Marco Sends Winged Foot Representatives from MIA, Lely

Winged Foot Award representatives from Lely High School and Marco Island Academy both came from Marco Island this year. While Lely’s Maggie Poling and MIA’s Jacob Watt took different paths to high school after attending Tommie Barfield Elementary together, the two have some commonalities that made them attractive choices as their schools' Winged Foot scholar athletes. Both will create empty nests at home when they leave for college as the babies of their respective families - Poling to Georgetown, Watt to the University of Miami. Poling is the fourth sibling to graduate from Lely, while Watt is the third sibling to graduate from MIA. Both are outstanding runners and point guards on their basketball teams. Of course, both are outstanding students, given that the Winged Foot Scholar-Athlete Award recognizes the best scholar-athlete from each of the Collier County High Schools. Here are their stories.

Poling did it all at Lely

Lely’s Maggie Poling certainly left her mark at the East Naples High School, whether it was leading the basketball team from her point guard position or leading the percussion section of the school’s marching band. One highlight of Poling’s years at Lely has to be the basketball team’s run to the regional championship game during her junior season.

“That was a great experience,” Poling recalled enthusiastically. "Just seeing everyone’s reactions after winning the district championship. The work ethic after we won and people wanted to keep winning. That was really cool.”

It's the furthest a Lely girls’ basketball team has advanced since 1977.

“It was definitely surreal,” Poling said. "I remember the bus rides, especially the last few, because they were so far away. But just getting ready and mentally preparing for the game with all my teammates around me and the excitement of being able to play at that level - everyone was very psyched up. So, it was kind of nice to be together and be as one team.”

Poling finished fourth in her class of 337, but that didn’t keep her from pursuing a full schedule of sports and activities. She was a member of three varsity sports teams while playing the drums in the marching band, where she was captain of the percussion section. She learned early how to get the most from each day.

“Just trying to do my work in school,” she said, "and leave little to none to do after practice because I knew how tired I would be. Sometimes it did end up where I just had to kind of push through, even after I was running in the heat or doing line drills or running sprints in cross country. Just really having a work ethic and trying to keep my academics up while also trying my best at practice.”  

Poling is aware of being the last of a distinguished group of Polings to graduate from Lely.

"I just feel like I've been involved with Lely for so long,” she said, "just because I went to all my siblings' different occasions, whether it was sports or their graduations or their academic nights. I feel like I've just really gotten to experience Lely to the fullest extent because of them.”

Poling went from the Winged Foot Awards to Georgetown University to take part in her sister’s graduation ceremony. She feels her rigorous academic schedule at Lely has her ready for the academic demands at Georgetown.

"I think they prepared me pretty well,” Poling said. "I took a lot of advanced placement classes, and I feel like their workload is similar to that at Georgetown, but it was definitely a lot at some point. So, I think being able to manage my stress with those hard classes, I think it prepared me well for Georgetown.”

Poling said being part of the band was a special part of her time at Lely.

"The marching band is one of the great things that Lely has to offer,” she said. "I spent four years doing that as well. I was able to lead. We had seven new people in the percussion section. I was one of those new people coming in, not knowing how to hold a drumstick. And they grew so much throughout the year. That was awesome to see."

Poling is also thankful for the adults who influenced her at Lely.

"You know, they've really shaped me,” she said. “My coaches, like Coach Jaylen (Outten), Coach Brock, Coach Bissell, Coach Boston. There are so many people - and my teachers. I don't know, just the whole Lely community. And the principal at Lely, too, Miss Bledsoe. The people are incredible. They made everything the best."

Watt Shines in His Own Light

There can be no doubt that Marco Island Academy’s Jacob Watt grew up under the microscope on Marco Island. His mother, Jane Watt, was all-in accomplishing her lofty goal of starting - and building - a brand new high school on the island. His big brother Johnny was as popular a student athlete as the island has ever seen. And his dad, Jim, was his basketball coach. Yes, Jacob Watt was definitely the boy under the microscope. And yes, he did feel the pressure.

"I don't remember anything prior to Marco Island Academy being around,” Watt said. "I remember when I was really young going to meetings and stuff because I was so young, my mom would just bring me with her, and I would be driving race cars on the counter while people were talking and stuff. I remember having to go to city council meetings. I don't have a memory of the school not being in my life.”

