Cameron Ciero can't get a break.
Never could.
Likely never will.
Not with a thorough support system that has lofty expectations and constantly holds him to a high standard.
Since he was seven, Ciero recalls his brothers challenging him to be the best out of a proven football bloodline.
Constantly filling his head with advice, keeping close tabs on his production tree, it's been added guidance and pressure-free hounding.
Whether it was teaching him proper tackling techniques or demonstrating how to protect the football in his bicep, Jeremy and Justin Ciero have readied the youngest for the same stage they once savored.
If he messes up, Cameron Ciero knows he's got two voices to hear it from. There are no free passes.
At the same token, he's got two sources for guidance and steady motivational maxims.
If he needs a someone to push him through a rigorous workout, there's an open door policy at home.
Justin Ciero is now at Fordham, living out Division-I dreams following an all-NECSAC stay as Colby College's quarterback.
Jeremy Ciero is 20 minutes up the road at Pace.
And so both Justin and Jeremy are still an everyday presence, traipsing the sidelines and providing even closer moral support.
Growing up in a sports-crazed family, where everything from one-on-one basketball to endless games of "kill the carrier" to a simple foot race results in rough-and-tumble competition, Ciero knows taking it easy on him isn't an option.
Growing up in this house, Cameron Ciero didn't have to travel to big arenas in New Jersey or peruse sports highlights or devour endless hours of NFL Sundays to become enamored with football.
All he had to do was report to the backyard.
Ciero, a 25 PPG scorer and poster boy of Greeley's basketball team, has balanced the sports in which Jeremy and Justin--as in, the guys who took no leniency while posting him up in the driveway and cracking him with bone-rattling tackles in the backyard--pushed his ascension.
Slightly taller and a bit more physical than his two brothers before him, the mash-happy Ciero has evolved into one of the most dangerous dual threats in Section 1.
Clocking a 4.65 in the 40-yard dash, Ciero has racked up 675 yards on 75 touches to supplement his 692 yards in the air (slinging it at a 50-for-81 clip, 6TDs, 2INT).
Ciero possesses the patience to let the plays unfold in Tim Sullivan's fast-paced, field-spreading offensive attack.
Becoming more comfortable in the pocket, the senior has improved his decision making and quickness.
Displaying a proclivity for quick patterns, most notably slants and hitches, Ciero feeds a wealth of options in stride.
And if the play breaks down? The 6-foot, 190-pound Ciero instantly looks to scramble, keeping his size 11 cleats moving amid traffic and contact.
In basketball, Ciero is a hard-driving scorer by trade. He takes pride in snaking along the baseline, grittily penetrating the teeth of defenses and finishing amidst big rim protectors.
Paced by Justin at speed workouts and attending camps at Yale, Holy Cross, Bentley, Middlebury, and Columbia, Ciero entered the 2014 campaign with championship aspirations.
Ciero On Family Support
"We are a very competitive family, so anytime we play a backyard game it is a battle. Justin and Jeremy have been a huge influence for me, because they've both been in the position I am in right now. So, they know what it takes to succeed. I try to learn as much as possible from them. I look up to both of them a lot and try to mimic what they do. They are my influences because they always make me work harder and strive to be better than them."
"Football was introduced to me by both of my brothers. They always got me involved in their backyard games when we were younger. I got hooked and wanted to keep playing and pursue it."
On Being A Multi-Sport Athlete
"Basketball has always been a passion of mine and seeing my brothers play so much made me want to work harder and take it more seriously. My goal is to play both sports in college."
"Playing both sports year-round is a lot of dedication and it takes up a lot of time. It's necessary. If sports is something you're interested in, it's something you love to do."
On His Role And Team Identity
"Coach Sully (Tim Sullivan) is a great coach and has developed a system where he uses both my passing and running ability. He gives me the freedom to make adjustments as I see weaknesses in the defense. I feel our offense is best when we are uptempo and making the defense move. We have a really big and talented line. I couldn't make any big plays without them."
"What helps us as a team is we have a great relationship with each other. Being friends off the field helps our chemistry on the field. I've been playing with a lot of these guys for a while, so I know their tendencies. It helps me make decisions on the field."
On His Receivers
"We get together over the summer and try to throw as often as possible. The goal is to get our timing down and maintain our chemistry. We developed very rapidly. As a team, we hosted very productive workouts this year and everything on the offensive side came together nicely and quickly."
On Team Aspirations
"Our ultimate goal is a championship and we feel that we have the potential to do that, but we need to take it game by game."