Aidan McMahon’s talent has always been plain to see for those who know him best.
Now the Naperville North senior forward is getting noticed by everyone else. This is McMahon’s third varsity season but first as a starter, and he’s making the most of it.
“It’s awesome because I was expecting to start as a sophomore, but I got injured, so I didn’t get a chance to,” he said. “Over the years I’ve been getting time and progressing. I was ready to start this year, and it’s been good.”
McMahon strained a hip flexor as a sophomore, limiting him to reserve duty. He got into nine games and scored two goals.
As a junior, McMahon again came off the bench, scoring one goal in 25 games while playing behind an experienced lineup that included Division I recruits Cam Radeke (Wright State), Tyson Amoo-Mensah (DePaul) and Alex Barger (Indiana).
Radeke and Amoo-Mensah graduated in the spring, leaving McMahon with a greater opportunity to do his thing, just as Naperville North coach Jim Konrad knew he would.
“I’ve known Aidan since he was 7, and he’s been unbelievable since he was 7,” Konrad said. “He struggled physically with some injuries, but I’ve always known he is an incredible talent.”
McMahon enjoyed the best game of his career on Saturday, when he recorded two goals, including the game winner, and an assist in a 3-2 victory against top-ranked Plainfield North in the Best of the West Tournament championship game.
Play like that has inspired younger teammates like sophomore Connor Hanrahan, who scored the game winner as the Huskies (6-2) beat Neuqua Valley 5-0 in a DuPage Valley Conference opener on Tuesday.
“He’s doing all right,” Hanrahan deadpanned when asked about McMahon.
“It’s great playing with him. At the beginning of the season, I was always defending him in practice. He’s hard to guard because he’s shifty and you don’t know what he’s going to do.”
McMahon didn’t know he was going to have the breakout performance against Plainfield North, but Konrad had an inkling.
“I had a weird feeling that Aidan was going to have a big game,” Konrad said. “In club, he scores goals in big moments.
“In high school, he’s playing against all his club buddies, so I knew he was going to score a goal. To go out and score two and deliver an assist, it was an incredible night for him.”
That experience has only emboldened McMahon to do more.
“It was really big for my confidence, but I knew I had it in me,” McMahon said. “It was just a matter of showing it.”
As frustrating as it was for McMahon to have to wait longer than expected to crack the starting lineup, there was a silver lining. He is working well with Barger. Both have three goals, tied for second on the team behind sophomore Noah Radeke, who has four.
“I am under the radar a little bit because of my injury, so it’s nice to have a little bit of a name but a little bit of a shadow too,” McMahan said. “It’s definitely an advantage for me because of Alex, obviously, and Noah has been lighting it up too.”
Konrad expects McMahon to keep it up.
“He’s one of the purest ball strikers I’ve ever seen in terms of his ability to read a ball off of any surface or in the air,” Konrad said. “He always strikes it true.
“He’s a true student of the game. He’s always asking questions and looking to understand things as opposed to one of those typical teenage boys who are like, ‘I know how to do everything right, I’m just going to do it my way.’ He wants to grow.”
Whether he’s in the limelight or not.
Matt Le Cren is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun.
