Locals Nolan (St. John's) and Blattner (Shrewsbury) set to anchor Holy Cross offensive line

WORCESTER — After not playing at all as a freshman and filling a rotational role as a sophomore, Holy Cross offensive lineman Cam Nolan entered the 2024 season as the Crusaders’ backup right guard.

When fifth-year starter Dalton Daddona went down with an injury, Nolan, of Oxford and St. John’s High, seized the opportunity.

“He went to being one of the best guys, I believe, in the (Patriot League),” HC coach Dan Curran said.

Shrewsbury’s Brad Blattner, similarly, made the most of his chance last season as a sophomore.

He began the year No. 2 on the depth chart behind fifth-year left tackle Declan McCauley, made his first career start in front of 43,000 fans at Syracuse, and solidified his spot up front.

As the Crusaders, who opened training camp this week, set their sights on a seventh straight PL championship (they shared the title each of the last two seasons), Nolan and Blattner will continue to play a key role in HC’s 2025 success.

“It’s really cool,” Nolan said, “two local kids doing great things for this program.”

Nolan and Blattner played high school football in the same town for nearby rivals, but they never actually played against each other. When St. John's and Shrewsbury matched up Nolan's senior year, Blattner was out with the arm injury.

Nolan, though, hosted Blattner on his official visit to Holy Cross.

“He ended up committing at the end of that weekend,” Nolan said, “and I’ve been watching him grow since that day.”

Nolan and Blattner have become great friends.

Last year, the pair was part of an offensive line that allowed 1.08 sacks per game, the best mark in the PL and 11^th-best nationally. HC’s offense averaged 27.6 points per game.

The 6-foot-6, 305-pound Nolan played in all 12 games last year and started the final eight. He earned All-Patriot League second-team honors and was the recipient of the Davitt Award as the team’s top offensive lineman.

With the season of experience and performance, Nolan entered this year’s camp with a different mindset.

“Last year, I felt like I had to come out here and really prove myself,” he said, “and I don’t think that’s a way for someone to grow; I think that’s a way for you to be scared to make mistakes. I feel like this year, I’m going to go out there confident in my abilities and looking to grow each and every day.”

Nolan’s preseason work focused on getting more explosive, stronger and faster in the weight room, consistency with footwork and fine tuning details.

The 6-6, 310-pound Blattner did a lot of technical work this summer.

“I’m trying to better myself as an overall athlete,” Blattner said, “which I think is going to translate in the fall.”

In the Syracuse game, Blattner lined up against edge rusher Fadil Diggs, who was a 2025 NFL Draft pick of the New Orleans Saints.

“Not only did Brad compete against him,” Curran said, “he held his own. That was a great confidence builder for him.”

Blattner played in seven games and made five starts.

“Coming in (to camp) as someone who has experience is definitley a lot different than coming in as someone who hasn’t played before because you have another level of knowing what’s going on,” said Blattner, who appeared in one game his freshman season. “Last year for me was about expanding my football IQ. The game slowed down a lot as I started getting game experience. I was able to see a lot more pre-snap and post-snap. As you gain more experience, you can see the big picture. That helped me out a lot.”

Nolan’s teammates voted him a captain for 2025.

“He’s going to be a great leader for us,” Blattner said. “He will set the tone with his physicality and doing things the right way. In my opinion, that’s really important to a leader – a guy who leads by example.”

When Nolan came into HC as a freshman, he looked up to veterans like C.J. Hanson and Luke Newman, who are both in the NFL. Holy Cross’ young players will now look Nolan’s way.

“It’s an honor to be voted captain,” Nolan said. “I’m going to take the things C.J. and Luke did for us and make them my own.”

—Contact Jennifer Toland at [email protected]. Follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, @JenTolandTG.

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: These Central Mass. products will anchor the Holy Cross offensive line