A Guelph high school student is earning national recognition — and some cash for his school’s football program — after making a sensational catch. Peyton Cummings made a showstopping grab for the St. James Catholic High School football team in Guelph on Sept. 18. “It was very difficult. I had to kind of turn my body midair. And at the last second, the DB tried to rip it out, so I had to hold on to it tight,” said Cummings, a wide receiver for St. James. “My cousin, who’s the quarterback, threw me the ball, and he trusted me, even though I wasn’t completely open, to make the catch.” The catch not only helped the St. James Lions in their 50–10 win over the John F. Ross Royals to open the season, but Cummings’s father, Shawn, submitted the highlight for the NFL Canada Way to Play Award, which appeared on the NFL on CTV broadcast on Sunday. “It was a big moment in the game. We needed a first down, and I saw it and I said, ‘Did he really just catch that with one hand?’ And everybody was kind of going nuts,” said Jeff Cummings, head football coach and teacher at St. James. “The game was a big win for us, but I think everybody was talking about the catch more than the win.” The Way to Play award is a joint initiative by NFL Canada, TSN and Football Canada that shines a spotlight on high school football. Each week, a play is selected to be shown on the broadcast and TSN.ca. “He’s been on TSN a few times. Once in grade 9, and he’s a grade 12-plus, so it’s a nice way for him to finish the story, I think,” coach Cummings said. Part of the award also includes a $3,000 grant through Football Canada to the athlete’s high school. “It’s going right back into the program where we’re a team that’s, you know, very thrifty with things. So we really appreciate the influx of money. And it will be put to very good use with equipment for the kids on the field,” Jeff Cummings said. “If you saw how we take care of our things, I think you’d understand how important it is for us to get this type of money that we can then invest back into equipment for the kids.” “I’m very grateful. I feel like it’ll really help our team, and it’ll go to a lot of good equipment. We can get new equipment,” Peyton Cummings said. The wide receiver says he hopes to play at the university level next season and is chasing a career in football. But this one catch already leaves a legacy at his school.
