Aidan Spurgeon dreamed it would come true one day. 

The Mattoon High School offensive lineman/linebacker had always thought about being named an All-State football player. As of this week, that dream became a reality when the senior wasn’t just named to the All-State list but was named a First-Team All-State selection in Class 5A for IHSA football. 

“It means everything to me,” said Spurgeon. “I’m just grateful for being named one of the best. It’s something that I always hoped would happen and I’m proud that it did.”

Spurgeon did admit that being named to the list was a bit of a surprise, but it had always been a goal. 

“Yes, it was a surprise,” said Spurgeon. “But it was always a goal of mine and I’m proud I made it happen.”

According to Maxpreps, Spurgeon led the entire state in all class systems in total tackles with 150. Spurgeon’s 16.7 tackles per game also led the state, while his 80 solo tackles ranked 14th, 70 assists ranked 11th, and 16.0 tackles for loss ranked 34th. 

 “I worked hard putting hours in the gym dedicating myself to the game,” said Spurgeon. “Naturally I’m a competitive person so I just wanted to be the best at my position, I feel like all that hard work has paid off. I take a tremendous amount of pride in being recognized as one of the best tacklers in the state. However, I know that if it wasn’t for my teammates on defense, it wouldn’t have been possible.”

Former head coach Troy Johnson said that Spurgeon was a product of hard work and spent many hours in the weight room to get to this point. 

“Aidan is a great player with outstanding work habits,” Johnson said. “He worked very hard and was very deserving of all-state. He is as tough as they come. I have been blessed to be able to watch him play and grow.”

Spurgeon said that he and his brother, quarterback Jackson Spurgeon, are looking into playing at the collegiate level and have hopes of playing.  

“I would love to go on and continue playing the game that I love,” said Spurgeon. “Obviously I want to thank my coaches, family, and teammates for everything that they have done to help me get this far.” 

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