He also doesn’t have any memories of not having a highly successful big brother to follow.

"Oh, absolutely,” Watt said. "I actually wrote my college essay about the pressure from my parents being respected people on the island and my mom with the school. I wrote in my college essay about how teachers knew me before I even came into the school and just expected a lot from me. And that was really tough to deal with."

People expected Jacob to be like Johnny.

"They expected me to do the same sports as him and be as good as him. And that was really tough. Also put a lot of stress on me and stuff.”

Fortunately, Johnny was a big brother - four years older - who wanted nothing but the best for his little brother.

“Both my siblings I looked up to,” Watt said, alluding to his sister Olivia, the eldest Watt child. “But Johnny, when I was younger, I wanted to do everything that he was doing. When he was playing soccer, I was asking my parents to start me in soccer, too. And then he started doing cross country. I wanted to do cross country. So, I basically just followed whatever he did."

So how did Jacob, a quiet natured kid, cope with the pressure?

“Honestly,” he said, "I just worked hard. I mean, it's not really anything other than that. Starting my freshman year, I was trying to get in the gym every day. I was running a lot, trying to keep in shape for track. Basketball is what I focused on especially. I was doing workouts all the time over the summer. I was in the gym every day. I just wanted to be better than him.”

And the gym. What a memory that is for the youngest Watt. Though all the Watt kids graduated from MIA, only Jacob had the privilege of actually attending the sparkling new high school with its state-of-the-art gymnasium.

"I was super excited,” Watt said. "We got a brand new gym. Super nice. I mean, we were the first kids to even play in the gym, so I was super excited about that. But I did feel bad for my siblings not being able to experience it like I did, especially Johnny."

While Jacob certainly excelled on the basketball court, under the tutelage of his father Jim, the head coach, his teams were not as talented overall as brother Johnny’s.

“My dad being the coach, for me was a little bit tough sometimes,” Watt said. “Because the coach's kid is normally given more playing time, and he has different expectations from everyone. It almost feels unfair to other kids sometimes if I'm getting more playing time and whatever. I just worked hard so that I could be the best on the team, so no one would even be able to say he shouldn't be getting playing time because I would be the best player.”

While Watt was unquestionably the best player on the Rays, being a team player was most important to him.

“As a basketball player, I'd say bringing my teammates together in relation to the actual game of basketball, facilitating the ball and knowing when to score and knowing when to pass the ball was most important to me,” he said. “I almost didn't really even notice the impact that I had on the kids that are younger than me until this year, my senior year. I was pushing them to work harder and be better versions of themselves.”

And big brother Johnny, who was away at the University of Florida, made sure he was fulfilling his big brother duties.

“He was the best brother I could have asked for when I was going through high school,” Watt said. "He was super supportive. He came to all the games that he could, all the track meets. And when he wasn't there, my mom was sending him videos. He would even sometimes watch the live streams on Hudl. So, he was super supportive. He was giving me advice. And I think that he wanted me to be better than him. And he was the best for me.”

And little brother Jacob actually did outshine big brother Johnny in track and field, where both brothers competed in the long jump and the triple jump. Watt recently placed number 10 in the long jump at the state track and field championships in Jacksonville.

"I honestly loved track,” Watt said. "It was probably my second favorite sport, other than basketball. I love long jump and triple jump. They’re just so much fun. I was very pleased with my entire high school career with that. I think I had my brother in the long jump and the triple jump, too."

As he looks forward to starting school at the University of Miami in the fall, Watt thinks about how his departure will affect his parents.

“My mom is pretty sad that I'm the last one to leave,” Watt said. “My dad is honestly excited for me going into college. He's really excited. I think my mom is more sad than excited, just because she still wants to have kids in the house. So, for impacting my parents, I guess my mom is upset, but my dad is excited. That's definitely how I would expect it to be."

But the good part is that their baby will be only two hours away.

“They're excited that I'm not going somewhere super far away,” he said. "I know my mom is happy about that."

The Winged Foot Award ceremony was held Thursday, May 15^th at the Ritz Carlton in Naples. This year’s winner is Tara Watkins from Naples High School, who earned 13 varsity letters in cross country, weightlifting, softball, and track and field.