Oswego senior QB Cruz Ibarra seeks added consistency, confidence going into third varsity season

MAPLE PARK – For the Past two seasons, Cruz Ibarra had the benefit of a senior quarterback on the Oswego sideline as mentor or understudy.

Now he’s that senior.

Ibarra is gearing up for his third season as a varsity quarterback. With it, and without that added experience alongside him, comes responsibility.

“We’ll look for more leadership out of him, which will come naturally from being a senior and three-year varsity player. Consistency is a thing,” Oswego coach Brian Cooney said. “We don’t have that other senior quarterback this year. He has to be more consistent. Working on consistency, trusting himself, working on his reads.”

Ibarra as a sophomore was thrust into a playing role on varsity when then-senior Cole Pradel went down with a season-ending knee injury. Ibarra shared reps with then-junior Julian Toma.

Ibarra won the starting job over Toma last fall as a junior. He completed 50% of his passes for 909 yards and seven touchdowns for the 6-4 Panthers, but also threw seven interceptions. Ibarra, 6-foot-3 with a strong arm, showed moments of great potential. He also struggled with consistency. Toma replaced him in the Plainfield North game, an eventual Oswego win in double overtime.

As Ibarra and Oswego competed in a 7-on-7 on Tuesday at Kaneland, he reflected on his junior season and his search for individual growth.

“My decision-making last year wasn’t the best,” Ibarra said. “I wouldn’t really trust myself, I would second-guess myself. It wasn’t good for the team. This year I’m getting a lot more confident.”

Ibarra appears to have put in the time to make that possible. He throws every Sunday at Throw it Deep quarterback and wide receiver training academy with Jeff Christensen. Beyond that, he’ll go to out to throw balls with Oswego receivers Deakon Tonielli, Jordan Katzenbach and Nick Scott.

Ibarra, also a standout wrestler, said he hopes to play football at the next level, although he doesn’t have any scholarship offers yet.

“I see myself growing more confident from last year,” Ibarra said. “It helped starting as a junior, and also playing on varsity as a sophomore. I’ve gained a lot more confidence.”

Katzenbach has noticed.

“His deep balls are going great right now, he’s a lot more confident throwing the ball and his decision-making is much better,” Katzenbach said. “You can tell he has more of a belief in himself. He’s not thinking too much about things. He’s just throwing it.”

Katzenbach himself was Ibarra’s second-leading receiver last year behind Tonielli, with 20 catches for 219 yards and a TD. While Tonielli, a Michigan recruit, is the headliner for Oswego, Ibarra said people shouldn’t sleep on Katzenbach.

“Jordan is a good one, he’ll shock you,” Ibarra said. “Nick will be doing both running back and receiver, he can do some things. Jordan, his routes are just very crisp and he has good hands.”

Katzenbach’s precise route running is no coincidence. He runs routes daily and studies YouTube videos of NFL receivers such as CeeDee Lamb and Antonio Brown.

“Just trying to get my craft down,” Katzenbach said. “I slow down the video, watch each step, watch each move, how to get around guys, and I just add on from there.”

Cooney, who identified junior Calvin Lane as another one with potential as a pass-catcher, will be counting on those seniors such as Ibarra, Tonielli and Katzenbach to lead.

The Panthers, who open the season Aug. 26 against Neuqua Valley, will participate in a joint practice with Batavia later this month to continue their prep work.

“These guys have been with us for the last three years. Now it’s their time,” Cooney said. “They’re seniors; it’s their turn, time to turn it up.”