Nazareth senior Jake Cestone felt like he owed it to his older sister, Brianna, to have a big game when the Roadrunners faced Joliet Catholic last Friday.

Cestone carved up the Hilltopper defense for a season-high 194 yards and four touchdowns on seven catches as Nazareth rolled for a 48-21 victory. The very next morning, Cestone was at the hospital, where he spent most of his day visiting with his sister, who recently underwent a third brain surgery.

“I look up to my sister and she’s a really strong role model,” Cestone said. “She’s the toughest person I know and seeing her vulnerable like that put something on me. My sister pushes me every day and she expects the most out of me. She’s one of my biggest supporters and she always checks on me. I went to the hospital after the game and I stayed with her for a long time.”

A former varsity cheerleader at Lake Park, Brianna has been an inspiration to Cestone throughout his life. She’s one of four older siblings in his family, but the two have shared a strong connection due to their closeness in age. Her toughness has pushed Cestone to persevere through difficult situations.

“This surgery has been really hard on her and I’ve done my best to remember that she’s a tough girl and she can handle it,” Cestone said. “She’d want nothing more out of me than to just ball out. ... My sister and I are really close and I’ve always looked up to her. I’ve always depended on her and she’s been such a strong role model for me. She’s the best sister I could ask for.”

Playing for his sister and his grandmother Eileen, who continues to fight lung cancer, Cestone helped the Roadrunners improve to 4-1 on the season and remain the No. 2 ranked team in Class 6A. A fourth-year varsity player and one of two star receivers on the Nazareth offense, Cestone has posted 22 catches for 386 yards and nine touchdowns in his team’s first five games.

“She’s really strong and she’s a great grandma,” Cestone said. “She was a nurse and she’s always wanting to give... I love seeing my grandma after the games and she’s always saying things like, ‘Wow, you were so fast’ and ‘I couldn’t believe you did that.’ Hearing that out of her makes me so happy, so I always strive to make everyone who believes in me happy, especially her.”

Since making the varsity team as a freshman, Cestone has put together a highly successful high school career. A three-time 5A state champion with the Roadrunners, who’re seeking their fourth consecutive title this season, Cestone has 138 career receptions for 2,467 yards and 38 touchdowns. The senior will be playing football collegiately at Illinois State after high school.

“I can count on one hand the amount of freshmen I’ve taken up to varsity immediately,” said Nazareth coach Tim Racki, who attended Driscoll with Cestone’s father, Mike. “Jake stood out and not only did I take him up, but he handled the physicality and the mental aspect of playing in this conference, which is extremely tough. He was undersized as a freshman, but his toughness stood out. He didn’t blink when I brought him up to varsity.”

Cestone’s success hasn’t come without hurdles, however. As a freshman, he suffered an ankle injury that required surgery to repair. He then sprained his AC joint during a workout that sidelined him for another six weeks. Although injuries can be debilitating for a young player, Cestone credited his head coach, Racki, for the mental growth he’s made since his freshman year.

“When I came back, I was always down and I’d be very upset whenever I dropped a ball,” Cestone said. “Coach Racki taught me how to deal with that emotion and how to use that moving forward. Going into this season, I know I can help my teammates when a bad play happens or when something goes wrong. In my head, I’m thinking about how I want the ball on the next play.”

Nazareth’s run to three straight state titles hasn’t come without adversity, either. During the 2022 season, Cestone’s freshman year, Nazareth started 2-4 before rallying off eight consecutive victories. The Roadrunners lost their first four games in 2023, but made the playoffs as a 4-5 team. That year, Nazareth won five straight games en route to a second championship.

“I didn’t know what to expect when I came to Nazareth,” Cestone said. “I wasn’t expecting to be on varsity because I saw how big the guys were when I showed up to practice. I was scared and nervous when I was brought up, but the culture that coach Racki has built and the players who bought into that made me believe that I’m as important as any other player here.”

As a junior, Cestone tied his career high in receptions (52) while setting new personal bests in receiving yards (978) and touchdowns (16). One of many talented upperclassmen on the roster, Cestone helped the Roadrunners go 12-2 and roll through the 5A playoffs to win a third straight state title. Now playing in 6A, Cestone and the Roadrunners are off to an encouraging start.

“Last year, we had a ton of great seniors who’ve all left,” Cestone said. “I feel like a lot of teams are built on chemistry and working hard. We do all of that, but I think this team is built on doubt. I feel like everyone has been doubting us after losing all of our seniors and we took that personally. We kept moving forward and we’ve focused on each other and each other only.”

Growing up, Cestone played youth football through the Bloomingdale Bears and the Addison Cowboys. Cestone, whose older brothers Christian, Brandon and Mikey all played football as well, tried wrestling and baseball as a child, but he took an interest in football early on. He said his competitive spirit and the team nature of the sport drew his interest at a young age.

“I love the competitiveness and the culture of football, especially here at Nazareth,” said Cestone, who grew up playing running back and linebacker before moving to wide receiver in middle school. “It’s a way to clear my head from everything going on in life. I’ve always had a deep love for football.”

Cestone said he intends to study finance while playing football at Illinois State. Cestone, who received an offer from the Redbirds during a workout in January, announced his commitment on social media after visiting the ISU campus in June. Cestone will continue to play wide receiver in college.

“They showed up during a workout,” said Cestone, whose aunt Tricia went to Illinois State. “Coach [Ben] Black offered me on the spot and after the offer, we’ve been talking almost every day. He’s been checking in on me and it’s been so easy to talk to him because of how much love they’ve shown me. They check on my parents, my sister and my grandma. They’ve been so supportive and I knew I was committing there after my second visit.”

Despite approaching career milestones in receiving yards, touchdowns and potentially a fourth state championship, Cestone has always kept his focus on the team rather than himself. One of only a few players remaining from the 2022 state title team, another being three-star wide receiver prospect Trenton Walker, Cestone’s leadership hasn’t gone unnoticed by his coach.

“Jake’s an incredible person off the field,” Racki said. “I played high school football with his father and he was a junior when I was a senior. It wasn’t a surprise to see that Jake was such a great kid. He lights up a room and he has an incredible sense of humor. He’s respectful to everyone in the school and when it comes to football and his priorities... He really loves his family and his ability to manage all of that is really impressive for a kid his age.”