HAYFIELD — There’s a lot of high school seniors across the country, who are starting to catch the bug and get excited for football this fall, but not too many of them are more excited than Lane Canny of Hayfield.

After sustaining a stress fracture on his femur and tearing his ACL and his meniscus in October last football season, Canny, a three-sport athlete, had to watch the Vikings play out their seasons in football, wrestling and baseball without him. He has spent much of the past year working to get back on the field. When he was finally cleared to play football recently, it was like Christmas in July.

“I’m pumped,” Canny said. “Through the whole situation my teammates have had my back and they’ve pushed me. If we rally behind each other, it could be a fun season. I’m so excited to get back into shape and back into doing stuff.”

Cany was a standout on both sides of the ball last season as he played linebacker and running back. This year, he’ll likely play a big role as well for the Vikings, but it may be a little reduced as Cany’s knee won’t be fully healed for another two years.

Adam Schroeder, who is in his first year as head coach of the Hayfield football team, is hoping Canny can step in and pick up where he left off at.

“He’s a difference maker. He’s a good player on both sides of the ball and he’ll be a big factor in our success as well as a bunch of other guys,” Schroeder said of Canny. “He’s a hard working kid and a character guy. He’s great for our team and he’s a good leader, who’s been following the doctor’s direction to a T.”

Canny is looking forward to making some positive memories on the gridiron this fall. After all, he has far too many bad memories from last season.

He said that he teared up as Hayfield picked up an emotional win over Southland at the end of last season, but that memory doesn’t sting nearly as bad as how Canny felt when he hurt his knee.

“It was a swing pass and I didn’t really see the guy. I just twisted wrong I guess, and I felt it go right away. I knew I wasn’t going to get up right away,” Canny said. “When I was laying on the field I remember looking at my dad and crying and thinking I could be done with football. Football’s been my love.”

Canny would like to play college football down the line, but right now he’s just focused on trying to get healthy for the season. Canny said he recalled Hayfield grad Nick Matti’s work ethic from an injury rehab and that helped inspire him to work harder.

While he’s still a little nervous about taking that first hit, Canny has learned plenty about himself and adversity through the whole process of going through rehab.

“You can’t give up. You’ve just got to keep fighting through pain and tears,” Canny said. “Everybody has your back, including your teammates and your family and that’s the great thing about sports. You just have to keep fighting, even when you want to give up.”