'You won’t ever do this again': Why Cedric McFadden is the busiest athlete in fall sports

When the Trinity Catholic football team heads into the locker room during halftime, Cedric McFadden stays behind to find his saxophone. When the band takes formation, McFadden finds his spot, and instead of catching his breath, he entertains the crowd.

From the perspective of a uniformed crowd member, it looks like a football player playing a prank on the marching band. For McFadden and the Trinity Catholic community, it’s a normal occurrence.

Trinity Catholic is getting closer: 5 things we learned about Marion County high school football teams in Week 6

“After my halftime, performance my coaches usually say “, Man you’re awesome” or “Dang, this and that” or just little remarks to it,” McFadden said. “But they’re pretty used to it now but before its always compliments and “wow he does it all”.

High school football players wake up with a pit of anticipation in their stomachs, or they’re filled with excitement on game day. By the time most of our modern-day gladiators are throwing the covers off their chests, Cedric McFadden is finishing his cross country practice.

Its part of a normal week for Trinity Catholic’s 2022 average receiving yards leader. Monday mornings are a little easier. Instead of waking up at 5:30 a.m. to work on his conditioning, he sleeps in as much as a high schooler with a full academic schedule can. It’s after school that gets hectic.

As soon as the final school bell rings at 2:55 pm, McFadden heads to Trinity Catholic’s long-distance training route. When he finishes his run between 4 and 4:30 pm. He sprints to the football field for football practice. If he’s late, he slides seamlessly into practice, already warm from completing his running workout.

Missed a game? We have you covered: Final Scores: Get Week 6 Marion County high school football scores here

“That’s just my typical Tuesday,” McFadden says through laughter.

When football practice ends at 6 pm, he reports to band practice until 7 pm. If you’re tired from reading about his schedule, just think how McFadden feels after completing this routine for the last four years.

McFadden walks this tightrope of a routine with precision. Every minute is mapped out.

“I try to manage my time very wisely so I can get sleep, good grades, and compete at a high level,” McFadden said.

The fans have spoken!: Here is who you voted the Ocala-area Midseason high school football Player of the Year

He does most of his homework in class. After a fourteen-hour workday, who could blame him? Imagine going through the stress of training for 5-kilometer race, enduring a football practice, learning sheet music for next week’s halftime show, and then driving home to do math homework.

To most, that would sound like a special type of torture. For McFadden, it’s a badge of honor. When you have the talent and discipline to do what he does, you give it your all and roll with the punches.

You may ask what drives McFadden to fill his day with so many activities, and truthfully, he doesn’t know. One thing is for sure: he wants to make his senior year memorable.

“I guess what keeps me going is that this is my last year doing this,” McFadden said. “I tell myself after this, you won’t ever do this again, and you’re young. I don’t know. You’ll never have the chance to do this again, so why not?”

If you’ve ever heard an older family member complain about this generation being soft or how they had to walk uphill through rain and snow to get to school every day, remember McFadden runs that same hill before breakfast, finishes his homework before lunch, learns a new song and a few football plays before dinner.

If McFadden’s preparation for his passions reminds you of Atlas carrying the earth on his back, just imagine what his future children will think. Their father will be the living embodiment of no excuses allowed. What he did on September 29th and 30th is enough to cement it in stone.

Thirty minutes before the Florida High and Trinity Catholic football game, McFadden was learning the choreography for the halftime performance because he missed drill during the week. Minutes before the halftime show, he hauled in a nine-yard catch to set up a critical 4 and 1 play.

With his pads still on, McFadden performed with the band, relying on cues from his section leader to ensure he’s hitting the right steps. Moments after the performance, he’s doing mental reps as he joins his team in the end zone to warm up for the second half. Minutes after the coach’s closing remarks from a tough loss, he b-lined to Tallahassee for the FSU Invitational, where an hour-long procession for a fallen officer halted traffic to 50 miles per hour. McFadden didn’t check into his hotel until 12 am and still finished 10th in the select division, just a few seconds away from his personal record the next morning.

McFadden ran the entire race with pain in his side from the Friday night game before. Lucky for him, the race started at 8:55 instead of Cross Country’s normal 7 am, giving him a whopping extra hour to recover from a chippy football game. He still had to be up at 6:30 am to make the race.

“I got something to eat after the race because I was starving,” McFadden said. “After a meet, I’m so tired after the bus ride. I’m just wide awake, and I can’t sleep. So I do homework because I always have it on the weekends.”

McFadden is used to making trips like this. The cross-country team didn’t have a team bus last year. On his way home, he stops for his favorite breakfast; pancakes.

This is the life of a student-athlete with a cumulative 3.6 GPA. McFadden only needs four more credits to graduate high school. He could easily qualify for early release and get some proper rest. Instead, Trinity Catholic’s 2023 homecoming prince is taking a course load filled with dual enrollment and AP classes.

“I don’t even know how to explain it,” McFadden said. “You do it so long it’s kind of routine. Everything you do is in the moment, but you put in the work.”

As high school football in Florida enters week seven, you may think there’s a respite around the corner for the do-it-all senior. If it’s up to Trinity Catholic football and cross country, he’ll be busy until December, when state tournament time rolls around for both sports.

McFadden’s entire school year may be just as busy. He’s still flirting with the idea of playing basketball or soccer.

Maybe things will get easier in the spring? No, he’ll juggle lacrosse and track and field, two sports in which he’s become an all-county team member. He’s also looking for other tennis players to start a boys’ team at Trinity Catholic.

The next time you say you’re busy, remember Cedric McFadden does all this while finding time for a social life.

This has become routine for McFadden, but it doesn’t mean he doesn’t have his moments where he’d rather relax. When asked if he ever has a moment when he doesn’t want to do something, he responds in a relatable fashion.

“Oh yes, every day,” McFadden said with authority. “It’s hard to think of a time where I’m like, oh yes, I want to do this.”

This article originally appeared on Ocala Star-Banner: Cedric McFadden proves he can do it all on and off the field