Waubonsie Valley travels to Naperville Central for a DVC boys water polo matchup, and it’s a special evening on Redhawk turf — Senior Night for the home team. The last time these two teams met was back in March of 2024, when Waubonsie came out on top with a three-goal win. This highlight is sponsored by BMO.
Naperville Central boys water polo leads 5-2 after one quarter
After a scoreless opening minute, it’s the Redhawks who get on the board first. Braeden Piwowar gets in position and rips in the first goal of the game to give Central the early lead. The Redhawk seniors waste no time making an impact — AJ Landorff and James Behrend link up for a strong finish to make it a two-goal advantage.
Waubonsie looks to answer, and senior Daniel Niv does just that. He swims down the left wing—fakes a shot, and scores the Warriors’ first goal of the night to cut into the lead. Still in the first quarter, Ben Meier finds teammate Dawid Kowalewicz, who delivers with a goal of his own. At the end of one, Naperville Central holds a 5-2 lead.
Into the second quarter, the Redhawks keep the momentum going. Landorff finds Elliott Skly, who sends it down low to Piwowar. The junior finishes the sequence with a smooth no-look backhand goal — a great team effort. Moments later, Waubonsie is awarded a five-meter penalty shot, and Ben Meier steps up with confidence, drilling the shot with ease to keep his team within striking distance.
But Central answers again. Ben Mattson and James Behrend show great chemistry on the attack, and Behrend finishes the play to extend the lead to five. Behrend gets on the scoresheet again, this time off the assist from Piwowar. He’s been nearly unstoppable in front of the cage.
Behrend scores seven goals, and the Redhawks take care of Waubonsie Valley
Waubonsie tries to build some momentum before halftime. Niv and Arseni Branavitski work together on a solid offensive possession, and Branavitski sends it in to stop the bleeding. However, Central still heads to the break with a 10-4 lead.
In the third quarter, Central continues to shine. Piwowar sets up Behrend again, and the senior knocks in yet another goal — that’s number seven on the night for him. Waubonsie shows some grit as Niv and Branavitski connect again, this time with Arseni delivering a beautiful touch goal from close range.
But on Senior Night, it’s only fitting that AJ Landorff would continue to leave his mark. He waits at the top and delivers a clean skip shot to push the Redhawk lead to eight. Waubonsie’s
Naperville Central stays in control. Landorff gets one more look and puts it away with another perfectly executed skip shot. The Redhawks close out a dominant performance with a 15-8 victory over Waubonsie Valley, capping off a special night for the senior class.
For more prep sports highlights, visit the Naperville Sports Weekly page.
