‘Gritty’ Canady strengthens Devil Dogs

by Mark Oliver

When it comes to football in Morrilton, it’s not the size of the Devil Dog in the fight — it’s the size of the fight in the Devil Dog. Senior center Joseph Canady not only understands that motto, he embraces it.

“Coming into high school football as an offensive lineman, I was very undersized,” Canady said. “I was lining up against opponents much bigger than me, but I knew that if I worked hard, it would pay off and allow me to get a starting spot on the team. Over the past few years, I’ve worked extremely hard, learned my steps and listened to my coaches’ advice on how to get better. Once I got a starting spot, my goal has been to continue working hard to make sure that I keep it.”

Canady was selected to this year’s 501 Football Team — 25 players representing all 11 counties of the 501. The team, which boasts the best the 501 has to offer both on and off the field, is sponsored by Conway Ortho and Sports Medicine, Conway Regional Health System and First Security Bank. Canady was nominated by his head coach, Cody McNabb.

“Joseph is the sort of kid upon which high school football programs are built,” McNabb wrote in his nomination. “He is an undersized lineman who is gritty and tough and works on all of the little things to start on Friday nights. Prior to last year, he played every position on the offensive line before becoming the starting center.”

Off to a 2-0 start this season, the Devil Dogs take on much-improved Searcy this week.

“Searcy has one of its best teams in years,” Canady said. “As a higher-classification team, it’s a big game for us, but it’s also a game that will let us know where we are as a team. We’d love to finish the non-conference season at 3-0 and are working hard this week to get it done.”

Since winning the Class 5A state championship in 2013, the Devil Dogs haven’t won a playoff game. Canady believes that 2017 is the perfect year to end the drought.

“We’re strong right now,” Canady said. “We’re running a two-quarterback system, which is hard for most defenses to stop. We also have great receivers and running backs, our defense is stepping up, and our offensive line returns from last year. Right now, we’re taking each game one at a time, but our coaches are pushing us to work hard every day so that we get over the hump this season.”

“Joseph leads by example,” McNabb wrote. “This offseason, he made strides to become the vocal, on-the-field coach that you need your seniors to be. He is the last man to leave the locker room, making sure all trash and lockers are in order. In the classroom, Joseph shows the same sort of quiet leadership that he shows on the field.”

For Canady, success on the field begins with trust in his teammates.

“We’re strongest when we play together,” Canady said. “Our coaches remind us that we don’t have to go out there and be superheroes, we just have to go out there and do what we’re told. As a senior, my job is to come to practice every day with a positive attitude, work hard and push my team to get better.”

Off the field, Canady gives back to the 501 through his church and school. In the future, the senior plans to pursue a career in Orthodontistry. 

“Joseph is an active member in his church and helps with school-wide projects such as our Pups to Dogs program, where upperclassmen [mentor] a student from the elementary school,” McNabb wrote.

Morrilton plays at Searcy at 7 p.m. Friday