Bradleys part of a legacy at Haverford School
Conor Bradley remembers visiting the Haverford School with his twin brother, Shane, when they were eighth graders at Annunciation BVM School.
Conor Bradley remembers visiting the Haverford School with his twin brother, Shane, when they were eighth graders at Annunciation BVM School.
The boys' prep school on Lancaster Avenue, about 15 minutes from their home in Havertown, was already impressing the Bradley boys that day, when Conor spotted a bulletin board full of newspaper clippings outside the office of Mrs. Kasmen, an administrative assistant.
That's where Conor saw all the words and accolades written about soccer player Brett Campbell - a 2013 graduate who now is a forward at Georgetown.
"He's got to be good," Conor remembers thinking.
The younger Bradley - by two minutes - thought about how cool it would be if it was his name posted there. Or if the newspaper articles were written about his brother.
He didn't have to wait long for that to come to fruition.
During the Bradleys' time at Haverford School, the Fords haven't won fewer than 17 games in a season, going 58-12-3 overall and 26-2-2 in Inter-Ac play.
The Fords, off to a 6-2 start, have won an Independent Schools state championship and three straight conference titles.
"I know this team's potential," said Conor, a center midfielder. "It makes me so excited thinking about it - I get goose bumps."
The Bradleys started playing competitive soccer when they were about 6, and they kicked the ball around well before that. Their father, Patrick, or "Louie," as his friends know him, got them into the sport, and the boys watched him play every Sunday.
Initially, Conor and Shane were more likely to kick around a ball with their friends on an adjacent field, but as they got older they became more inclined to watch their dad.
Soccer was big then for the fraternal twins, who have worn Liverpool jerseys "since we were born" according to Conor. But it wasn't until they played club soccer for Nether United in Wallingford that it became "huge," said Shane, a center back.
After that they found coach Bill Brady and the Haverford School.
It's been a mutually beneficial relationship ever since.
Brady describes the Bradleys, who will both play at Villanova, as the engine of the team, quietly going about their business. In fact, much of what they do is so effortless that it can go unnoticed. Their poise and consistency have been present since they entered the starting lineup as freshmen.
"Even at the collegiate level, no matter what game you put them in, they will make everyone else around them better," Brady said. "Everybody is going to want to play as hard as them and do all the intangibles. They will change the culture on your team."
Somewhere, there's probably a 14-year old deciding where to go to high school. Maybe he's already settled on becoming a Ford, maybe not.
Maybe he'll visit the school and stand just outside of Mrs. Kasmen's office. There he'll see the Bradleys' picture - their names up on the board.
"They must be good," he'll say to himself.
Yes, they sure are.