Photo by Ted Melton.
Carson Eddy (5) plays football and baseball at Briarwood Christian School, and he is one of the top skill players on the football team. Eddy has earned multiple nicknames, including Easy Eddy, because of how smooth of an athlete he is.
They call him Sketty Eddy, and that’s fitting, because it’s pasta la vista, baby, when he leaves would-be tacklers in the dust on the football field in the fall and drives baseballs to the gap in the spring.
Really, Carson Eddy earned that nickname by simply eating spaghetti over the summer with some teammates.
Nothing extraordinary.
The nickname that truly describes the Briarwood Christian School senior is Easy Eddy.
He earned that one by making plays at second base look easy. He does it on the football field, too. He has played baseball since he was 6, and football since fourth grade, so the smoothness is not surprising. But it takes hard work.
“Football definitely helps me in baseball,” Eddy said. “It allows me to stay in my best shape and also teaches me to stay mentally tough when my body is physically tired.”
Eddy rarely seems tired. In 2016 on the football field, he rushed 37 times for 183 yards and three touchdowns. He also caught 33 passes for 471 yards and six scores.
This spring, he led Briarwood’s baseball team to a No. 1 ranking in Class 5A, and even tallied a 5-for-8 effort with seven RBIs in the first-round doubleheader sweep over Headland.
“I play these sports today because I love competition and having fun with my teammates,” Eddy said.
One of those teammates is JR Tran-Reno, a junior running back, who said Eddy is a great teammate and mentor.
“He is a lead-by-example and quiet guy much like myself,” Tran-Reno said. “What stands out is he always comes to get better every day in everything that he does. I will take the mindset me and him both have, which is to get better every day.”
That quietness could be another reason for the Easy Eddy nickname. While many student-athletes are hyping themselves up for games, Eddy is the opposite.
“I always try to calm myself down before games and stay relaxed,” he said.
Eddy’s dedication has paid off. He committed to the Samford University baseball program on Aug. 6 over a handful of other universities.
“I’m going to Samford because I love the coaching staff and because of Samford’s past successes in the baseball program,” Eddy said. “Coach [Casey] Dunn said he likes me because I can play so many positions.”
For now, however, Eddy has a senior season to complete on the football field and baseball diamond. He has a legacy to leave.
“The main thing I want to be remembered as at Briarwood is a hard worker,” he said. “I take pride in my practice and training. I truly believe if you don’t practice at your best, you won’t play at your best either. I can’t thank Briarwood enough for instilling a Christian worldview into everything that we learn. Briarwood has been a huge help in my walk with Christ.”
His favorite story in the Bible is of David and Goliath.
“It teaches me to have courage against life’s greatest challenges,” Eddy said.
