Normally quiet and stoic, Woodrow Wilson cross-country standout Brandon Canaday could not hide the smiles Wednesday afternoon.
The smiles were well earned.
After battling injuries throughout his career as a Flying Eagle, Canaday realized a longtime dream inside the Woodrow Wilson Auditorium.
Surrounded by family, coaches, teammates and friends, Canaday signed a National Letter of Intent to run this fall for Concord University.
“I am super excited right now and super grateful to run for a team like Concord,” Canaday said. “If you would have told me at the end of my 10th-grade year when I had that leg injury that this is where I would be today, I wouldn’t have believed it. I am super grateful for this.”
When Canaday entered high school, running at the next level seemed to be a given one day.
“Brandon had a great middle school career where he ran for Matt McGinnis,” Woodrow Wilson boys cross country head coach George Barbera said. “He came out blazing as a freshman and won the (Class AAA Region 3 boys individual) championship.”
With Canaday leading the way, the Flying Eagles also captured the regional team title in 2020. Returning all underclassmen, hopes were high going into the 2021 campaign for the Woodrow boys cross country team.
Unfortunately for Canaday, the excitement for his sophomore season turned sour when he was forced to the sideline battling leg injuries.
“I would go to the YMCA every night my 10th-grade year with my dad when I had that shin problem and aqua-jog at 9 p.m. for an hour just to stay in shape,” Canaday said.
Although Canaday was down, he was not out by any means.
Reaping the rewards of his hard work and determination in the off-season, the future Mountain Lion returned to finish third in the regional meet as a junior, helping the the Flying Eagles capture another Region 3 team title.
Once again, the excitement was high leading into his senior season before life threw another hurdle his way.
A throw in a simple game of Wiffle Ball put his final year of cross country in jeopardy.
“I had had shoulder problems for at least a year, but the runner was going home. I threw it home and my shoulder kept going with me,” Canaday explained with a wry smile. “I started asking around to see if anyone ever had there shoulder slip out like that and no one had, so I knew I should get it checked out.”
Canaday admitted that the injury was a tough period for him, but fortunately the injury news was not as bad as he feared.
“When I heard about my shoulder, I was mentally defeated. I had to see if there was nerve damage,” Canaday explained. “If there was nerve damage I would have had to have immediate surgery. There was no nerve damage, so I figured since it was my senior year, I had nothing to lose and I decided to run.”
Hit by some unforeseen circumstances in regards to the roster, Canaday’s presence was big key to success for the Flying Eagles.
“Sophomore year he had some leg injuries that got him. I think he injured it in the off-season training. The he came back and did well again before he had a shoulder issue his senior year,” Barbera said, “It was an up and down career for him, but that is a true testament to the kind of young man that he is. He never gave up. He pushed through it the whole time. He ended up having a great senior year.”
Canaday fought through the shoulder pain to once again claim the boys individual regional title and helped lead Woodrow to yet another regional team title.
As a result of his stellar season, he was also named the 2023 Lootpress Cross Country Male Athlete of the Year.
“When your best athlete is your best teammate, that really makes for something special. That is what we experienced this year,” Barbera said. “He led by example and he led our younger kids. You would see it at our practices where the freshman kids were hanging out with our seniors. Brandon provided that example.”
After successful surgery on his shoulder, Canaday plans to run track in the spring before turning his attention to Concord after graduation.
“They have a great team and a great coach,” Canaday said about Concord. “I have heard nothing but good things. I have some teammates that ran there that influenced my decision as well. At the end of the day it was pretty clear choice.”
Barbera is convinced his former standout has the ability and proper mindset to be successful in Athens.
“Brandon is very disciplined, a little shy, but methodical. He is a fine young man, let me put it that way,” Barbera said. “He is very principled and very competitive. He works really hard in the off-season to get ready for cross-country and he doesn’t brag about it. He just puts in the work.”