For years, Emmy O'Donnell walked past the banners honoring Concord-Carlisle's Gatorade state players of the year in the CCHS gymnasium. Now the junior midfielder's own name joins them — the first CCHS girls soccer player, and just the fifth Patriot in any sport, to win the award.

"It's really special," O'Donnell told The Concord Bridge. "I have to give my teammates and the coaches a lot of credit. They made it a lot of fun."

A breakout season that made the honor possible.

O'Donnell scored 13 goals and added nine assists last fall, helping the Patriots go 12-5-5 and reach the MIAA Division 1 state semifinals. TopDrawerSoccer.com now ranks her the No. 42 recruit nationally in the 2027 class, and she's already verbally committed to Duke.

She almost wasn't a soccer player at all.

CCHS head coach Peter Fischelis said O'Donnell once competed nationally in track and field — and "was a better runner." Soccer won out anyway, and more than a decade of club training with Graeme Blackmon at FC Stars of Massachusetts sharpened her into the player she is now.

"Until the past two or three years, I wasn't the most decorated player," O'Donnell said. "I never expected any of this, but I got better and gained confidence."

Opposing coaches have taken notice.

Lincoln-Sudbury head coach Matt Wentworth called her "a nightmare to coach against," pointing to her rare combination of speed and technical skill. O'Donnell has also worn the national colors, attending five U.S. Soccer national team camps and playing internationally twice with the Under-19 and Under-18 Women's National Teams.

Joining a very short list.

O'Donnell becomes just the fifth CCHS Gatorade Player of the Year across any sport, following Michelle Daly (softball, 2000-01), Eric Sellew (boys basketball, 2015-16), Thomas Ratcliffe (boys track, 2015-16) and Corinne Herr (volleyball, 2021-22). The award, running since 1985, weighs athletic excellence, academics and character, and comes with a $1,000 grant O'Donnell can direct to a youth sports organization of her choice.

She returns to the CCHS pitch for her senior season this fall — as the reigning state player of the year.