Maybe he is playing so dominant because it is possible there is a chip on his shoulder. After all, when you missed most of your sophomore season due to knee surgery and the end of your junior season to another knee surgery, it is understandable.

 

Maybe he is playing with a controlled edge because he is a wrestler. Wrestlers, for anyone that follows the sport, have a skill set that translates well into multiple other sports.

 

Or maybe, he is playing so incredibly well because he is just that good. Then, again, do not rule out the chances it may involve all of the above.

 

Since I am not being really clear right now, let me identify the individual about whom I am talking. That would be Bridgeport senior lineman Kamar Summers.

 

Summers, listed at 5’11 and 240 pounds, is as good a lineman that has come through Bridgeport in a long time. And understand not only has Bridgeport had more than its share of high-end linemen, but he also has plenty of teammates right now that are pretty solid in the trenches.

 

That said, it is hard not to notice. Every Monday, when Connect-Bridgeport’s Chris Johnson and I talk about the Indians’ game from the week prior, the word domination and Kamar Summers ends up in the same sentence.

 

Although I had pondered writing a blog on Summers knowing he has battled back from two knee surgeries, I was convinced when Johnson talked about Summers needing to be in the argument for the best lineman in West Virginia.

 

And for those who think Johnson is being a homer for the team he covers, think again. Johnson is not only void of useless hyperbole, but he also follows the sport on a statewide basis for more than just a personal love for the sport.

 

“With my responsibilities as all-state football chairman and the person that compiles the statistics that WVSSAC uses for postseason records and for the NFHS, I try to keep up with what is going on statewide as best I can,” said Johnson. “Kamar Summers is having as good a season as an offensive lineman/defensive lineman as I can recall. What he is doing brings to mind performances like former Spring Valley standout Riley Locklear or former Fairmont Senior standout Zach Frazier.”

 

Again, not hyperbole. Even better, Coach Tyler Phares had some strong words of praise. And like Johnson, he does not freely throw out plaudits to appease players, parents, or fans.

 

“There’s no doubt that he’s the best I’ve seen in the games we’ve played. Best in the state? Tough to say where he ranks because I haven’t seen or watched film on schools like Cabell Midland or Martinsburg who may have someone to match up with him,” said Phares. “From games we’ve played and film I’ve watched no one dominates like him because of his pad level.

 

“He’s got drive, explosion, leverage – he’s got it all,” Phares continued. “Whether it’s offense or defense, he comes off the ball so hard and so low he won’t allow whoever is across from him to do what they’re supposed to do. If he wants to move someone, he’s going to. He’s special, and it’s a big reason we’re doing pretty well this year.”

 

Pretty well this year might be an understatement. The Indians are 6-1 after a bye week and ranked No. 7 in the WVSSAC standings with three games left.

 

Summers plans to make the most of those games, including a chance to play against Musselman again. Nothing happened dirty against the Applemen last year, but it was in that game when Summers lost the rest of his junior year on the football field and all of his junior season in wrestling.

 

“I got in the backfield and was working to bring the quarterback down and spun wrong. I felt my knee give out and headed to the sideline, and it just kept giving out,” said Summers.

 

Despite wanting to get back into the game, the medical staff had other ideas and took him back for a look. The review of the knee let Summers know he had an issue.

 

“They told me it could be anything and try to keep my hopes up,” said Summers. “I had been there before, so I knew something was wrong.”

 

The time he was there before was in 2020. Summers tore the MCL in his left knee and was only able to return for a couple of postseason games. Even worse, after wrestling and qualifying for states, the team was unable to participate due to COVID.

 

The bad luck would continue last year when it was confirmed against MHS that his right knee had a torn ACL and the MCL was not up to par.

 

“Dr. (Joseph) Fazalare did the surgery and then it was off to rehab,” said Summers. “Honestly, it was kind of miserable to get hurt again but it also made me work harder. I was mad it happened.”

 

It also happened at a very inopportune time.

