Brode: Lord of the Ring

After a strong indoor track season, Canfield senior Dustin Brode has taken aim at a state outdoor title in hopes of becoming ...

By JOE SCALZO

Vindicator sports staff

Canfield junior Dustin Brode isn’t old enough to vote, but he can already grow a full beard.

(It’s not quite there yet.)

He’s barely old enough to drive a car, but unless you’re a Notre Dame football player, there’s a good chance he’s bigger than you (6-foot, 240 pounds), stronger than you (he’s already won an indoor state title in the weight throw), smarter than you (he has a 3.8 grade point average with a 29 on his ACT, a mark he’s hoping to improve by several points) with a deeper voice and a better work ethic.

“Basically, I lift, throw and work on academics,” Brode said. “That’s my life in a nutshell.”

Brode found his passion in middle school — or, more accurately, it found him. He was fresh off wrestling season and wanted to run track to keep in shape. A coach looked at the 200-pound seventh grader and handed him a shot.

“I ended up breaking the record,” he said. “We started thinking, ‘This could be something to do in college, get some scholarships.’ ”

Brode quit wrestling his freshman year — he was struggling with a shoulder injury — to focus on football (where he’s a two-year varsity letterman) and throwing. Although he’s a solid football player — he plays on offensive line and at linebacker — he’s realistic about his chances of playing at the next level.

“I’m not tall enough,” he said. “That’s what it boils down to.”

Fortunately, he’s developed into one of the state’s best throwers and last spring qualified for the state meet in the shot and discus — the only underclassman in Division I to do so in either event.

After finishing eighth in the shot (his better event) and 11th in the discus, he’s eyeing bigger goals this June.

“Of course I want to win state,” he said. “That’s the obvious goal. I’m trying to win state in both. If discus doesn’t come, oh well.

“If it’s there, it’s there.”

Brode had a strong indoor season, winning the state title last month in the weight throw and finished third in the shot put with a throw of 55 feet, 41‚Ñ2 inches, three feet behind the winner, Boardman senior Corey Linsley (58-83‚Ñ4).

In Linsley and senior Alex Lipinsky, the Spartans have two of the best throwers in Ohio, which is good for Brode — to a point.

“You get the good and the bad part of that spectrum,” he said, “because you always have to perform well when they’re around.”

Brode isn’t afraid to set big goals, on and off the field.

Speaking of big goals, Brode said he’d like to continue his throwing career a prestigious college such as Harvard or Stanford, majoring in biochemistry or some other science-related field.

He said he wants to put the shot in the 67-68 foot range by the end of the year. To put that in perspective, last year’s Div. I state champion threw 61 feet and the state record is 71 feet.

His more immediate goal is winning the county title on Saturday — hopefully breaking the county record of 62 feet in the process.

“That’s where my focus is at,” he said. “We’ll see what happens.”

scalzo@vindy.com