Connection between Oswego crosstown QBs Cole Pradel, Michael Ford goes way back

It's a rivalry with roots in friendship.

Oswego's Cole Pradel and Oswego East's Michael Ford, both junior quarterbacks, will take center stage tonight in the 15th edition of the crosstown rivalry. They're both playing in their first varsity crosstown game.

That bond, though, runs much deeper.

Pradel remembers first meeting Ford when he was 10 years old. They played both football and baseball together on the same team, all the way through eighth grade.

"I know him pretty well, and the families know each other," Pradel said. "We knew we were going to different high schools. We would talk about it sometimes, make jokes, saying our team would be better."

Both juniors have been very good, a big part of their teams' success.

Pradel has completed 65 percent of his passes for 925 yards and nine touchdowns through six games. Ford has completed 57 percent of his passes for 883 yards and 11 TDs.

Ford, back in the day, was the quarterback and Pradel a fullback and linebacker on the Oswego Wolves youth team.

"He was always a tough kid, athletic, comes from a wrestling background. He was shifty and mobile," Ford said. "We spent all fall with each other, all spring and summer. Our bond definitely grew from there. We didn't go to the same school, but I hung out with him a lot."

Pradel made the move to quarterback in high school. Ford, for one, is hardly surprised by his success.

"He's got good instincts, he can definitely scramble and he's hard to tackle and makes guys miss," Ford said. "He makes big plays when he needs to."

Pradel, coincidentally, played with several future Oswego East guys on that youth team. He fondly remembers winning the youth Super Bowl in both the seventh and eighth grade. Pradel and Ford also played baseball together on the Oswego Cobras.

"I remember him being a really good quarterback," Pradel said. "I would line up at the receiver position and he would make the throws he needed to make. He was a good leader, too."

The two kept up through the years, and have frequently seen each other outside of school. But not this week, though.

"It's kind of stay in our corners this week," Pradel said. "We're friends off the field but on the field we're still competing with each other."

The crosstown competition has, of course, been quite-sided.

Oswego has won all 14 meetings with its district rival in a series dating back to 2005. Oswego handed Oswego East its first loss the last three years, by a combined 66-3 margin.

The Panthers (6-0), one of three unbeatens left in the Southwest Prairie West, aren't taking anything for granted.

"We've been trying to focus on playing with and for our team, and not not focusing on what anyone on the other side is saying," Pradel said. "We're focusing on putting in the hard work with our team and celebrating with our own team."

Oswego East (4-2), on the contrary, needs to get back on track. The Wolves started the season 4-0, but mistakes have plagued them in back-to-back losses to Minooka and Yorkville. The Wolves scored just one touchdown in each of those games.

"We need to execute better," Ford said. "In both of those losses we shot ourselves in the foot. We didn't make the plays we needed to, and got behind on the sticks. If we execute well for four quarters we'll be fine."

The magnitude of the game is clearly significant, but Ford can keep things in perspective.

"There's always the feeling that we want to beat them," Ford said, "but at the same time there's respect."