NATCHEZ — Two former Cathedral High School football players are having success at the collegiate level at two different universities.

2018 graduate Cedric Dunbar II is a redshirt freshman and right tackle for the Jackson State University Tigers while 2016 graduate Will Wallace is a redshirt sophomore tight end for the Tulane University Green Wave.

Dunbar said ever since he was a kid, he wanted to go to college at JSU.

“Both of my parents went to Jackson State and I have always been around the school,” Dunbar said. “It wasn’t like I was going somewhere I didn’t know. I knew the atmosphere and the tradition at Jackson State. To me, it was a big thing to follow in my dad’s footsteps.”

Dunbar’s father, Cedric Dunbar, played multiple positions for the Tigers and flourished as a punter in the 1990s. The elder Dunbar won two Southwestern Athletic Conference Championships.

This season for the Tigers, Dunbar was named to the Second Team All-SWAC Conference. He helped on the Tigers’ offensive line. As a team, Jackson State averaged 388.6 yards and 188.3 rushing yards per game. To play for the Tigers, Dunbar said it’s one of the biggest things for him to accomplish.

Before Dunbar joined the Jackson State squad, he played prep football for the Green Wave. Green Wave Head Football Coach Chuck Darbonne said it’s no surprise Dunbar is doing well at the collegiate level.

“Cedric was one of the hardest workers we have had, if not the hardest worker since I have been here to make himself into the player he is right now,” Darbonne said. “We’re very proud of what he has done and what he’s capable of for the rest of his college career.”

Two years before Dunbar began playing at JSU, Will Wallace was already playing football. Wallace graduated from Cathedral in 2016 and is the tight end for the Tulane University Green Wave. This season for the Green Wave, Wallace has played in 12 games. He has caught four passes with a total of 52 receiving yards. Wallace’s longest reception was for 16-yards.

Wallace will have a chance to obtain more catches as Tulane plays in the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl against University of Southern Mississippi at 10:30 a.m. on Jan. 4 at Amon G. Carter Stadium in Fort Worth, Texas.

Darbonne said he wants current Cathedral Green Wave players to look at Dunbar and Wallace’s success at the collegiate level.

“I want our present players to see what hard work can do for you to make it to that next level,” Darbonne said. “Those two guys have done a great job of continuing on, not just being satisfied to play in college, but to continue the hard work to keep making themselves a better player every day.”