Week 7: Mason Cunningham, Hampden-Sydney

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steve davies photo

Hampden-Sydney College wide receiver Mason Cunningham, who starred at Yorktown High School in Arlington, has been named the DC Touchdown Club Washington Metro College Football Player of the Week.

Cunningham, a sophomore, caught 10 passes for 199 yards and two touchdowns, helping the Tigers to a 31-28 win at Averett this past Saturday.

“He’s just a great athlete,” Hampden-Sydney Coach Marty Favret said, noting that Cunningham played basketball and soccer at Yorktown and that his mother played soccer at William & Mary, where his aunt is in her sixth year as the women’s soccer coach. “That probably explains his footwork.”

In six games this season, Cunningham has 45 catches for 565 yards and five touchdowns, picking up where he left off last season after earning Old Dominion Athletic Conference Rookie of the Year honors and being named second-team All-ODAC.

Favret, who is very familiar with the Washington area after several seasons as an assistant at Gonzaga High and Catholic University, said that Cunningham first showed glimpses of what was to come prior to his freshman year. During training camp, he went up and took a long pass away from safety Will Pickren, the Tigers’ defensive star who would go on to earn Division III All-American honors last season.

“Everyone was like, ‘Wow, where did that come from!’ “ Favret said. “He made a play against the alpha male on our defense and you could tell this kid was pretty special.

“He’s really hard to cover because he runs great routes and he’s much faster than you think. I think he’s feared now around our league. The plays he made the other night are indicative of how explosive he can be.”

This week’s DC Touchdown Club Washington Metro College Football Player of the Week High School Honor Roll:

  • Florida Atlantic LB Jackson Ambush (Linganore) made nine tackles with 1 ½ tackles for loss as the Owls beat USF, 56-14.

  • Christopher Newport DL Jordan Cokley (Alexandria City) made five tackles with 3 ½ tackles for loss and one sack and forced a fumble as the Captains beat Rowan, 21-18.

  • Bowling Green DB Davon Ferguson (Pallotti) intercepted two passes and made five tackles with one tackle for loss as the Falcons beat Buffalo, 28-14.

  • Gallaudet LB Jacob Hartman made 11 tackles with one tackle for loss as the Bison rallied from a 20-point deficit in the final 11 minutes to beat Vermont State University Castleton, 24-23.

  • Georgetown QB Tyler Knoop completed 26 of 32 passes for a career-high 332 yards and one touchdown as the Hoyas beat Lehigh, 17-7.

  • Navy P Riley Riethman averaged 46.3 yards over 11 punts, including a 59-yarder, and had four punts downed inside the 20-yard line, as the Midshipmen beat Charlotte, 14-0.

  • James Madison DB Jacob Thomas (Stone Bridge) made eight tackles and broke up two passes as the Dukes beat Georgia Southern, 41-13.

  • Pitt QB Christian Veilleux (Bullis), making his first collegiate start, completed 12 of 26 passes for 200 yards and two touchdowns as the Panthers beat previously undefeated No. 14 Louisville, 38-21.