Naperville Central and Naperville North boys water polo meet up for a crosstown classic in the IHSA Sectional Finals. Number one seed Naperville North won their semifinal matchup against Hinsdale Central, while Naperville Central took down Neuqua Valley. This highlight is sponsored by BMO.
Multiple Redhawks get in on the scoring to go ahead 5-2 in the first
Naperville North Junior Mason Hofman starts things off from the 5-meter line with a penalty shot. He scores to make it 1-0.
Naperville Central looking to strike back, and senior Jack Gervase shoots one into the bottom left corner to tie it at one.
Central’s at it again with some nice passing in the offensive zone where James Behrend claws it in. We’re tied at two with about four minutes left in the first.
Central’s Ronan Barrett wrestles down low and he leans back just enough to get it over the North defense. The Redhawks lead 3-2.
AJ Landorf swims down the right wing for NCHS and he riffles it in as the Redhawks go up 5-2, but not for long.
Hoffman and Reif keep scoring and each record five goals on the day
About 10 seconds later, North’s Mason Hoffman is on the receiving end of Brett Grady’s pass and scores his third goal in the first frame.
Into the second quarter, Central senior Ross DeZur jostles for possession, skips it low for the goal, and is pumped. Central leads by three.
Huskie Jack Reif works his way towards the net and outmaneuvers the goalie for the score.
This time on the assist side of things, Reif gets it Grady who shows off the cannon of an arm. North trails 7-6.
Redhawk senior Henry LaPerna gets the ball and goes top cheddar. Central is up by two, with five minutes left in the half.
The price is Reif, as the Huskie barrels his way inside to score a nice goal! Naperville Central leads 8-7 at halftime.
A wild third quarter sees Naperville North boys water polo ahead by one
The Huskies set up shop in the offensive zone, as once again they get the ball to Reif. He scores from a tough angle and it’s all tied at eight!
North goes up one, but the Redhawks respond, as DeZur floats one over the Huskies and the ball just crosses the goal line. It’s knotted at nine
About a minute left in the third quarter, and Hoffman throws a liner perfectly into the bottom corner. North is now in front by one!
But wait, there’s more. Moments later, the Huskies find Jacob Podkasik swimming towards the middle and he powers it home. The Huskies lead 11-9 with 20 seconds left in the third.
Seconds later, Dezur gets the ball and skips it right into the back of the net! Central trails by one as we head into the fourth.
Naperville North boys water polo wins third straight IHSA Sectional title
The Huskies would add a couple more in the fourth before Grady gets it to Reif who scores his fifth goal! Hoffmans also adds five tallies, as Naperville North boys water polo takes down Naperville Central 14-10. The Huskies will now play Lincoln Way East in the State Quarterfinals.
For more prep sports highlights, visit the Naperville Sports Weekly page!
