Winday Dawson makes it all the way back from torn ACL to catch on at Souderton

COLLEGEVILLE — The Souderton football team had to practice inside that August 2021 day due to thunderstorms during heat acclimatization.

Winday Dawson, a junior receiver/cornerback, was doing an individual drill in the gym when he planted wrong on a curl route and heard a pop in his right knee. It didn't hurt, so Dawson wasn't sure what happened until an MRI about a month later showed he had torn his ACL, as well as a minor tear of the meniscus. He underwent surgery on October 14.

"Once I eventually got the news, it (stunk) at first," Dawson said. "From that point on, I focused on getting back as quick as possible to play with my team."

The 6-foot, 160-pound Dawson managed to stay relatively positive and not dwell too much on things such as 'What if Souderton had been able to practice outside that day?'

"I would say I had a pretty good mindset during the whole thing," he said. "I was saying it is what it is, I can't really change that and it's not really my fault. I tried to push past it."

Teammate Shaun Purvy, who like Dawson had started at cornerback as a sophomore in the District One championship game win over Pennridge, broke a bone in his right leg during the season opener against North Penn three weeks later and missed the rest of the 2021 campaign.

Dawson and Purvy went through the long rehabilitation process together and leaned on each other for support.

"We were really good friends," Purvy said. "It was good having him because he was going through the same thing. He knew a lot of the struggles I was going through and I knew a lot of the struggles he was going through.

"We pushed each other to get back. It helped when I saw him working hard and I'm sure it was the same for him."

Dawson, like Purvy, returned for the 16-team, 7-on-7 tournament at Whitehall on July 9. While it took him some time adjusting to the brace that he must wear on the knee for a year, he was on his way.

"I had most of my confidence — it was just getting game speed back," he said. "I was a little slower, a little bit more hesitant."

The speed returned gradually, as did his quickness.

"Each week, I'd see how much I improved from game to game," Dawson said. "Each week, I'm getting better and better — even now."

Dawson had one catch for 10 yards in the season-opening win over Haverford and three receptions for 37 yards in a Week 4 victory over Council Rock North. His 2022 totals were 15 catches for 218 yards, including a 19-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback Jared Zimmerman in an Oct. 7 win over Warwick.

With Dawson serving as one of the Big Red captains, seventh-seeded Souderton dropped a 27-14 District One Class 6A quarterfinal playoff decision to No. 2 Perkiomen Valley on Thursday night. The game was moved up from Friday due to the projected heavy rainfall. The 11-1 Vikings will host No. 11 CB West, a 44-35 winner over North Penn, next Friday night.

Dawson contributed two catches for 64 yards in the season-ending defeat for 9-3 Souderton. He had an 11-yard reception from Zimmerman for a first down on the first play of the second quarter and a career-long 53-yard catch that gave the Big Red the ball at the Perk Valley 15 in the fourth period.

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Dawson said he thought Zimmerman was going to run when the QB scrambled on the long pass play, so he initially tried to make a block before heading down the left sideline.

"He actually threw me the ball," Dawson said. "I was just ready for it and turned up the field to try to get as many yards as I could."

After the loss to Perk Valley, Dawson called overcoming the torn ACL "probably one of the hardest things I did in my life."

"My team trusted me and needed me to come back," he said. "I put my best foot forward and made sure I worked for them."

Souderton coach Ed Gallagher hugged Dawson on the field postgame Thursday and told him, "I was so happy to see you making plays as a senior."

"He's made it back," Gallagher said. "He's bought into everything we do and does whatever we ask him to do. … He's improved his route-running technique throughout the year. His hands have always been good. He's a heck of a receiver."

If there is a silver lining with the injury, it's that the action on the field slowed down for him because his knowledge of the game increased when he was sidelined.

"Being hurt gave me a lot of time to study film," he said. "I definitely learned a lot in the time I was injured."

Dawson, who also returned kickoffs and punts this year after returning kickoffs as a sophomore, visited Kutztown last weekend and hopes to play football in college.

"I can't wait to see what football has for me in the future," Dawson said.

Given all that he's been through, why stop now?

Tom Moore: tmoore@couriertimes; @TomMoorePhilly

This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Winday Dawson catches on for Souderton, makes it all way back from torn ACL