schoenfield and Cummings leading the way, Swartz Creek has met little resistance, outscoring its first three opponents by a combined score of 123-32. The Dragons are averaging a whopping 402.4 yards per game.
“If he is in man-to-man coverage, I always think he is going to come down with it,” Schoenfield said of Cummings. “We don’t just have one weapon, we have five weapons. If I get the ball to any one of them, they can make a play.”
Swartz Creek has several tough games remaining on its schedule, including back-to-back contests against defending Metro tri-champion Fenton on October 12 and perennial league powerhouse Linden on October 19 to end the season.
“We know we have a lot of work to do,” Brown said. “Opportunities are out in front of us, and they are opportunities that haven’t happened around here in quite a while. We have to take advantage of those opportunities.”