Athlete of the Week: Binghamton's Kashif Summers Jr.

The Binghamton high school football team has rebounded in the last three weeks thanks in large part to our latest Athlete of the Week Kashif Summers Jr. The running back slash quarterback that's lighting up Section IV fields.
In his junior year, the light has come on for KJ summers.
"I just want to be successful you know, when it's all said and done, no matter what that means, I want people to think of me in a positive light," Summer Jr. said. "I'm obviously not perfect, but I would hope that whenever I'm done with whatever I'm doing, people can remember me for the good whether it be for how good I did this year or playing varsity as a sophomore. It doesn't matter what I do. I just want somebody to look at me in a positive light."
A light that brightens up the locker room.
"I love KJ, he's my best friend," said senior tight end Sam Gouldin. "Whenever he's in the room, he kind of demands the attention. He's making everybody laugh and stuff like that. So he just makes it a better environment."
Which of course extends to the field as well.
"His ability is way beyond what I expected, he actually surprises me sometimes when he's running the football, and I have no idea what he's going to do," said Binghamton head coach Doug Stento. "I mean, his jump cuts and his decision-making drives us nuts sometimes because if he ever stays focused and goes on the straight line, maybe he wouldn't be as good as he is, but he's far exceeded our expectations."
And it shouldn't be a surprise that Summers is a leader in the locker room and on the field when this is how he describes the team.
"At this point, it doesn't even feel like these are my teammates, this is family now, at this point, it's like I couldn't practice if not for them," Summers Jr. said. "I like these guys."
That relationship has led to a pair of wins in the past three weeks.
"It's been really cool, even as a whole team, our chemistry is growing every week," Gouldin said. "And it's been cool to finally see it put into some wins.
The first win came during homecoming against Henninger when one of the plays of the year happened.
"That's my guy, that is my dog," Summers Jr. laughed. "And so when I rolled out I was kind of scared a little bit, but I saw him just standing there. And we were talking about it the whole week. He's like 'You better not miss me, you better not miss me.' And I can trust him like that's my dog."
Summers Jr. rolled out to his right and found offensive lineman converted tight end, Matt Schneider.
"In the summer when we had seven on seven, Matt sometimes played at receiver and he actually has very, very good hands. So he's been busting me about 'please let me catch the ball on time,' so we had to move him to tight end because of some injury issues," Stento said. "KJ was at quarterback and it made Matt's highlight. The good news is I promised him I'd throw the ball one time during the season so I got it out of the way."
But whether it's throwing to them or running behind them, KJ always has appreciation for his line.
"I love my line so much and it's not even like a team thing because these are my friends," Summer said. "Like every single day, we go out places before games, if we have a game on a Saturday we go out and we hang out. Like I'm really close with everybody. So that just makes transitioning from whatever I do so simple because this is my family now. So it doesn't really matter for me."
And with a whole nother year with that family, things can only get better.
"They understand, they use that word potential all the time," Stento said. "If they ever put two halves together, they're going to be successful. So yeah, it's a big part of it is they do have success because they do like each other. They work well together and they actually do a lot of stuff on their own to make themselves better football players. So as a coach, you got to be happy with that."
But even then, the team appreciates the stretch they've put together now.
"Well, I think another cool thing is the first win was on Homecoming night and the second one was on senior night," Gouldin. "So I think both of those being at home under the lights kind of gave us a little bit of like momentum going into this last game and then the playoffs."
Sometimes all it takes is to get your playmaker the ball.
"Last year, when I watched him play in JV and I just happened to wander onto the field on the sideline and I was talking to JV coaches, I said, guys, give him the football. Just give him the football and let it make something happen," Stento said. "And sometimes a kid will do that. And they're very special, those kinds of kids and he's like that."
As the season ends, KJ is prepping for his next sport.
"Right now it's just whatever God has planned for me, you know?" Summers Jr. said. "Just keep praying for it and whatever happens, happens."
Binghamton finishes its regular season on Saturday at Union-Endicott.