Crown Point senior center Connor Cavalcante is held in the highest regard by coach Craig Buzea.
Cavalcante is in the pantheon of players whom Buzea has mentored at the position during his Indiana Football Hall of Fame career, including at Homewood-Flossmoor.
“He’s an awesome kid,” Buzea said. “It’s good to see guys like that do well. I’ve been blessed to have centers like John Michael Schmitz, who starts for the freaking Giants. I’ve had Jamezz Kimbrough, who started for Central Michigan for four years.
“All these guys I’ve had, he’s just as valuable as those guys. You’re talking about a guy who’s playing in the league, starting in the league. I’m not going to sit here and tell you that he’s a pro prospect, but I’m going to tell you, for a high school center, he’s as integral as any of those guys were.”
Cavalcante, who is entering his second season as a starter for the Bulldogs, makes that kind of impact as a 5-foot-8, 230-pound lineman.
“You look at him and go, ‘How the heck can this guy play 6A football?’ because of his stature,” Buzea said. “But he’s an incredibly hard worker, an incredibly hard worker in the weight room. So what you see is not sort of what you get. We were able to have some success on offense last year, and a lot of it was just because of his leadership at the center position.
“He’s a bulldog — that’s how he plays. He’s quite a competitor. He’s definitely the glue to our offensive line.”
Cavalcante said he has gained 55 pounds since his sophomore year. He weighed 215 last season.
“I’ve put on a lot of weight, and my technique has gotten a lot better,” he said. “I learn every day with our coaches. I’ve only gotten a lot stronger, and I didn’t really lose speed. Gaining 55 pounds can really take a toll on someone, but I was able to stay right there.
“Being undersized with my height, it’s really all about technique when you’re smaller than everyone else. Playing center, you have to be strong mentally. You have to know what everyone else is doing. You have to be able to read the box. There’s the mental aspect and the physical aspect. You snap the ball, and these guys are coming at you full speed, so you just have to be ready.”
Crown Point senior left guard Tony Brooks, who made his starting debut as a freshman, respects Cavalcante’s level of preparation.
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“Connor is one of those guys where he’s always putting in the extra work, staying after practice and still snapping,” Brooks said. “You can just tell he’s one of those guys. He’s a little undersized for a center, but he’s always going to outwork every other center in the state. He definitely wants it.”
Both Cavalcante and Brooks referred to the “brotherhood” among the offensive linemen. But Cavalcante won’t be teammates with his twin brother, Carson, this season. Connor Cavalcante is one minute older than Carson, who transferred to Andrean for the second semester last school year. Carson Cavalcante started at defensive back for the Bulldogs and also can play wide receiver.
“He loves this team,” Connor Cavalcante said. “He’d do anything for these guys. I definitely miss him. It would be great to have him here. But I just have to play ball. That’s all it is.”
Cavalcante could continue to play ball after high school. He also has an internship lined up at Hyre Electric as this school year begins.
“I’d love to play college football,” he said. “But if that doesn’t work out, I’ll probably go to the trades.”
Cavalcante’s vision for the Bulldogs this season is even clearer. They’ve posted four straight undefeated regular seasons with four Duneland Athletic Conference titles, and their recent run of domination includes an historic appearance in the Class 6A state championship game in 2023.
“We have a complete team,” Cavalcante said. “We’re ready to go. We really just want to make it as far as we can, just keep fighting.”
Cavalcante embodies that spirit.
“A center for a 6A program you can look in the eye — he’s just a bulldog, man,” Buzea said. “He’s an integral part of what we’re trying to do.
“We limited him some in the summer — a lot, actually. I hardly played him in any scrimmages, just because he’s that valuable to us. He just fights. He’s a guy you love to have with his hand on the ball every single snap.”