Welcome to the IHSA boys water polo State championship featuring Naperville North, who jumps into this game for only the second time in program history when they finished as runner-up in 2007. Now the Huskies strap up and look for that first state championship, but they must take care of New Trier. The Trevians are searching for state title number three after back-to-back first-place finishes in 2022 and 2023. The Huskies defeated Brother Rice in the quarterfinals and Whitney Young in the semifinals. This highlight is sponsored by BMO.
Trevians open a big lead in the first half
The Trevians make the best of the low-scoring first quarter as Caden Carberry shows off the skipper to give New Trier a 2-1 lead after one.
New Trier opens up a can of dominance in the second quarter, starting with Holden Hiebeler popping out of the water and scoring another goal for the Trevians.
Here they come again, and with a new scorer. That contestant is Caden Adrianopoli, who beats the shot clock and gives New Trier a commanding 5-1 lead.
The Huskies bring the ball to their end, and they get a much-needed goal from John Riordan to make it a 5-2 game.
The Trevians keep hitting the gas. Carberry skips it in from a long distance, and New Trier takes a 6-2 lead at the break.
Huskies flip the script in the second half
The Huskies’ second-half game plan is to feed Mason Hofmann. Jacob Podkasik lobs to Hofmann, and he will do the rest from there to pull his team within three.
North gets a stop on defense and brings it the other way. Jack Reif picks up the ball and lobs to Hofmann, who scores out of the blue, and the Huskies trail just 6-4.
The next possession is looks similar, but this time, Jack Reif has the goal, and we have a one-score game heading into the final quarter.
The second-half climb continues for the Huskies because Hofmann scores yet another goal, but it’s a big one, as North ties the game at 6-6 early in the fourth.
The Trevians want to take the lead back, but Huskie goalie Caleb Uson intends to keep the score even. He makes the crucial save, and momentum stays with the blue and orange.
Caden Tsao puts the blue and orange in front
That gives Naperville North a chance to pull ahead with under five minutes remaining. Caden Tsao wins the one-on-one battle to give Naperville North its first lead of the game, 7-6.
Naperville North captures first IHSA boys water polo state title
After North chews a lot of clock and makes big time stops, the Trevians have one last chance with 17 seconds left. Hank Woodman aims for the equalizer but Uson denies access. The Huskies run out the final seconds, shutting out New Trier in the second half, and we have a winner. For the first time in program history, Naperville North captures the boys water polo IHSA state championship after a 7-6 comeback win over New Trier. The Huskies finish the season with a final record of 32-4. A special moment for head coach Kelly Reif and her son Jack.
For more prep sports highlights, visit the Naperville Sports Weekly page.
