It’s going to look a whole lot different.
Whenever the George Washington High School football team gets back to work, the Eagles are going to have a whole new offense, and the quarterback isn’t going to resemble the one who lined up there last year.
Last year, Washington started Kyle Schumann a 5-foot-9, 165-pound freshman who gutted out some tough wins for the Eagles, but was considerably smaller than most of the other players on the team.
They’re not making a change.
The quarterback did.
Since last year ended, Schumann has been on a mission to get bigger. He’s eating right, lifting a lot and putting a lot of time in at the field.
The difference is significant. He now stands just about 6 foot and weighs 195 pounds.
“I’m 30 pounds heavier than I was last year and it’s all muscle,” said Schumann, who grew up playing football at Liberty Bell and attends Rush, but is able to play for Washington because his school doesn’t have a football team. “I’m lifting so much. I think for 15, I’m doing a lot. I bench 245 pounds now and I’m squatting 405 pounds. I’m getting so much stronger. I knew that’s what I had to do.
“Last year I wasn’t allowed to run a lot because everyone was so much bigger than me. I’ll still play against bigger guys, but I’ll be as strong as them now. I think it will make a big difference in things I can do.”
Schumann fared well last year at Washington. The Eagles won four of their final six games of the year, including an upset victory over Ryan on Thanksgiving. As the season went on, the signal-caller got more and more comfortable, but it certainly took some time because it was his first time playing quarterback.
Growing up, Schumann was always a running back, but Washington coach Stephen “Kyle” Benzio groomed him as a quarterback, and after some seasoning, he’s become exactly what the Eagles need.
“Coach (Benzio) has helped me so much, I didn’t know a lot, but he’s worked with me the whole time,” Schumann said. “Even last year when I was making a lot of rookie mistakes. I was always trying to be the leader at quarterback that they needed, but I was still making some mistakes.
“Last year was good because we had a few seniors who were great leaders. I tried to learn as much as I could from them about being that type of player because if you’re a quarterback, you have to be like that. I learned a lot.”
And now he’s not only ready to take the step with what he does on the field, he’s ready to be the guy the other players look to in the huddle for guidance.
Since he’s on pace to be a four-year starter, the sooner he becomes the leader the Eagles need, the better.
“This year is going to be so much different because of everything I’ve done since the season ended,” Schumann said. “I started lifting right after the season ended because I knew that if I wanted to do more, I had to get bigger. That was the biggest thing.
“Last year they wouldn’t let me run. I’m a runner. But I was 14 and going against 18-year-olds, so they didn’t want me to get hurt. Now I’m still younger but I’ll be the same size as a lot of those guys. So I’m hoping we’ll do a lot more.”
He also has high hopes for the team.
Last year was tough for Schumann because the Eagles were ousted from the playoffs in the first round. Schumann hasn’t been around the program too long, but he knows his history and his goal is to bring the Eagles back to the top of the Public League.
“Washington has had so many great players over the years, so it’s fun to play here,” Schumann said. “I just watched a show on the NFL Network about Sharrif Floyd, and they talked about how he played at George Washington. There’s a lot of history at the school, when Coach (Ron Cohen) was here. I think we can get back to being like that. We don’t have a big team, but we have a lot of good players.”
Until the season starts, Schumann is going to continue his workout routine.
He’s strong, but he knows he can continue to get stronger.
“I have weights in my garage, and I go to the gym, and I usually go to the field to run,” Schumann said. “I’ve spent some time working out with guys, but not many from Washington. I’ve worked out with guys from Ryan and McDevitt. Not too many Washington guys live up by me, they’re from all over and we can’t get around with (coroanvirus).
“I like working out with guys we play against. I’m trying to get better and I want to help make them get better. Just like they’re helping me. I want to play against the best. So working out with Ryan guys is great. They’ve been my friends my whole life.”
As long as he’s getting his reps in, Schumann is on board.
“I want to break records and have a great career,” Schumann said. “I’m a sophomore. I want to break records this year. But I’ll keep working. I love this team. I think we can be really good.”
