Abbigail Bond and Aiden O’Neill are crowned as Coupeville High School Homecoming royalty during their senior year. (Julie Wheat photo)
This is a story about a dude whose spirit couldn’t be broken.
Even when his body tried to slam on the brakes time and again.
One of the most physically talented athletes to ever wear a Coupeville uniform, Aiden O’Neill was limited only by the injuries he had to battle through.
When he was on the football field, the basketball court, or the baseball diamond, he was a shining star, capable of piling up impressive stats and leaving lasting memories from big-time performances.
It would be easy to take pity on him, to feel sorry for the times injuries prevented him from being in the spotlight he deserved.
But Aiden never seemed to feel sorry for himself, so why should we?
Instead, we should honor the effort he put in to be healthy, to fight back time and again when others would call it quits — a trait reflected by more than one Wolf coach hailing him as the hardest worker they had on their teams.
Aiden is that rare cat who never seemed to get too high or too low — he sort of reminds me of Matthew McConaughey, boppin’ through life to his own rhythm — while excelling in all aspects of his life.
He was strong in the classroom, a key part of why he was tabbed as a Lions Club Student of the Quarter, and in the community, which helped him net the Cliff Gillies Award, a distinction handed out by the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association to those who “excel in scholarship, citizenship, and participation.”
From the first moment he stepped on to the gridiron, Aiden made an impact, picking off passes for a CHS football team which went to the state playoffs during his freshman campaign.
Already making big plays way back when he was a fab frosh. (Brenna Silveira photo)
He was a ballhawk on defense, while also being quite willing to land explosive hits on any rivals foolish enough to intrude on his territory.
Put him on offense and he was a weapon, whether running with the ball or snatching passes out of the air, the end zone always his preferred destination.
Football took its impact on Aiden’s body, however, which made it so he didn’t get his full run as a basketball player.
When he was on the court — and he fought to stay in play, often working through pain and frustration — he was Mr. Smooth, slicing ‘n dicing defenses, hurtling to the hoop for buckets or popping outside to drain long-range treys.
A scrapper, Aiden had fast hands and was always in the mix for rebounds, steals, and tipped passes, helping key the Wolf fast break with his opportunistic style of play.
Teaming up with Carson Grove to bedevil a rival player. (Melanie Wolfe photo)
His time on the baseball diamond was again limited somewhat by injuries and recovery, but when he could get a bat in hand or a glove ready to go, he was often electrifying.
His nimble toes helped make Aiden a true threat every time he streaked around the basepaths, where he led the Wolves in triples and went 26 for 28 in career stolen base opportunities.
In the field, the sure-handed outfielder could, and did, chase down just about anything.
Case in point, a game from his senior season when the Wolves rallied to stun Friday Harbor 10-8 in a wild come-from-behind home victory.
Aiden saved the win with a stunning double play in the seventh and final inning, a moment immortalized by CHS assistant coach Jon Roberts:
“Aiden made a Sports Center catch! Absolutely pounded ball to deep left field, he got on his horse, chased it down and launched himself.
“Horizontally stretched out as far as he could and made the catch, came up, threw it to shortstop as a cut, who threw it to second base to tag out the advancing runner. Double play!
“I’m telling you, it was an absolute holy shit play! (Assistant coach) Morgan (Payne) knocked the scorebook out of my hand up into the air and I caught it like I was going after a touchdown catch!”
No baseball escapes his glove. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)
Plays like that, and the calm, measured way Aiden responded in the moment to his own brilliance are a perfect showcase for why he will be remembered long after his graduation as part of the CHS Class of 2026.
Injuries limited the number of games he played but never dimmed his shine.
He was a gamer, someone who never shrank from the spotlight, and his time in a Wolf uniform made a noticeable impact on teammates, coaches, and fans.
It’s why today we swing open the doors to the Coupeville Sports Hall o’ Fame, and welcome Aiden O’Neill into our lil’ digital shrine.
After this you’ll find him up at the top of the blog under the Legends tab, holding down a spot he earned through hours of hard work and a lifetime of never taking the easy way out.
The Dude abides. (Davin Houston photo)
