Naperville Central junior kicker Gavin Ellison received a text several hours before a game against crosstown rival Naperville North on Friday.
The message was from Ellison’s older brother Logan, who was the Redhawks’ kicker for the previous three seasons and graduated in May.
“He said, ‘I know what you’re capable of,’ and he just wished me good luck,” Gavin Ellison said.
Gavin Ellison admitted he had some nerves while playing in his first varsity game against the Huskies at North Central College. His first extra-point attempt hit the right upright, and he later missed a 32-yard field goal try.
But Gavin Ellison converted his next two extra-point attempts, and he ended up getting one more chance to kick.
“The last one was done to perfection,” he said.
It sure was. Gavin Ellison drilled a 25-yard field goal with 1:24 remaining in the fourth quarter to give the Redhawks a thrilling 24-21 comeback victory.
The scene created a sense of déjà vu for many players and fans. Two years ago, Logan Ellison also made a 25-yard field goal to seal a 10-7 overtime victory over Naperville North at the same end of the field in the same stadium.
“As the clock was running down, I knew I might have a chance to repeat the same success of my brother,” Gavin Ellison said. “It was somewhat nerve-wracking.”
Naperville Central coach Mike Ulreich had a flashback to the moment two years ago. He couldn’t believe the coincidence but was sure the outcome would be the same for the Redhawks (2-0).
“I thought the same thing when we were about to kick it: ‘This is about where we hit the last one,’” Ulreich said. “He’s a great kicker. We have some operational stuff that we’ve got to clean up with our snap time. It’s always frustrating to miss an extra point and chase those points. But we had all the confidence in the world in him.”
Gavin Ellison is the youngest of three brothers who have all kicked for the Redhawks. Oldest brother Aidan Ellison plays for Arkansas State.
“As soon as my brothers started kicking, I started gaining interest,” Gavin Ellison said. “It really inspired me to start kicking.
“But I would like to thank my snapper and holder, Daniel and Aaron Nussbaum. A lot of people don’t know this, but all three of us live on Elmwood Drive, so it’s the Elmwood crew.”
The Nussbaum twins, who are a year older than Gavin Ellison, also snapped and held for Logan Ellison, including on the winning kick two years ago.
“He lives eight houses down,” Aaron Nussbaum said. “I didn’t really know him when I was growing up, but as you can see, they’ve been a real trouble for Naperville North.”
Huskies quarterback Jacob Bell and his receivers gave Naperville Central plenty of trouble too. Bell, a Ball State commit, completed 30 of 50 passes for 348 yards and three touchdowns, two of which went to senior wide receiver Quinn Morris and the other to senior wide receiver Chico Thomas. Both finished with 107 receiving yards.
But the Redhawks held Naperville North (1-1) to minus-4 yards rushing and sacked Bell eight times. Senior cornerback Nick Zbylut had three sacks, and senior defensive end Jack Stanish, a Buffalo recruit, had two sacks, including the game-ending one at the Redhawks’ 34-yard line.
Naperville Central didn’t lead until Gavin Ellison’s field goal. Senior running back Aiden Clark‘s 9-yard touchdown run and senior quarterback Sebi Hayes’ two-point conversion pass to junior Dylan Martin at the 10:13 mark of the fourth quarter tied the game.
An interception by senior defensive back Garrett Nichols, a Brown commit, set the stage for Gavin Ellison, who got some last-second encouragement from Aaron Nussbaum.
“I reminded him of practice,” Aaron Nussbaum said. “Yesterday in practice, we kicked about 12 in a row from the 30-yard line, and every single one went in.
“I was like, ‘It’s just like in practice. No pressure. Block out the noise, baby. I’ve seen you do it before, so I know you can do it.’ He went back to his fundamentals, and it worked.”
Just like Logan Ellison did in 2022.
“It was absolutely amazing,” Gavin Ellison said. “I felt on top of the world.”
As did Ulreich.
“It was unbelievable,” Ulreich said. “The last three years we’ve played them, it’s been unbelievable. Both teams just played their hearts out. Credit to Naperville North. They played unbelievable as well. It’s an exciting way to win.”
Matt Le Cren is a freelance reporter.
