MISHAWAKA, Indiana — Crown Point right tackle Nolan Cicero wasn’t quite sure how it unfolded.
Teammate Larry Ellison raced untouched for a 66-yard touchdown on the play.
“He did go around the right side,” Cicero said. “But I don’t really know. I just saw it happen. I just looked up, and he was gone.”
Ellison was more direct in noting the contribution by Cicero, a 6-foot-5, 295-pound junior, on that TD during the Bulldogs’ dominant 35-0 victory on the road against Penn in a Class 6A sectional championship game Friday night.
“He kicked that dude out, and I pressed the hole,” Ellison said. “Their linebackers came up, so I just had to bounce it. From there, it was open field, so I just had to put on the burners.”
Cicero and the rest of Crown Point’s offensive line — senior left tackle Austin Rivera, sophomore left guard Tony Brooks, senior center Anthony Atwood and junior right guard Austin Reading — helped pave the way for Ellison, a senior running back who racked up 200 yards and four TDs on 25 carries.
Ellison’s third TD, a 1-yarder in the second quarter, capped a 14-play, 97-yard drive, and his fourth, a 5-yarder with 2:42 left in the third, triggered a running clock.
Meanwhile, senior quarterback Noah Ehrlich completed 14 of 17 passes, to seven receivers, for 155 yards and a 9-yard TD to junior tight end Trevor Gibbs that opened the scoring.
“The O-line, we work as a unit so we can make those guys really shine,” Cicero said. “They’re awesome dudes, great leaders. At the end of the day, we’re playing for them, for all of us, for each other.
“We’re one big unit. That’s the only way to describe the O-line. We do everything together, hang out. It’s really awesome to show that on the field, show how close we are.”
The Bulldogs (11-0), ranked No. 2 in the final 6A media poll by The Associated Press, didn’t come close to allowing No. 12 Penn (8-3) to break up the shutout. The Kingsmen were limited to 60 yards rushing and 84 yards passing.
Crown Point coach Craig Buzea described this game as probably his defense’s best of the season.
“This game’s all about the defense,” he said. “For those guys to do what they’ve done, to come over here and shut those guys out, a phenomenal performance.”
Cicero’s performance has matched his pedigree as he fulfills his potential. Before coming into his own this season, he played right tackle on the freshman team and played mostly on the junior varsity team last season while getting sparing varsity reps at guard and center.
So far, Cicero has offers from Ball State, Eastern Michigan, Miami of Ohio and Toledo.
Cicero’s father Tom is the highly respected and successful offensive line coach for the Bulldogs, who will next host Fort Wayne Carroll (9-2) in a regional. Cicero’s brother Nick, a 2022 Crown Point graduate, is a junior at McKendree.
“He (Nolan Cicero) has to go every day to practice with his dad, so you have to admire him for that,” Buzea said with a grin. “But Nolan, he didn’t play last year for us. He was a sophomore playing on the JV, just like all of our offensive linemen. He’s definitely going to be a big-time recruitable athlete by the time he’s done.
“What I like about all of those guys, they play as one. We had to rebuild our whole offensive line this year. That was all we heard in the offseason — they lost their offensive line, they lost their offensive line. Coach Cicero has done a good job with those guys.”
Cicero has been appreciative of his father’s tutelage too.
“He’s always there if I have any questions,” Cicero said. “We butt heads a little bit at home. But it’s great having him there.”
Cicero has also relied on his family during his recruitment.
“My brother helps me out, and my dad too,” he said. “They tell me how it’s going to be, so I have a lot of people to guide me in the right way.”
Ellison said Cicero approaches his position in the right way.
“He’s really energetic,” Ellison said. “He’s a big boy. He makes sure he does his job correctly. He does really good for us.”
Cicero hasn’t taken his emergence for granted.
“Freshman year, my dad said I wasn’t ready to be coached,” he said. “Sophomore year, I rotated in with varsity a little. This year, I just took off.
“It’s just listening to my dad. He has guys all over the place, so to have that wisdom, a coach like that, it’s awesome. You have to listen.”