 

“Really, Kamar was coming into his own in the Musselman game. We were seeing the start of what we’re seeing now with the pad level drops, the explosive play, the reads on the defensive line were getting better to the point they were excellent,” said Phares. “An injury at anytime is no good, but that was a pretty bad time for it to happen.”

 

The team was 8-0 heading into the Musselman game, and although they would win that game and close with a win against Lincoln, having Summers up front for a playoff run would have made an impact. Whether it meant finding a way to beat Martinsburg in the semifinals (21-0 loss) that no one in state has done in years in the playoffs would be a bold statement, but it may have helped in a game that saw a few critical fourth-and-one conversions by BHS fail.

 

Whether it will make a difference this year is also up in the air. The Indians are in position to be heading back to the postseason, but still have a strong Princeton team, the Class AAA top ranked Musselman squad, and a ranked Class AA Lincoln team to battle.

 

Regardless, Summers will be in the battles. More impressive is that he is playing both sides of the ball when the concern at the start of the season was getting him ready to play on just one. Now, he is dominating both.

 

“On the offensive line, he’s the catalyst,” said Phares of the outside tackle. “We don’t get anywhere without him moving people. He pulls and moves blockers and gets to the second level and down blocks. It’s impressive to see at a game and pops out on film.”

 

As a defensive lineman, his numbers are not mind numbing, but that is not unusual for an interior lineman. However, heading into the Preston game he had a team-high three sacks and added 4.5 tackles for loss for good measure.

 

“You really see the improvement there. It’s one thing to use his strength and leverage that he does, but he reads the offense so well,” said Phares. “He looks at the lineman across from him and is able to diagnosis where the play is going. Along with everything else, Kamar has a high level of intelligence that shows up in a high football IQ.”

 

The staff is so impressed with his knowledge of reading the offense they to fool him in practice.

 

“We try to mess with him to see if we can get him to bite on something,” said Phares. “Sometimes it happens, but it is extremely rare.”

 

Another thing that is rare is getting gassed. Summers attributes that to his wrestling background.

 

“I knew if I worked hard enough, I could play both ways and play fresh. Conditioning is what is important, and wrestling taught me how to condition and taught me grit,” said Summers. “You may want to puke in a practice, but you know you can keep going because once you’ve been through wrestling practice it’s got you ready for anything. I honestly can’t compare wrestling practice to anything else. There is nothing like it.”

 

Phares said most of the wrestlers he has had have been at positions other than lineman since he has been coaching. He said Summers, though, has the one thing he has seen in all of them.

 

“They have a great mindset. They refuse to be outworked,” said Phares. “That plays well in football.”

 

As for playing football at the next level, or wrestling, Summers said he will take the best opportunity available. Right now, there is no one looking at him.

 

“I’d like to get an opportunity to do both,” said Summers, the son of Kevin Summers and Carrie Walters. “If not, I will take the best scholarship offer available to get a chance to keep competing.”

 

Phares thinks he can play college football and believes he can wrestle too. He said he is an ideal interior lineman on defense.

 

“You don’t want to pigeonhole him, but he is built like an interior lineman,” said Phares. “I also wouldn’t count him out succeeding wherever a college coach put him.”

 

For now, however, Phares and Summers are more concerned about the task at hand – and that is the rest of the season. Both are pleased with the physical performance and both praised Dr. Fazalare, along with (BHS wrestling coach and) Dr. Chris Courtney and the entire BHS medical staff.

 

“We have work to do, and I know what my work is that needs to be done,” said Summers. “I feel no one in the state can beat me one on one. I’m confident in myself that I can be a difference maker in the postseason. I didn’t get that opportunity last year and will do everything I can to get us there and make a difference this year.”

 

Summers is not the only one confident in his ability. Johnson, the veteran sportswriter, is too.

 

"If you give me first pick to build a team of high school football players in West Virginia this season. I'm taking Kamar Summers,” said Johnson.

 

Editor's Note: All photos of Kamar Summers, with exception of him on the sidelines on crutches, by Joe LaRocca. Summers injury photo courtesy of Kamar Summers.