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BRIGHAM CITY — Just like he bounces off would-be tacklers, Box Elder senior running back Dax Sumko is quick to deflect credit.
"If you read any articles when they quote him, it's always about the other guy," Box Elder coach Robbie Gunter said.
Case in point: Last week against Roy.
Sumko rushed for 281 yards and three touchdowns — including a 58-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter — in the Bees' 42-34 win that moved them to 5-0 on the season. But after those eye-popping numbers, he pointed to everyone around him.
"Every touchdown I score, every yard I get … I gotta credit the line," Sumko told the Deseret News after the game. "They're the only reason I'm relevant in high school football."
Well, if he won't give himself kudos, we sure will. Sumko's electric week earned him the honor of being KSL.com's BOLD player of the week.
Sumko has been one of the state's best backs this season. He's second in the state with 810 rushing yards, and the win over Roy was the second straight week he ran for over 200 yards. He's the engine of the Box Elder offense that has scored over 40 points in four of its five games this season.
But it's the humble demeanor that helps him really stand out.
He helps with youth football in Brigham City and was recently spotted planting trees around town.
"He's just that guy that you don't think that he has enough time for everything, but he seems to find ways to get things done and always has energy for whatever he's doing," Gunter said.
That energy has been infectious in the Box Elder program.
"That's what I think has made our team so much better," Gunter said. "We're playing football with great young men and they work hard. They do the little things and they do them right. His friends are like that, he's like that. He does a really good job as a leader, and his friends follow that."
Gunter saw that leadership early on in Sumko's high school career.
Sophomores don't often speak up, especially ones who are first-year starters, but Gunter remembers a game two years ago when Sumko took it upon himself to challenge his teammates to be better.
"At halftime, he let the team know that we needed to pick it up and just got fired up, and everybody followed him," Gunter said. "That doesn't usually happen when a younger guy says something, but they followed him and took his lead and went out and did a great job."
And they've followed him ever since.
Last season, Box Elder was a couple minutes away from toppling eventual 5A state champion Lehi in the state playoffs (Sumko had 121 yards and a touchdown in the game). But the undefeated Bees have loftier goals in mind for this year's tournament.
"He always wants to get 100 yards, because he feels like if he gets 100 yards that helps the team," Gunter said. "He is such a team-oriented player. He wants the team to succeed."
That is why the Box Elder coach is a bit surprised the star running back has yet to get a lot of attention from colleges. Some local coaches have been in contact with him, but he has yet to get an offer. Gunter, though, is confident they will come.
"He's the kind of guy that every program would love to have on their team. He's a team guy who brings great energy," Gunter said. "So once they get to know him, they'll be like, 'Oh, yeah, we've got to have this guy.'"
If you'd like to nominate a football player to be the KSL.com BOLD player of the week, email us at onlinesports@ksl.com and tell us why.
