Student-Athlete Of The Month: Cole Cavanaugh

The moment he set foot onto campus at Severna Park High School, Cole Cavanaugh had a goal in mind: play college football and do it at an Ivy League school.

That two-pronged goal requires excellence on the field and in the classroom. Through three years of high school, it’s unfolded better than he could have ever dreamed.

The standout Severna Park wide receiver not only has put his name near the top of the Anne Arundel County Public Schools receiving chart during his two years as a starter, but he’s also completed seven AP classes with four more on the docket and put together an impressive 3.8 unweighted and 4.25 weighted GPA.

That got him the attention he sought this summer, as he got an offer from the one Ivy League school he wanted most: Brown University in Rhode Island.

“It only took one night to sleep on it, and the next day I decided to commit. That’s been my dream school for as long as I can remember,” Cavanaugh said. “My cousins and aunt and uncle live a five-minute walk from Brown’s main entrance. Growing up, we’d visited them a lot, and I went to Brown a lot. They have a beautiful campus, and I love their open curriculum. It takes a lot of the stress out for students, and the academic and physical environment there are just a great fit for me.”

The Cavanaugh family has long put academics at the top of the priority chart, which isn’t always easy when playing multiple sports at a high level — in addition to being one of the premier offensive players in the county, Cavanaugh is a defender for Severna Park’s state championship boys lacrosse team.

But the internal discipline, the external motivations, and the structures put in place at Severna Park High all played a role in helping him keep things balanced.

“When you get in freshman year, you need to create the schedule and balance all of that,” he said. “For me, academics has always come first priority-wise. I like to get it done in the classroom before I get it done on the field. It’s about getting that schedule and staying consistent with it.

“Our school does a good job, especially for student-athletes, offering us multiple opportunities to be successful (with study halls and supports). I wouldn’t say it’s easy to succeed, but I feel like it’s easier to succeed than it is to fail.”

Cavanaugh is used to the attention gained from opposing defenses, as he found out last year. He built such a chemistry with the receiving room, notably outgoing seniors Joey Tramontana and Charlie Hartman, as well as Wagner-bound quarterback Vince Nguyen, that playing together became almost second nature.

As he heads into his senior year, Cavanaugh hopes to take on a greater leadership role within both the Falcons football team and in the community.

He will help lead a wide receiver room with virtually no varsity experience, to go with a returning offense with limited experience, on top of perhaps playing some defense as well.

“Stepping up, having two years starting, and we have a lot of good guys coming in; they just need experience. They’re great athletes, very hardworking, but they don’t have a lot of varsity experience,” he said. “It’s about making them all feel included, getting them equal reps, and getting them ready for Friday nights.”

Off the field, Cavanaugh plans to continue building relationships in the community through volunteer work, both in the National Honor Society and Spanish National Honor Society, as well as toy and food drives through SPAN.

“I keep my faith pretty straight, and I know they work with the church,” said Cavanaugh, who connected with SPAN through his church. “I also feel like it’s more than just the money and the donation. It’s about building connections with the people that you’re giving it to. The more people you know, the merrier. I’d rather walk around town and see lots of people I know than not know anyone. We’ve definitely helped a lot of people and shown support for our fellow Falcons at the high school.”

Before he heads off to Brown, perhaps to study marine biology or environmental engineering, Cavanaugh wants to do one more thing at Severna Park: put the football team on the map.

Sure, there’s another lacrosse championship to potentially be won, which would bring their record run to 10, but he hopes that in the near future, football won’t be an afterthought for those in navy and gold.

“You’ll never beat that legacy in that sport,” he said. “We just hold such a history in lacrosse, but for football – it’s been told to me ever since I’ve started on varsity is just to change the culture. I want folks to see the potential for Severna Park football and get the support that maybe we don’t deserve yet, but we will in the next few years. Not necessarily to make Severna Park a football town, but to make people think more about football when they think about Severna Park, growing the football culture in this community.”

The Voice’s Student-Athlete of the Month is sponsored by Matt Wyble of Next Step Realty. Contact Zach Sparks at zach@severnaparkvoice.com to nominate a local student making a positive impact through sports.

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