NATCHEZ — Trinity Episcopal’s Daniel Dunaway already has plenty of hardware to put on his mantel to celebrate his high school career.

The soon-to-be senior can already boast two football state championships and a baseball title with one more year to play.

But Dunaway also has a mission to accomplish in his senior year that goes beyond what happens on the gridiron and the diamond.

Dunaway has been attending Relay for Life for a long time, he said at Friday night’s festivities. But next year, his aspirations are to work to get his own team together.

“I want to try to get a team together next year with Trinity,” Dunaway said.

He said he has been working with Trinity teacher Robbie Lanehart trying to get plans together.

Relay for Life and raising money for cancer is an issue close to Dunaway and his family. His brother Kyle was diagnosed with Ewing’s sarcoma his senior year at Trinity. Daniel’s grandmother Juanita Holyfield has also been battling the disease since 1980.

“Getting a (Relay) team together would mean a lot because (cancer) has affected me all my life,” Daniel said. “That makes me want to get more into it than before.”

Daniel said when his brother was diagnosed he was in sixth grade and did not fully understand how big a deal it was at first. Once he figured out the severity of the situation, he still had faith.

“I knew he would get through it because he was my older brother, my role model,” he said.

Kyle Dunaway played football and baseball for the Saints, his disease forced him to miss his senior year of baseball, Daniel said.

Daniel Dunaway said trips to St. Jude Children’s Hospital in Memphis also changed his outlook on the disease his brother was fighting.

“It’s not just about my family, I saw other people when I went to St. Jude. You kind of feel bad for them, and wonder why it happens to them.”

Holyfield said she is very proud of her grandson for wanting to get more involved with Relay for Life.

“I think it would be a great thing to do something like that, but anything he does I’m proud,” Holyfield said.

“(Relay) is real important because it gets people out, and otherwise they would just sit at home, and it raises money.”

Holyfield has fought three bouts with cancer. Her first most recent diagnosis was in 2006, she said.

“It’s depressing, I’ll tell you that. But you don’t give up,” she said.

Holyfield said her fight has not made her miss Daniel’s State Championships.

“I went to every game I could possibly go to, and I’m looking forward to next year,” she said.

Daniel’s mother Amy Dunaway said her son has been helping with Relay since Kyle was diagnosed. She said Trinity used to have a Relay team but has not had one the last couple of years.

Daniel hopes to change that next year. He has not spoken with any of his Trinity teammates about his plans, and he hopes to get started once school starts, he said.

Dunaway said the organizers would have to present the idea to the school board to get it approved.