WS Chronicle

The game of lacrosse has continued to grow in popularity over the last two decades. For Trejan Cannon, lacrosse is not just a sport; it’s more of a passion. Recently he achieved one of his goals by signing his letter of intent to play lacrosse for Virginia Military Institute (VMI) on scholarship.

Coming into his senior year, Cannon had eight colleges interested in signing him to a scholarship. He narrowed his focus to six schools and applied to them all. He again trimmed his list down to four with VMI not being on the list initially.

The staff from VMI had been in touch with Cannon for a year heading into December of last year. Their persistence paid off as Cannon made a 180 and decided to commit to the school. He says he was reluctant to entertain a military school initially, but he fell in love with the coaching staff, which totally changed his mind over time.

“I was excited, honestly, because that was my first DI [Division I] offer,” said Cannon. “I wasn’t really ready for it and I actually didn’t think I would go DI, but to get the offer really enlightened me.”

“Not only am I doing this for myself, I am doing this for my family, too,” he continued.
Cannon says he is unsure what to expect once he gets to campus because of the military component that the school offers. He says he knows it will be tough to juggle school, athletics and his military duties but is confident he will succeed.

Cannon’s parents, Money and Terrence, stated Trejan made the decision to attend VMI all on his own. They say they are proud that he had the fortitude to make his first “adult decision” all by himself.

“I am proud of my son and he really deserves this because he is exceptional,” said Mr. Cannon.
Mrs. Cannon added, “I felt great about it but he did it all on his own. He sent me a text message that said he committed to VMI, so it was all on him and I was very proud of him.”

Mrs. Cannon says when Trejan began his high school career, he spent a lot of time on the bench on the varsity team. She felt he would be better suited playing on the JV (junior varsity) level to get more playing time. Trejan did not agree and felt he would learn more playing with the varsity team.

Coming into his junior year, he began to spread his wings to become a go-to player for the Demons. As a senior, he was a team leader while being a nightmare for opposing defenses.
“My game has continued to progress and at first I wasn’t even thinking about playing DI. I was really planning on playing at the DIII level,” Trejan continued. “Over the years my game has gotten a lot better because I am more disciplined and more mentally strong.”

Cannon says he hopes to inspire other young African-American males to try out the sport of lacrosse. He says he was aware he would be a minority in the sport but has an “I don’t care mentality” when it comes to the negativity from opponents, which drives him to play even harder.

According to Mr. and Mrs. Cannon, they have the highest expectations for Trejan on the field and in the classroom. They anticipate his hardest adjustment will be the military aspect of the school.

Trejan was a multi-sport athlete in high school. Ms. Cannon says Trejan received a lot of negative comments from coaches in other sports, telling him “lacrosse would never take him anywhere,” but instead of listening he used that energy to fuel him all the way to a scholarship on the Division I level.

“When he was narrowing down his choice of schools, I knew it was God’s plan regardless and the best was yet to come and it came,” said Mr. Cannon. “God is always right on time and I am proud of my son. He is a kid that excels not only on the field but also in the classroom, so I know he will do well.”