Plainfield East QB Brandon Paredes leads a young but experienced Bengals squad

If you were to look at Plainfield East quarterback Brandon Parades without knowing he was only a sophomore-to-be, the only way you’d come to that conclusion on your own would be by looking at a roster for the Bengals.

Despite his young age, Paredes already received ample playing time under center last season. Now, with each passing day, Parades’ confidence continues to grow.

“I’m more confident,” Parades said during a 7-on-7 event Thursday at Lincoln-Way Central. “Freshman year, my first play on varsity, I was a little bit scared. I wasn’t taking too many shots downfield. Toward the end of the season I started to a little more. I’m ready to make those throws now.”

Parades split the quarterbacking reins with Quinn Callaghan last season, but was given the keys to the car in Plainfield East’s playoff game against Hononegah. The Bengals lost, but Parades posted a 300-yard passing game and learned some valuable lessons along the way.

“We’re really excited about Brandon this year. He’s put in a lot of work,” Plainfield East coach Brad Kunz said. “He’s very mature. It’s a different situation for him this year. Last year, he was splitting time with Quinn Callaghan, and we’ve moved [Callaghan] to receiver and he’s doing a great job there, so its [Parades’] job now.

“It’s just nice now with [installing the playbook] that you’ve got a quarterback that knows the whole offense and now we’ve got a receiver out there that knows the whole offense.”

Parades finished the season with 1,140 passing yards and threw for 11 TDs. He also rushed for three touchdowns. But there’s one stat on his ledger that he’s not particularly pleased with and is determined to lower significantly. Parades threw 12 interceptions last season.

“I would like to cut down on my picks, and I’m learning to better read defenses,” Parades said. “Last year, I would wait too long on a go route, and then underthrow it; and this year, I’m working on throwing the ball over the shoulder, because they can’t pick it if it is over the shoulder.”

And every opportunity Parades gets he’s using it to refine the set of skills in his toolbox.

“Getting my form right, getting my back foot through and getting my hand high are the things I’m working on a lot,” Parades said. “But mostly, I’m just working on doing a better job of reading defenses and getting to know my teammates better, things like when they cut and when they don’t cut.”

And Parades has plenty of options to choose from at the wide receiver position. Although standout wide receiver Michael Morgan moved on to the College of DuPage, the team’s second-leading receiver was a close confidant of Parades in sophomore Quinn Morris, who wasn’t at Thursday’s practice as he was attending a football event at the University of Iowa. Third-leading receiver David Afemikhe also returns, while Kunz also expects a big step up in production from CJ Lamb.

[ Read more: ‘Something special:’ Plainfield East’s Quinn Morris looks to continue family lineage ]

Callaghan’s intricate knowledge of the offense should also make him a dependable option to haul in passes, as well.

Paredes’ considerable history with Morris should make him a top target.

“Me and him have been working together since we were like 5 years old on the Naperville Patriots,” Parades said of his rapport with Morris. “We have eye signals, we just know. I tell him what to run with my eyes and he knows.

“We have a really good connection and I’ve always been his quarterback. I know when he cuts, I know everything about him. We’re so ready for this year.”

Kunz expects Morris to have a breakout campaign.

“When he came in as a freshman, he was polished and he just carried himself professionally. He looks like a college kid,” Kunz said. “He knows how to speak to people and gives off this professional vibe in everything he does. It’s awesome to have that much confidence in a kid that young, but his confidence kind of spreads to everyone else, too.”