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Senior Spotlight: Casey moves past canceled track season, prepares to join Montana football this fall

by DYLAN GREENE
Sports Editor | April 30, 2020 1:00 AM

Editor’s note: This article is part of a recurring series on local high school athletes who had their seasons cut short or canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

SANDPOINT — Last year, Brandon Casey decided to join the Sandpoint track team and he doesn’t regret that decision one bit.

“I fell in love with it honestly,” he said.

Casey was a three-sport athlete throughout his high school career. He played four years on the basketball and football teams so he had the fall and winter seasons locked down. It was the spring that was giving him problems.

He tried baseball his freshman year and lacrosse as a sophomore, but neither one was clicking with him. Then Sandpoint football head coach Ryan Knowles suggested track.

Knowles is also the throws coach for the track team and realized how successful Casey would be if he gave it a shot.

The demands of a thrower in the weight room aligned perfectly with what Casey was looking to accomplish heading into his senior season. As an offensive lineman, he was looking to bulk up and receive offers to achieve his dream of playing college football. And that’s exactly what happened.

Knowles had no doubt Casey would make an immediate impact in the shot put and discus so he wasn’t surprised when Casey won the district title in the discus and qualified for state in both events in 2019.

“You look at Brandon and you obviously know he’s going to be a formidable thrower,” Knowles said.

Following his junior season of basketball, Casey said he was beat up, had tendinitis in his knees and had dropped a significant amount of weight due to the conditioning demands of the sport. He said track allowed him to recover while also satisfying his competitive nature. It didn’t take him long to really start enjoying being part of the team.

“I had never played an individual sport before and I liked the fact that you can compete with yourself,” he said.

Casey said the atmosphere around the track team is what made joining the team so fun plus he gained a whole new group of friends.

Coming into this season, Casey was looking to shatter the school record in the discus and place at state in the shot put and discus. He was hoping to end his high school career with a bang, but he won’t get that chance.

Luckily, Casey will be starting the next chapter of his life in just a few months when he attends the University of Montana to play football. About a month and a half ago, Casey was a little nervous about heading off to college, but once school and the track season were canceled he got excited about what the future holds.

“I’m ready to get out and explore new things,” he said.

Knowles said Casey took a big step forward last season on the football field and really dedicated himself in the gym, gaining 45 pounds between the end of the basketball season in 2019 and the start of the football season. He said Casey has earned everything he has received.

“He has a weight lifting work ethic like no one else around here,” Knowles said.

George Yarno Jr., Sandpoint’s offensive line coach, started working with Casey when he was a freshman and Yarno was the head coach of the Bulldogs. Yarno said he could tell early on that Casey had the potential to play at the next level. He had all the intangibles and was so coachable, Yarno said.

“He never blinks,” Yarno said. “He just goes forward and does what he is supposed to do.”

Yarno said Casey was the silent leader for the Bulldogs on the offensive line and was willing to make sacrifices for the betterment of the team.

“If you told him to run through a brick wall he’d probably try ... because he’s that committed to do whatever he can to help his team and himself succeed, which is hard to find,” Yarno said.

Casey has a pair of high school memories from this season he will hold onto forever. The first came on Memorial Field when the football team shut out Lewiston 30-0. The second came at Coeur d’Alene when Bulldog basketball took down the Vikings.

Amidst all the uncertainty associated with the coronavirus, Casey still plans on moving into the dorms at Montana on Aug. 5 and starting fall camp just a few days after. Regardless of what happens, Casey will be prepared for next season. He is running and lifting every day to make sure he doesn’t lose anything.

Casey is also staying in constant contact with the rest of the class of incoming UM football players. He said every player who signed their letter of intent to the Grizzlies early went on an official visit in January. He said building those relationships with his teammates before they arrive in the fall has been really beneficial and they’ve all bonded over losing their final high school seasons in a group text.

Casey plans on majoring in business administration at UM and hopes to start his own business after he graduates. Although, Casey’s ultimate goal is to go pro and those around him see that it is possible.

“He’s honestly probably one of the most physically gifted offensive linemen I’ve coached,” Yarno said.

In his own words: Brandon Casey

“I would like to thank all of my family members, especially my parents, for supporting me throughout the years. Thank you to all of my teammates, coaches and Sandpoint fans for making these past four years of sports the best yet. This was not the way I wanted to go out, but I know better things are yet to come.”