Since Savannah Cunningham started playing soccer at age 5, her father, Brant Cunningham, has been with her every step of the way and even coaches her on her high school team.

Thursday afternoon, the Northeast Lauderdale senior signed with Meridian Community College to continue her soccer career, leaving Brant Cunningham both a proud coach and a proud dad.

“This is great,” Brant Cunningham said. “I’ve been watching her through the years, and every year she’s grown and gotten better. She played club ball, then high school ball, and now she’s going to college, so it’s an awesome thing.”

Savannah Cunningham said the opportunity MCC gave her means a lot since it’s another two years of the sport she loves.

“It’s always been a big part of my life, and I’m excited to get to continue,” Savannah Cunningham said. 

The two often put in additional work at home outside of their normal practice sessions, and Savannah Cunningham said having her father as her high school coach brings a calmness with it, since the two are together so often.

“I think it adds a lot of confidence when I’m playing because he’s always been there, and so it makes me more relaxed knowing he’s there,” Savannah Cunningham said. “It’s just what I’m used to.”

Not only is he proud to see his daughter get to play soccer at MCC, Brant Cunningham is also happy as a coach to see one of his players’ hard work pay off.

“When they come into high school as a freshman, they want to grow and get better, and everyone wants to go and play at the college level,” Brant Cunningham said. “To have a player who has developed and gone on and done this, it’s good for the program and good for the players on the team. They can see that and then maybe get inspired.”

Last season, Savannah Cunningham led MHSAA Region 4-4A with 33 goals and also had 10 assists, and Brant Cunningham said MCC is getting an impact player in his daughter.

“Savannah has a lot to offer MCC, and MCC has a lot to offer Savannah, which is why we chose MCC,” Brant Cunningham said. “Coach Mike (Smith) is a great coach, and MCC is a great school, so Savannah and MCC will both benefit from this.”

Savannah Cunningham said having a familiarity with Smith from Alliance Futbol Club brought an added comfort level in choosing MCC.

“I like the way it was all set up when I went to visit,” Savannah Cunningham said. “It was very much a home feeling, and (Smith) made it feel relaxed, and I liked the way he welcomed me in and how it felt like he was excited for me to be there and wanted me to be there.” 

NEWTON COUNTY

In a signing ceremony Tuesday afternoon at the school’s library, Newton County sent three athletes, each from different sports, to continue their careers at the junior college level.

David Burton, a pitcher for the Cougars baseball team, and Morgan Massey, a midfielder/defender for the Lady Cougars’ soccer team, both signed with East Central Community College, while Mackenzie Rigdon, an outfielder/infielder/pitcher for Newton County’s softball team, inked with MCC.

Burton dealt with an injury for most of the short-lived 2020 baseball season and finally got on the mound for two innings, striking out four opposing batters, before the year came to an abrupt ending due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, Burton is excited not only to get his signing out of the way but also to hopefully get back on the mound this coming spring.

“I pitched in a fall camp recently, and it felt good to just be back on the mound and all my guys,” Burton said.

Regardless of what happens in the spring, Burton said he’s grateful to have an opportunity to keep playing after he graduates in May.

“It feels great,” Burton said. “It’s been a lifelong dream of mine to be able to make it out of high school and play at the next level, and hopefully I’ll make it to the next one after that.”

Massey finished last season as the Most Outstanding Midfielder in MHSAA Region 4-4A after scoring 13 goals for the Lady Cougars last season. She said ECCC women’s soccer coach Ryan Joiner sold her on the program, and she’s looking forward to staying in Decatur for her first two years of college.

“I’ve known Coach Joiner for a while now and really like the way he coaches and how nice he is,” Massey said. “He just has a really hard-working team. I know some of the girls I’ll be playing with next year that I have played with (previously), and I just love them all. 

“I’m a home body, so staying near home was important to me. I love my family, and I love Decatur altogether, the small-town aspect of it.”

Rigdon was hailed by her coach, Justin Chaney, as an excellent hitter, and given her defensive flexibility, it was only a matter of time before she earned the chance to play fast-pitch at the next level. She hit .302 last season, and Rigdon said taking a year off from the sport made her realize she didn’t want to stop playing, which is why she’s grateful to get the chance to do it after high school.

“It means a lot,” Rigdon said. “All I’ve known is softball, and I’ve played softball my whole life. I quit for one year, and I really regretted that. It got really boring just sitting at home.”

She also said MCC softball coach Faith Robinson and a few former teammates sold her on playing for the Lady Eagles.

“I like Coach Faith, and some of my teammates who played with me before are there,” Rigdon said.