If the name “Brandon McGhie” rings a bell, there’s a fair chance you’re invested in Tahoma Wrestling. Maybe he’s not a Freshman Varsity wrestler, but one might say that he has an excuse: he had two knee surgeries within two years.
Brandon’s story starts two years ago. As a 7th grader, Brandon was on the Maple View Middle School track and field team. However, things quickly changed when he discovered that it had become painful to run and he wasn’t nearly as fast as he used to be.
As it would turn out, Brandon had grown eight inches within six months. The sudden growth caused his “legs to cave in,” making him “knock-kneed.” In other words, his knees were much closer together than his feet when he was standing. While normal for a preschooler, it’s quite unusual for a 13-year-old.
Brandon would ultimately need surgery for the condition, making him late to join the Maple View Football team that year. He explains that the surgery “put screws in his growth plates”, allowing his legs to even out.
In spite of his time in track and football, Brandon decided to ditch both the next year in favor of wrestling. He found himself enjoying the sport much more, until a doctor’s visit revealed an unfortunate truth: Brandon had begun to grow bow-legged, the exact opposite of knock-kneed.
To correct this, Brandon’s first wrestling season had to end early for yet another surgery, this one to remove the screws initially put in his knees. After being on crutches for multiple weeks, Brandon had fully recovered and it was time to start training for his 9th grade wrestling season.
Maybe he’s not the school’s star wrestler, but he’s pretty great for a kid whose knees were – quite literally – screwed up. In the end, Brandon says the worst part about the entire experience is that while he had screws in his knees, “they would hurt every time it was going to rain.”
Lyla Hubert • Jan 22, 2025 at 8:10 am
this is very interesting, I never thought he went through things like this, its insane. I hope he’s doing okay