How Aidan and Gavin Macaulay have transformed Lowville athletics
Courtesy of Matt Macaulay
Aidan Macaulay and Lowville basketball narrowly lost to Joe Girard III and Glen Falls in a 2019 State Championship.
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Before twins Gavin and Aidan Macaulay came to Lowville High School, varsity basketball games would muster crowds that filled a fourth of the gym’s capacity. The team hadn’t made a Section III Championship or state playoff run in years. But, last year, fans lined up for two and a half hours before a sectional contest against Cazenovia High School to secure a seat, their dad, Matt Macaulay, said.
“When you walk into school and see people lined up waiting for a gym door to open at the high school level, that’s when you really know that it’s impacted the community positively,” Matt Macaulay said.
The brothers’ impact on the school’s athletics program will not be forgotten after they graduate this spring, said Lowville head football coach Josh Coffman and head basketball coach Zach Shambo. Both agreed that the brothers have brought a newfound energy to the Red Raiders. They’ve increased the local community’s fan support and inspired a new generation of younger athletes, the coaches said.
The Macaulays, both tri-sport athletes, led Lowville to back-to-back Section III Championship games in basketball, advancing to the State Championship game against a Joe Girard III-led Glens Falls High School team in 2019, as well as a football Sectional Championship in 2019. The two were starters on varsity basketball since freshman year and varsity football since sophomore year. They also played lacrosse but will pivot toward baseball next spring.
Against Glens Falls, Aidan Macaulay had 30 points, bested only by Girard’s 50, as Lowville lost 75-74 in overtime on a game-winning Girard layup. Playing against the now-Syracuse point guard was a “surreal experience,” Gavin Macaulay said.
“Obviously, it didn’t end the way we wanted it, but it’s not something that none of us are going to hang our heads about,” Aidan Macaulay said. “It’s definitely all of our favorite basketball memories from our careers, so it’s something that you can’t replace.”
Last year, the twins won the Sectional Championship in early March and hoped for redemption in the State Championship before the coronavirus pandemic cut the tournament short. After being ranked No. 1 in the state for the majority of the season, Aidan Macaulay said, the cancellation was a big letdown.
When you walk into school and see people lined up waiting for a gym door to open at the high school level, that’s when you really know that it’s impacted the community positively.-Matt Macaulay, father of Aidan and Gavin Macaulay
During the following months, Aidan and Gavin Macaulay have organized smaller team workouts while also traveling down to Syracuse to play pickup games in local gyms and scrimmage with other players.
“They definitely are all sports all the time,” Coffman said. “There isn’t a time when they’re not going to get some workout in every single day.”
The hour-and-a-half drive to Syracuse from Lowville has been worthwhile, though, because gyms near the twins’ house were closed during the pandemic. Their father, Matt Macaulay, grew up in Manlius, and has been attending football and basketball games in the Carrier Dome since he was little — a tradition he’s passed on to his children.
Through their first three years at Lowville, the twins have also clinched multiple sectional titles in the Carrier Dome, both for basketball and football.
Growing up, the Macaulay twins were always the youngest ones on the street, forcing them to compete against their older neighbors in football, basketball and baseball. That higher level of competition from such a young age put them on a path to play high-level high school sports from a young age, Matt Macaulay said.
This season, expectations are high for Lowville football and basketball after last year’s sectional titles. Previously a receiver, Aidan Macaulay shifted to quarterback this offseason. One of his likely targets will be Gavin Macaulay, a starting wide receiver and safety.
But for the Macaulays, despite their success in football, they have the talent to play college-level basketball, said Shambo, the head basketball coach.
“Whatever school they decide to go to, they’re gonna be thankful that those two went to their program,” Shambo said. “Whoever gets them is gonna be blessed.”
Published on September 6, 2020 at 10:34 pm
Contact Connor: csmith49@syr.edu | @csmith17_
