Having taken similar paths to careers in professional football, a group of former area prep standouts maintains the "brotherhood" that they forged in central Ohio.

Westerville South High School graduates Jonathon Jennings, Nick Moore and B.J. Cunningham and DeSales graduate Kenny Stafford cherish the ties that bind them together.

They dreamed of their Friday night success becoming a springboard to their ultimate goal and that is what happened, as all have played in the Canadian Football League.

Playing for South made a huge difference in the life of Jennings because he followed in the footsteps of Cunningham and Moore, along with Moore's older brother, Lance.

Jennings graduated in 2010, three years after Cunningham. Nick Moore is a 2004 graduate and Lance Moore is a 2001 graduate who went on to play in the NFL with New Orleans, Pittsburgh and Detroit.

"(Cunningham and Nick Moore) are like my older brothers," Jennings said. "Nick Moore was somebody that I looked up to. (Nick) and his brother, Lance, (were) two guys that I really looked up to. Nick was five years older than me, so I never went to school with him. I went to school with B.J. for a year. Those guys were who we looked up to as freshmen.

"It's certainly a brotherhood. It's certainly an institution. (South is) where we all were made into men."

Jennings, who played for Saginaw Valley State and then enjoyed success during a four-year stint with the British Columbia Lions, is in his first season with Ottawa after signing a free-agent deal with the Redblacks.

He made a name for himself with the Lions, including throwing for 5,225 yards and 27 touchdowns in 2016. He passed for 12,497 yards and 66 touchdowns with BC.

"I loved it at BC," Jennings said. "It didn't end the way we wanted it to. I was fortunate enough to become a starter my rookie year at BC and had some really good years there. I ended up (having a shoulder injury). There are ups and downs with anything you do, especially with pro ball, but I'm very blessed and fortunate that I ended up in a good situation in Ottawa."

Jennings competed for the Redblacks' starting quarterback job with Dominique Davis in the preseason, with Davis earning the starting nod. Jennings saw limited time in the team's first three games.

Cunningham went on to play at Michigan State and later saw time in the NFL with Miami, Philadelphia and Chicago before joining the Montreal Alouettes in 2015. Through three games this season, the wide receiver had 17 receptions for 256 yards and one touchdown.

"I love it. It's a great league," said Cunningham, who had a career-high 1,128 yards receiving in 2017. "There are a lot of different rules, but I've adjusted well. My first year I got to play the American position on the ball and not really running around, but the next year I got to be one of those guys that runs around before the play. ... It's fun. It's a different game."

Cunningham and Jennings have maintained a close relationship and have visited South in recent offseasons to train.

"Jon is my boy," Cunningham said. "We hooked up when I was back at home. We worked out. We threw the rock a little bit. Up here, we always talk it up before and after a game we play. We say 'stay healthy.' Jon is a good quarterback. I want to see him out there and doing his thing."

A 2008 graduate of DeSales who went on to play at Toledo, Stafford is in his seventh season as a wide receiver in the CFL, including the last three with Edmonton.

After playing for Calgary and Montreal in 2013 and 2014, respectively, Stafford joined Edmonton in 2015, helping the Eskimos win their 14th Grey Cup. He returned to Montreal in 2016 before rejoining Edmonton in 2017.

Through three games this season, Stafford had 17 catches for 221 yards and two touchdowns. He had a career-high 55 catches and 781 yards receiving last season.

Stafford and Cunningham were teammates in Montreal in 2016.

"Kenny is one of my best friends," Cunningham said. "Kenny is my boy. We spend half the offseason working out together. We hang out all the time. ... I'm proud of him, too. He stayed the course and now he's one of the top receivers in the league."

"I've known B.J. since high school," Stafford said. "Ohio has always been a big family. Nick Moore played in Canada. There's always a brotherhood here."

Moore enjoyed a seven-year career in the CFL before announcing his retirement prior to last season. A wide receiver, he finished with 3,758 yards receiving and 16 touchdowns.

"I felt like I was at a point in my life, a point in my career, where it was time to start thinking about what was next," said Moore, who now lives in Tampa, Florida. "I felt like it was a good time to get out being healthy. I had a couple of job opportunities ... that ended up working out for me, so it all worked out."

Moore played at Toledo and joined the CFL in 2011 with BC, and the Lions went on to win their sixth Grey Cup.

Moore and Jennings were teammates with BC in 2016 and 2017.

"I'm glad I did it," Moore said of playing in the CFL. "When I was first recruited to the CFL, I was up and down about it. I didn't know if I really wanted to play in Canada, be away from family and friends. When I took that plunge I really fell in love with it. I fell in love with the culture of Canada. I fell in love with the city of Vancouver and the overall league."

Cunningham and Moore were football and basketball teammates for one season at South.

"Nick is my boy also," Cunningham said. "We worked out together in Florida for a couple of offseasons. We've all kept the ties."

"I look at B.J. as a younger brother to me," Moore said. "He came in as a soccer player in high school and the next thing you know he's playing football. Look at him now. ... Kenny grew up down the street from me. These are all guys that I'm super proud of, guys who still have a lot of left in their tanks and will continue to strive."

fdirenna@thisweeknews.com

@ThisWeekFrank