Brady (Rusty) Weller grew up playing soccer, but during his freshman year at Canton High School he discovered the growing sport of lacrosse – and it was game on the minute he grabbed a stick.

"I found lacrosse and immediately loved the fast-paced, high-energy style of play,” he said. “It's like no other sport I've ever played and I fell in love with it. I love how lacrosse is a combination of skills from many different sports, like hockey and soccer."

And his experience on the soccer pitch helped him pick up the game pretty quickly. He started for the Canton varsity team as a freshman and has been a key player for the Cobras during his four years.

“Brady is one of the most coachable players I’ve come across in a long time,” said Canton Coach Paul Isiminger. “He consistently asks thoughtful questions, takes feedback seriously and works to apply it immediately. He is always striving to improve and puts in the effort – both at practice and on his own time to continue strengthening his skills.”

Over the past two seasons, Weller has become one of Canton’s top players. He scored four goals against Belleville and had 25 points midway through his senior year. But his success isn’t measured on a stat sheet.

“These last four years of Canton lacrosse have been amazing, and I have made friends that I will have for a lifetime,” Weller said. “I have also learned so much about being a good teammate. You need to make close connections with the guys to play this sport well. And my coaches have made me who I am today and they are the reason that I will always love this sport.”

Weller also was named team captain for this season, which he called a “great honor.”

“There are a lot of good lacrosse players on our team that could’ve been chosen and I was humbled that they chose me,” he said. “I am the type of captain that gets our team hyped up for games. We make a big circle before the games and create a motivational message that gets us fired up. I believe in making connections with every player, so we can keep pushing to do our best and grind to get the results we want at the game.”

Weller also gets results outside of lacrosse. The son of Tina and Jeff Weller, Brady has a 3.6 GPA and also works at Fox Hills Golf and Country Club. He is going to Central Michigan University this fall to study business.

“I chose CMU because I really liked the atmosphere when I visited,” he said. “I also believe they have a good business program and I will find success there.”

He certainly found success with Canton lacrosse.

“Coach Isiminger has done some pretty amazing things with our program, and the connections he brought from coaching youth lacrosse in Canton has made the whole team stronger,” he said. “I will truly miss playing lacrosse for Canton High School.”