When St. Ed’s senior Aaron McGee walked off the field for his last hurrah in a Pirates uniform, he found himself caught-up in a swirl of emotions that temporarily pushed aside the sting of a 9-8 overtime defeat to Vero Beach High in a hotly contested district semifinal lacrosse match.
“It certainly wasn’t the way I intended the night to end,” McGee said. “That being said, we played our hearts out and I couldn’t be more proud of the team and our fans.
“Then I thought about how I’ll never get to play in front of such a loving crowd again in my life. Although that saddened me deeply, I was glad that it did. If I wasn’t sad that it was over, it would have meant that all the time I put in wasn’t important to me. Obviously that was not the case.”
McGee has dedicated a considerable amount of time and talent to football, soccer and lacrosse at a school that offers a full sports menu to a limited enrollment and encourages everyone to take advantage. McGee did that with gusto.
In keeping with family tradition, McGee came to St. Ed’s as a sixth grader. Older brother J.D. traveled a similar path in sports and academics to the University of Florida. Sister Molly is about to finish her first year at St. Ed’s middle school. Sister Abby is serving her apprenticeship in the fourth grade at Beachland Elementary.
After graduation Aaron will be joining J.D. in Gainesville. “I plan on majoring in engineering, so I won’t be playing any sports at first. I’m going to be concentrating on my studies. Engineering is a very hard major at UF. Maybe I can get back into club sports in the years following. I plan on continuing in athletics because that’s always been my strong suit.”
McGee won numerous honors over four years of varsity football and lacrosse – and three years of varsity soccer. He was a team captain in all three sports.
He was recently named All-District First Team in lacrosse for the third straight year, and a third consecutive All-Region selection should follow. This last season in lacrosse almost didn’t happen however, and that led to a bout of soul-searching.
“When I injured my knee in (my senior year of) football, I was devastated,” McGee recalled. “At first I thought it was an ACL (it wasn’t) and I wasn’t going to be able to finish my athletic career. Luckily I had a second chance and along with that a renewed outlook. Sometimes you don’t realize what you have until it’s gone. I worked harder this year in soccer and lacrosse than I ever have before. ”
McGee sat out a huge chunk of the football season and was relegated to sideline support with the soccer team while going through arduous rehabilitation. Time lost on the athletic field was accompanied by a king-sized helping of perspective. He was determined to make it through the entire lacrosse season.
“The adversity that I faced with my knee made me realize that athletics had to come to an end at some point. That was tough because I didn’t want it to end in my final year. I was really looking forward to making the most of it and going out with a bang.”
Although that did happen in the end, Aaron simultaneously came to the realization that his most memorable moments in athletic competition were probably behind him. Nostalgia and reflection began to take root.
“Football was probably the most rewarding experience. It required more work by far than any other sport. Some people talk about being an excellent person, and some people actually do it. Coach (Bill) Motta is one of those people.
“The state championship four years ago was awesome. A few days ago I was looking at some old photos of the championship game. That was something extremely special.
“Last year we had only 18 guys on the roster, and nine or ten guys never came off the field. You couldn’t come out because there were no replacements. That was a great bonding experience because you’re constantly leaning on each other.”
In soccer under Coach Bill Keating, McGee cited an amazing comeback to win a district championship as a sophomore. In lacrosse under Coach Andrew Scheffer, earning the top seed in the district playoffs this year stands out as the high point for a program Aaron leaves in good hands.
“It’s going to be hard to say goodbye to all three sports because I worked so hard and had so much fun. As I took that last step off the field, I saw my parents and thought about the love and care they gave me since day one. That was the only time all night I got choked up.”
