Madison Southern track-and-field standout hoping his ‘last ride’ is only the beginning
It would be understandable for Madison Southern high jumper Brayden “Fuzz” Carson to sit out this week’s state high school track and field meet at the University of Kentucky.
Sidelined by a minor knee injury for nearly the entire season, Carson already has dozens of medals on the high school and junior circuits and a preferred walk-on offer to the University of Louisville to compete as a decathlete after he arrives on campus this fall.
But that’s not how Fuzz wants his senior season to end.
“I’m healed now. I feel better than I ever have. I feel awesome,” Carson said. “And this is my last ride. You know, I already missed almost all of my senior season. Region … was my first meet back in like 10 to 12 weeks. So, state is my one last chance. And what better venue than at UK at the state meet.”
With a high jump of 6 feet at last week’s region meet, well below his personal best, Carson qualified for Saturday’s Clark’s Pump-N-Shop Class 3A Track and Field State Championships presented by UK Healthcare. The 3A meet will close out three days of track and field competition at the UK Outdoor Track and Field Facility. The action begins with the Class A meet on Thursday followed by the 2A meet on Friday.
On the advice of doctors, Carson rested his right knee after feeling discomfort from some micro tears in his patellar tendon. His doctors said the only remedy was rest.
“It was really frustrating to not go out there. It was really frustrating to sit and watch high jump and sit and watch all the other events,” Carson said. “But everything I do I do to secure a better tomorrow. … I’m trying to think for my future self here.”
Healthy now, Carson hopes he can shake off the rust enough to compete at his best, which could give him a top finish at the state meet. The meet’s top seed, North Hardin’s Devin Sealey, is listed as having cleared 6 feet, 6 inches at his regional, a mark Carson has cleared a number of times, just not at a state outdoor meet.
“I am looking to prove to myself that I didn’t waste my season,” Carson said. “I’d love to win, of course. It’s what everybody wants to do. But I want to prove to myself that I’ve still got it and that I can still do this thing and that I’m worthy of where I’m going in the future.”
Football gives way to passion for track
Initially, Carson began competing in track and field as a way to stay in shape during the football offseason. But it wasn’t long until his track meet success overshadowed his football potential.
“The summer going into sophomore year, I won a national championship,” Carson said. “And I guess that’s the first time it really clicked that I was pretty good at this.”
Carson lost his sophomore high school track season to COVID-19 along with everyone else. Coincidentally, it also wiped out what also could have probably been a pretty active football camp season to draw the attention of college programs.
“We knew he was special when he was young because he was kicking tail in between eighth-grade and ninth-grade year. And to be quite frank, I pushed him for football,” said Russ Carson Jr., Fuzz’s father and Madison Southern’s assistant track coach. “He was getting some attention for football and then COVID happened.”
When Fuzz was able to get back on the field, a minor football injury during this junior season crystallized his decision.
“Me and my dad were in the parking lot of the health clinic and I’m like, ‘What are we doing? Like what are we doing?’” Fuzz said. “I feel like I have such a good shot at this and track is my passion. I love football, love all my teammates, have all the friends I do now because of football, wouldn’t be remotely as close to them if it wasn’t for football, but track is my love, my passion. It’s what I do.”
‘Fuzz’ and family
When the youngest of the Carson clan was born, his fine, fuzzy hair became an immediate source of amusement and fascination and the nickname “Fuzz” stuck — so much so that some folks have professed shock that it’s not his real name.
“I don’t have any memory of not being called that,” he explained. “The only time I wouldn’t be called that was in elementary school by my teachers, but middle school came around and everyone was calling me that and the teachers started calling me that.”
Fuzz’s parents, Russ and Stephanie, met while they were Marines stationed in Okinawa. His sister, Bekah, played volleyball and continued her career at Kentucky Christian. She’s now an assistant volleyball coach at Madison Southern. His other sister, Sarah, competed in high school jump events for her dad, as well.
Fuzz’s accomplishments include a Hershey’s All-American honor, 11 all-state track nods, a New Balance national championship in 2019, three Junior Olympic appearances and two region championships.
Looking to improve after high school
Russ Carson credits himself as a pretty good track coach. He’ll have three other Madison Southern jumpers at Saturday’s meet. But when it comes to helping his son reach his potential, he’s ready to take a step back.
“His biggest problem, his biggest hold back is me, because I’m his coach, and I’m limited,” Carson said.
Competing in multiple events will be the focus going forward at Louisville, but Fuzz continues to believe the high jump could be where he really makes his mark.
“Right now, I’m on their roster for multis, … but I definitely feel like I have the potential to get where I can jump really high,” Fuzz said. “Then if multis don’t work out, I can always do high jump.”
New events bring new opportunities
High jump has been Fuzz’s best event and he’d done well enough to attract some college interest.
But interest increased dramatically when Fuzz tried his hand at the “multis” — competing in the pentathlon, heptathlon and decathlon competitions on junior circuits last summer. The KHSAA doesn’t have a multi-sport competition.
“I didn’t even know what it was until I was literally doing it,” Fuzz said of the multis. “So I just tried it out. And then figured out that I started getting way more looks than I used to.”
Scholarships are far more limited in sports outside football and basketball, so getting a preferred walk-on offer to suit up for a Division I college is a big deal. And when schools such as Ohio State, Wisconsin and Louisville come calling, they offer visits and tours akin to the ones those other athletes get.
He happened to be visiting Ohio State when its basketball team upset visiting No. 9 Duke last November and got to storm the court with everyone else.
When it came down to making his college choice, though, the University of Louisville really turned his head.
“I’d gone all around the country, but when I got to Louisville … I was just completely blown away,” Fuzz said. “Louisville is ACC (Atlantic Coast Conference), it’s a great, great division to be in, but what’s awesome about it is most of their stuff is new. … Their indoor facility has been there for not even three years. So, I’ve competed there a couple of times, and I love it, and it feels at home.”
2022 KHSAA state track and field meets
At the UK Outdoor Track and Field Facility
Tickets and information: khsaa.org/sports/spring/track/
Thursday: Class A, featuring teams that include Lexington Christian and Sayre
Friday: Class 2A, featuring teams that include Lexington Catholic
Saturday: Class 3A, featuring teams that include Bryan Station, Frederick Douglass, Henry Clay, Lafayette, Paul Laurence Dunbar and Tates Creek
This story was originally published June 1, 2022 at 7:04 AM.
