One house divided

Updated: March 22, 2011 4:18PM

It probably doesn't seem that long ago to Jim Nudera, that wintry day back in 1993.

Nudera was the head football coach at Marist then, leading his team into a state quarterfinal matchup against Loyola. On the sideline, bundled up against the cold in an umbrella stroller, was his son Jimmy, who was born in July of that year.

It's one of the earliest of all the images that likely will flash through Jim Nudera's mind Friday as the clock ticks down to kickoff for Oak Park's West Suburban Silver matchup with visiting York.

Now Nudera is the head coach at Oak Park, and his son is the starting quarterback - at York. It'll definitely be a family affair as the Nuderas and their extended clan will be gathered in Oak Park to see who wins this father-son battle.

Alongside Jim Nudera on the Huskies' sideline will be defensive coordinator Tim Hasso, his brother-in-law and Jimmy's uncle, who will be trying to come up with the right tactics to stall his nephew's offense. And Ron Hasso, Jim's father-in-law and Jimmy's grandfather, is the Huskies' ball boy.

Linda Nudera, Jim's wife and Jimmy's mom, will conduct the coin toss before heading into the York stands to sit with her son Brian and daughter Evelyn. Down below on the Dukes' sideline will be her oldest daughter, Brailey, who's a York cheerleader.

‘‘I can't even imagine what my mom's thinking right now,'' Jimmy Nudera said.

‘‘It feels unnatural because it's a mother's job to unite her family,'' Linda Nudera said. ‘‘It's very unnatural that I have to choose one or the other.''

Last year, Linda designed a shirt that was half orange and half green, reflecting her mixed emotions in the competing schools' colors.

‘‘You'll note the [York] green is over my heart,'' she said. ‘‘If I have to choose, I choose Jimmy. Jim fully supports that.''

Truth is, Jim Nudera couldn't be happier about the career arc of a kid who pretty much grew up on a football field.

Some other moments stick out besides that chilly day back in '93. In his mind's eye, Jim Nudera sees Jimmy as a toddler, pulling footballs out of the ball bag, lining them up and putting them back again; drawing up passing league plays on his dad's dry-erase board during Jim's stint at Prospect, and never once complaining despite getting drenched while holding the headset cords on the sideline in a downpour during Oak Park's 7-6 loss to Lyons in 2001.

Jimmy remembers a few more highlights and lowlights: getting stung by a bee while tagging along with his dad at Prospect, watching his dad's squad and his future team his eighth-grade year.

The Dukes made the Class 8A semifinals that season - ‘‘they're kind of like the '85 Bears here,'' Jimmy said - while Oak Park lost in the 8A first round to eventual quarterfinalist Barrington.

‘‘My friends, they were going to York games; I was the only one going to Oak Park games,'' Jimmy said.

Friday, all of his friends and relatives will be going to an Oak Park-York game. Knowing the father-son meeting has been coming hasn't necessarily made dealing with it any easier, though.

Take the pregame preparation. When Jim Nudera breaks down film on York, he's not just looking for ways to beat the Dukes, he's trying to find ways to help Jimmy be a better quarterback.

‘‘I'm watching my son,'' Jim said. ‘‘I'm trying to coach my son.''

And he's trying to bring his two worlds together.

‘‘Down at the Under Armour Combine, kids from Oak Park and Jim were hanging out with each other,'' the elder Nudera said. ‘‘He's been at every one of our [team] barbecues.''

And Jim has helped coach Jimmy in another sport, serving as a wrestling assistant at York.

But Friday, the Nuderas are rivals rather than father and son. And they know that someone will go home happy and someone won't.

‘‘Play this game, play it as hard as you can and that's all you can ask,'' Jim Nudera said. ‘‘And it's going to play itself out.''

‘‘I don't think they're coming to watch Nudera vs. Nudera,'' Jimmy said. ‘‘They love York and Oak Park.''

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