As if his three Colonial League First-Team selections in all three areas of the game weren’t enough, Salisbury’s Mason Donaldson garnered even more recognition once the Falcons’ football season concluded.

The senior wide receiver/ defensive back/ punter was recently named to the 2015 Pennsylvania Football Writers’ Class AA All-State Team as a defensive athlete selection. Nearly a month before that, Donaldson was one of 61 players from Eastern Pennsylvania (Districts 1, 3, 11 and 12) to be named a Mini Maxwell Award Winner. He was one of 10 players from District 11 to earn the award.

Those awards came after Donaldson was named to the All-League First Team as a wide receiver, defensive back and punter. He was also named a Second Team punter in the Colonial League, while being recognized at the all-area level as well as a kicker and athlete.

“I think the coolest part of all of it was how many guys on our team got them,” Donaldson said. “Last year it was only like three or four guys get something. This year, I think like six or seven guys on our team got first team, second team or honorable mention all-league...There was a bunch of us who got recognized for the success that we had as a team this year.”

Donaldson earned all-state honorable mention honors as a punter last season. If anything, he expected a special teams recognition at that level once again, not one on the defensive side of the ball.

But despite switching from outside linebacker to open camp, to safety in the preseason and up to cornerback in Week 3, Donaldson caught the eye of coaches and football enthusiasts for his defense. He didn’t even play on that side of the ball for the first two games, strictly focusing on kicking and wide receiver. Still, he managed 24 tackles, 10 pass breakups and two fumble recoveries (one for a touchdown) for the Falcons.

“Coach realized that we were really shallow in the defensive back area, so he moved me to safety,” Donaldson said. “I played safety through all of preseason and through the scrimmages. In the last scrimmage, we really only had two cornerbacks, so then coach was like, ‘Do you think you can play cornerback?’ I was like, ‘Yeah, why not?’”

The all-state selection was a complete shock to Donaldson.

“To be completely honest, I was not expecting that at all,” Donaldson said. “There were a lot of guys who might have had more field goals than me this year, so I wasn’t really expecting anything. When I saw and looked when I got the update that the all-state team was out, I clicked on it and I saw kicker wasn’t me. For some reason I kept scrolling down and I looked and there was my name for athlete”

News regarding the Mini Maxwell Award-an award based on one’s academics, play on the field and community service-came in early December. That, too, came out of the blue for Donaldson.

“It’s an all-around football thing,” Donaldson said. “They award it to people based on academics, volunteer work, and how you play football. It’s an all-around person award for a football player.”

His football statistics tell one side of the story: a perfect 40-for-40 on extra points, three field goals (with a long of 44 yards), 37 touchbacks on kickoffs, a 37.5 yards-per-punt average, and 50 receptions for 810 yards and 13 touchdowns.

But his work and dedication off the field helping others speaks even louder. He’s the Secretary for the school’s Key Club, has participated in both the Miracle League and Special Olympics, and has helped mentor youth players in the SYA program. The most rewarding experience is Donaldson’s time in the Best Buddies Program.

“It works with special needs kids,” Donaldson said. “We’re trying to help them with social skills. Just being around them, it’s helping them become more personable. That’s probably my favorite thing that I do...It’s really enjoyable. It’s rewarding to see them.”

The organization will hold a banquet in Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania on January 14 to recognize the 61 award winners. Out of those recipients, one will be chosen as the 2015 Pennsylvania High School Football Player of the Year.

Since the season ended, Donaldson has been lifting and kicking after school to stay in shape in hopes of playing at the next level and will begin training at Core XL in January. He is keeping his options open at this point in the process, but has considered playing across all levels of collegiate football in the future.