In a game of inches, Saints’ Brady Mider is ahead of the field by several feet
Brady Mider had the best of both worlds last spring. He regularly competed head-to-head with the best shot-putter in the state, Wyomissing’s Jven Williams, but with little cost: No one ever expected him to win at a major meet.
There was no pressure because Williams, the hulking Penn State line recruit, was miles ahead of the field. He was a slam dunk on the level of Michael Jordan or Dr. J.
Mider, a sophomore at Berks Catholic, experienced the thrill of performing before big crowds gathered around the circle – mostly to see Williams — and competing in big meets without feeling the heat of high expectations.
That heat shield is gone now. Williams enrolled early at Penn State, foregoing his senior track season and chance to repeat as PIAA champ.
Mider has replaced Williams as the top dog in the state. He threw 61-4 during the outdoor season and won the PIAA indoor championship at Penn State with a throw of 57-8. He went on to finish seventh in the Nike Nationals. He has the top distance in the state this spring; he broke the school record the other day with a toss of 58-6.
Like Williams a year ago his name is on the lips of every thrower in the state with dreams reaching that final circle at Shippensburg in late May. They are watching him closely, checking milesplit.com daily to see what Brady’s done.
Mider earned a PIAA silver medal last year in Class 2A and had the fourth-best throw overrall at the state championship meet at 56-3.25. Each of the three guys with better throws are now out of the picture.
If there’s pressure on Mider now that he’s squarely in the spotlight he’s doing a pretty poor job of showing it. He’s as laid back as they come. He rocks colorful, flowery shorts and bright yellow kicks at practice and doesn’t seem hellbent on setting a record with every throw.
Even during some unusually warm spring days he’s not sweating the details.
“There’s pressure on me, definitely,” he says without a hint of showing it, “but I’m just gonna do what I know (how) to do and just throw far.”
Brady can throw it far, that’s for sure. The 6-1, 265-pound former offensive guard has lapped the field this spring. His best throw is more than five feet longer than any Class 3A shot putter in the state. In a game of inches he’s winning by feet.
“I’m not comfortable where I’m at,” Mider said. “I just want to keep getting better and keep throwing far. It feels great (to be ranked No. 1), but I want to push harder because I have some great competition. Some people that I train with are right below me, and they could give me a run for my money. They push me to work harder, to just keep getting better and better and better.
“I keep working (as though) they’re right behind me, like they’re an inch behind me,” he said. “Anything can happen. They could pop a big throw.”
In fact, that just happened. A couple days after Mider topped Brandon George’s Berks Catholic record Gian Greggo of Pen Argyl, which competes in Class 2A, threw a 57-7 — within a foot of Mider’s best outdoor throw in 2023. Before that Mider was 4-5 feet ahead of the crowd.
Mider’s not concerned about the numbers – his or anyone else’s — right now. His daily focus is on the small details: Footwork, spin, speed, punch out. Improving upon each by small increments. He knows those will add up to big things.
“Brady’s thing is that he stays focused on what he’s doing,” said Berks Catholic throws coach Maurice “Tiger” Lea. “All of the (top) throwers we’ve had here had something special. Matt Reinhart (a state javelin champ) was fast. Brandon . . . he was a super athlete, and he had this attitude that he was just going to work harder than everybody else. Keeley (Suzenski, a PIAA shot put champ) had this incredible release.
“Brady’s thing is that he’s technically sound. He stays on point. His numbers just keep getting better and better and better. When you see him throw, you see the technique.”
That’s what caught Lea’s eyes the very first time he saw Mider throw, as a freshman. He heard about this new kid at school, went to watch him perform, and was blown away.
“The throws were decent, but what impressed me was his technique,” said Lea, a former football and track star at Holy Name. “His footwork was really spot on. Every time he went through his throws, his progressions were really smooth. That’s incredible (for a young thrower). You need at least 1,500 throws before you understand what you’re doing.”
Mider picked up the sport quickly. His frame was much smaller entering junior high and he thought of himself as more of a sprinter and a basketball player. He went to Garage Strength once to train, saw some older athletes working in the circle, and was immediately drawn to it.
Within months he gave up basketball to train in the shot put and discus. After his sophomore year he stopped playing football, too. He has dedicated himself to throwing 24/7 ever since, and his progression has been rapid.
“It’s good to have kids who do multiple sports,” said BC head coach Glen Heck. “(But) when you get to his level, where he’s throwing what college kids are throwing, that’s the green light. (It tells you) ‘Let’s get him all the work we can.’ That will give him the best opportunity to succeed. Focusing (year-round on throwing) is helping him succeed.”
Mider medaled in both events and was a state qualifier in the shot put as a freshman. Last season he was second to Williams in both events at the district meet; at states he was second in the shot and sixth in the discus.
Mider’s discus numbers aren’t nearly as strong as those in the shot but he’s still among the best in District 3, even with Berks Catholic moving up to 3A, the highest classification in track and field. His best throw this season is 144-10, which ranks fourth.
“He hasn’t hit a real good stride on that (yet),” Lea said. “He’s still finding it, but he has a chance to win districts. I’m not writing that off whatsoever. There is no way in the world you can write Brady off on anything.”
It takes strength and proper technique to defy gravity and send that 12-pound sphere into orbit. The mental side, especially at Mider’s level, can’t be overlooked.
That, said Lea, is another Mider strength and one of the reasons being ranked No. 1 in the state heading into the Stephan Meet next week won’t hold him back.
“Brady doesn’t get in his own way,” said Lea. “That happens to a lot of (top throwers). Brady’s special thing is that he doesn’t get in his own head, he stays level.”
