All-around athlete Cunningham gives Jeannette added kick

By: HSSN Staff
Monday, December 4, 2017 | 9:54 PM

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Tre Cunningham never envisioned himself kicking footballs when he was growing up in Jeannette.

He played soccer as a youngster before he even laced up football cleats.

“I was like 5 or 6, and I was too young to play football so that was the only sport I could play,” said Cunningham, a key member on Jeannette's football team (14-1) that will take on Homer-Center (13-1) on Thursday afternoon for the PIAA Class A championship in Hershey. “I don't even really think about it now. I just kick it.”

And the 6-foot-4 all-purpose player kicks it well — in addition to being a dependable wide receiver, linebacker, defensive back and lead-by-example senior.

Cunningham was the heir apparent to former dependable kicker Blaze Tran, who had a busy career kicking for the high-scoring Jayhawks. But Tran made sure his replacement was ready, working with Cunningham on technique before he graduated.

“Blaze is my best friend,” Cunningham said. “I just aim for the lower part of the ball and kick it. I have always just been a natural punter.”

Cunningham has made four field goals, including an important 27-yarder in the fourth quarter last week. That “trey” gave Jeannette a 10-0 lead in the fourth quarter on the way to a 17-6 state semifinal win over Farrell.

“We needed that to make it a two-score game,” said Cunningham, who also has made 39 extra points.

“You don't see a ton of teams at the Class A level kick extra points,” Jeannette coach Roy Hall said.

“The thing with Tre is, at the all-conference meeting, he was voted best punter by coaches from Clairton and Imani Christian. But none of the other coaches voted for him because he never punted against them.”

Cunningham has won two WPIAL titles, the other coming in baseball last spring. He was the ace pitcher on the Jayhawks' first title-winning team and made the all-Tribune-Review second team.

Cunningham will take part in an Under Armour national showcase in January in Arizona as a third baseman.

“Tre is a talented grinder,” Jeannette baseball coach Marcus Clarkson said. “He has the speed and athleticism, but he will do the dirty work, too. He would pitch a complete game Monday and want the ball in a game on Wednesday, and we would have to turn him down. I moved him up and down the batting order all year and he produced, which takes some sacrifice because some players have trouble with that situation. I love his leadership, and he comes from a great family. “

The lanky senior has pedigree. His father, Steve, played football at Jeannette and his mom, Tracy (Bone), was a track and field standout.

His uncles, Derrick and Chris Cunningham, also played football for the Jayhawks.

Another uncle, David Bone, was a star running back and basketball player at Jeannette. He played at Morehead State with Jeannette assistant coach Jeremy Binakonsky.

Tre said his calm demeanor comes from his family.

“I'm not selfish,” he said. “As long as we win, even if I don't have a great game, it's fine. Everyone will be dancing around in the locker room before games, but I don't get too hyped. I just go out and play and let my game do the talking.”

Jeannette's tall receivers have allowed the passing game to come to fruition.

Cunningham has 27 receptions for 417 yards and six touchdowns.

He caught a scoring pass in the WPIAL championship game, extending upward and holding on despite a defender nearly pulling the ball away for an interception.

“I think Tre gets taller every day,” Hall said. “He's a multi-sport athlete. He's fast, has great hands and he's very intelligent. And he has been very good on defense, too.”

Cunningham has 74 tackles, 10 for losses, to go with a forced fumble and an interception.

He also will play basketball again this season.

Bill Beckner Jr. is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at bbeckner@tribweb.com or via Twitter @BillBeckner.

Tags: Jeannette