Gavin Ellison is not just entering his final season for the Naperville Central football team, but will also close the chapter as the final Ellison brother to compete as the starting kicker for the Red and White. Before playing varsity his junior year, he watched his older brothers, Aidan and Logan, take on kicking duties for the Redhawks, in addition to playing on the defensive side of the ball. This story is sponsored by Fair Oaks Ford and Fair Oaks Lincoln.
“We all love the game, we grew up watching it, and we were just so excited to play, and we just felt like, might as well play high school, and then we started kicking since eighth grade,” said Naperville Central kicker Gavin Ellison.
“We all grew up playing soccer, so we knew how to kick a ball, and just learning all the dynamics and just the little things to learn how to kick,” said Gavin.
Following in his brothers’ footsteps
Aidan was the first to become a varsity kicker for the Ellison clan as a junior in 2019. He started kicking thanks to practice spent on the soccer pitch, while his two younger brothers began to follow in his footsteps.
“The more that I started kicking, the more that they started picking up on it, and the more that they started looking up to me, and they realized that it was something that they could take on, and they wanted to form their path, but also follow the Ellison name, and Naperville Central,” said older brother Aidan Ellison.
“Logan and I came out to retrieve his balls when he would just try and kick, and then, I fell in love with kicking. Then, just seeing my other brother do it and succeed, and trying to become better and better,” said Gavin.
The Ellison brothers handle more than kicking duties
Every Ellison brother has done their part for the Naperville Central kicking game, whether it was splitting the uprights or pinning opponents deep on kickoffs and punts. Logan and Gavin played crucial roles during their time with the Redhawks, with each brother nailing game-winning field goals against crosstown rivals Naperville North in their junior campaigns. Despite their success on special teams, the brothers bring more to the gridiron than just talented legs.
“They’re football players, all three of them play defense. Aiden was an outside linebacker, Logan was a free safety, Gavin plays corner, and maybe some safety for us too, they’re just football players,” said Naperville Central head coach Mike Ulreich.
Head Coach Mike Ulreich coached on the defensive side during Aidan’s junior and senior years before taking over as head coach in 2021. So he knew what the younger boys had in their tool kits as future defensive and special teams weapons.
“Any time you have an older brother and hear that there’s some younger ones in the pipeline, you’re always excited about this family has been again, a source of stability and consistency for us, that’s for sure,” said Ulreich.
Two Ellison’s remain on the gridiron
Two of the three Ellison brothers will remain strapped up on the football field this fall, with Aidan back in his hometown, kicking for the defending Division III national champions, North Central College. Gavin looks for a strong senior year, following a successful junior season in which the Redhawks went 11-2, making a run to the state semifinals. While he is unsure if he will play in college, the youngest Ellison is ready to leave the final mark on the family legacy.
“I feel like I have more of a responsibility this year compared to last year, and made a lot of great leaders last year. I’m very excited, leading my team,” said Gavin Ellison.
For more prep sports stories and highlights, visit the Naperville Sports Weekly page.
