Lancaster Catholic senior RB/LB Elijah Cunningham

Elijah Cunningham loves his mother.  Being able to help her in the future is what motivates the Lancaster Catholic senior.  "I really want to make it big so that she doesn't have to work," Cunningham told SV Sports' Paul Roberts.  The 5'9, 195-pound RB/LB also loves the physical aspect of football.  "You can hit somebody without getting in trouble for it," he said with a smile.  Cunningham made 75 tackles a season ago, but he prefers running the rock.  He finished with 1,098 yards and 14 touchdowns last year while averaging 7.8 yards per carry.  Cunningham exploded in the regular season finale against Schuylkill Valley.  He piled up 302 yards and five scores on a whopping 40 carries.  The Crusaders held off the Panthers 44-41 in a wild one in Leesport.  Lancaster Catholic brought home the Section 5 championship in the Lancaster-Lebanon League.  The Crusaders won all seven of their league contests.  They fell to West Perry in the District 3-3A semifinals and ended up (10-1).  Cunningham, a sprinter on the track and field team, can run the 40-yard dash in 4.5 seconds.  Although Lancaster Catholic lost Will Cranford to graduation, Cunningham believes junior quarterback David Stefanow has a bright future.  Cranford was named the first team QB in Section 5 in 2022.  Cunningham was happy with the merger that brought Schuylkill Valley, Hamburg, and Kutztown from the Berks Football League into Section 5 of the L-L League.  "There's a lot of great teams in Berks County so I think it was a good idea," he replied.