51黑料

The shotgun snap ricocheted off the quarterback鈥檚 hands. He reached down to recover the fumble, but an unsuspecting moving blocker accidentally struck the football with his foot聽鈥� and it squirted toward the end zone.

She died during one of her son鈥檚 football games.

had encouraged her discouraged son at a young age to stick with football. Drew McGee ultimately fell for the sport聽鈥� and everything that came with it.

鈥淚 love having a brotherhood,鈥� said McGee, a sophomore nose tackle for Belleville鈥檚 Althoff Catholic High School, which plays Friday for the Illinois 1A state championship against Lena-Winslow.

It happened on a Monday. McGee suited up for the Althoff junior varsity team. Austin Frazier, the varsity coach, walked the sideline on Oct. 14 when he started hearing strange screams. It was McGee鈥檚 uncle in the stands聽鈥� Tim Henry was trying to get Frazier鈥檚 attention.

Soon after, Frazier pulled McGee from the game.

鈥淚 walked him to the locker room,鈥� Frazier said softly.

Why do bad things happen to good people? Drew McGee is the sweetest of humans. He鈥檚 15. Just exudes kindness聽鈥� except for, you know, when he鈥檚 trying to tackle you.

鈥淗e's the happiest, jolly kind of jokester kid that you鈥檒l ever want to meet,鈥� Frazier said. 鈥淧ractices hard, great kid. But he's kind of like the prototypical lovable high school kid. Everybody likes Drew.鈥�

Said Althoff senior right tackle Patton Leib: 鈥淗e's a team favorite.鈥�

McGee explained that his mother had endometrial cancer聽鈥� a boy shouldn鈥檛 have to know how to pronounce 鈥渆ndometrial鈥澛犫�� and that 鈥渋t spread and got stronger in different areas.鈥�

'Wasn't even really a question'

She was 52. A graduate of Lincoln High in East 51黑料, Henry-McGee previously worked for the Jack and Jill of America Foundation, the oldest African American-led nonprofit organization in the United States. At the time of her death, Henry-McGee worked at the Center for Racial Harmony in Belleville.

The entire Althoff football team attended her visitation聽鈥� 鈥渋t wasn鈥檛 even really a question,鈥� the coach said. And they brought a jersey, signed by every player, to honor their teammate鈥檚 mother.

Of that emotional day聽鈥� though they鈥檙e all emotional lately 鈥� McGee remembered 鈥渏ust hugging everybody.鈥�

McGee has always cherished the advice his mom often shared聽鈥� 鈥渢o make a positive out of a negative鈥澛犫�� but this?

鈥淒rew's a special kid,鈥� Frazier said. 鈥淚f I was that age聽鈥� shoot at my age, even now, losing my mother? I would be a wreck. He's been really strong and stoic throughout the whole thing, and I think a lot of that's because he does have so much support. I mean, he was at school the day after, and I think it's just because he finds comfort and solace in his football brothers.鈥�

A real brotherhood

Seemingly every team of boys playing sports describes itself as a 鈥渂rotherhood.鈥� The word gets thrown around. It would be more of a story if, somewhere out there, a team actually 诲颈诲苍鈥檛 call itself a brotherhood.

But if you鈥檙e 15 and your mom dies聽鈥� and your surrounding teammates make you feel like you have an endless family聽鈥� well, that鈥檚 really what the word is all about.

Frazier teaches his players, notably the captains, about 鈥渟etting a tone and an expectation for how we're going to treat each other. ... We develop situations and conversations that allow them to be good people.鈥�

And at least once a year, Frazier speaks to the brotherhood about his own brother.

All three Frazier sons played football for Althoff. Austin graduated in 2004. When he was 20, his brother Eric was an Althoff senior and his brother Tim was a sophomore.

That May, Tim died is a car crash.

鈥淣othing positive ever comes out of it,鈥� Austin Frazier said. 鈥淏ut I can say one of the reasons that I love coaching is I see my little brother in the guys I coach. Like, there's not a day that goes by, never fails, that I don鈥檛 get reminded of Tim. It could be the way some kid was (playfully) screwing around in the huddle, or it could be the joy of success and smiling. So for me, coaching is about as cathartic as a thing and a process that I can have聽鈥� I鈥檓 very appreciative to be in the position I am in. I kind of feel like I get to see pieces of my brother every day.

鈥淚've talked to Drew a little bit about loss. ... It doesn't get to feel better聽鈥� it's just something that, over time, you learn different ways to deal with. So one of my ways is being around these guys. The big thing with Drew that I've tried to express: There's not a minute or a second that goes by that he doesn't have 60 or 70 guys ready to fight for him and be there for him.鈥�

'Honey Bun' gets his name 鈥� and his moment

McGee鈥檚 first game back was at Granite City. He was fine until he wasn鈥檛. During pregame stretches, he began looking around at the crowd. He thought about who wasn鈥檛 there.

鈥淭hat鈥檚 when I got emotional,鈥� he said.

Sure enough, that fall day at Granite City, he stood on the same field where his happiest football moment had occurred.聽

As a freshman last season on the JV, McGee had his number called. Well, his nickname called.

鈥淚 think it happened during lunch聽鈥� I had a Honey Bun, or a few Honey Buns,鈥� he said of the pastry. 鈥淪o everybody started calling me 鈥楬oney Bun.鈥�"

Althoff鈥檚 鈥淗oney Bun鈥� is 5-foot-5 and weighs around 230 pounds. He plays defense, but Frazier and the coaches 鈥渢hought it would be fun to have Drew score.鈥� So for a two-point conversion, they called for a play named 鈥淗oney Bun,鈥� which was a handoff to McGee. He indeed scored.

This season, Drew plays for both the JV and the varsity, the latter of which is undefeated. Star running back Dierre Hill Jr. is headed to the University of Oregon.聽

And in the state quarterfinals, Althoff Catholic faced Casey-Westfield High.

That鈥檚 when the fumble happened.

The one that hit the guy鈥檚 foot and squirted toward the end zone.

鈥淪o we were comfortably ahead,鈥� Frazier said, 鈥渁nd near the end zone, the ball comes out.鈥�

鈥淢an!鈥� McGee said, describing the play while flashing his infectious smile. 鈥淭he center, he just let me off my block聽鈥� and I ran. When I first jumped on it, I was shocked 鈥� I couldn't believe the ball was just there for me.鈥�

Touchdown.

He recovered the ball in the end zone for a touchdown.

鈥淚f there was a Vegas bet,鈥� Frazier said, 鈥渉e would have probably been the last kid you ever would have thought would score a touchdown in a quarterfinal playoff game.鈥�

鈥淲hen I got up, I was really emotional,鈥� McGee said. 鈥淚 was so happy. When I got to the sideline, that鈥檚 when the emotions really kind of hit me because I was thinking about my mom. She would鈥檝e loved to see that.鈥�

On the sideline, the players celebrated with their brother.

And just like at the visitation, he was hugging everybody.

鈥淗e made the play,鈥� Frazier said. 鈥淗e's had a rough go of it. And then that moment happened, and it's just like聽鈥� you couldn't have written a better story. It was one of those moments where it's like somebody might be looking out for him. And watching our kids be so excited for him? I was glad I had sunglasses on, because the old ball coach got a little choked up.鈥