Naperville titans meet
with Konrad’s 300th win on line
By Matt LeCren
A lot of things are different in the context of boys prep soccer since the last time Naperville North and Naperville Central met.
Among them, the coronavirus pandemic postponed the start of the 2020 season by nearly seven months, and condensed it into a six-week late winter/early spring sprint with no state tournament.
But one thing remains the same. When North hosts Central on Tuesday night, more than bragging rights will be on the line. Once again, the winner of this match will be the heavy favorite to win the DuPage Valley Conference championship.
This season, that prize will be the biggest on offer for the longtime rivals and state powers.
“Something crazy could happen, but the winner of this game should have the inside track for DVC,” Naperville central coach Troy Adams said. “The good thing about playing North is you don’t have to worry about if they know what you do.
“All the kids know each other. You can’t hide. Everybody knows everybody, so it’s not like a surprise.”
To no one’s surprise, both teams are unbeaten in league play in the early going. The Redhawks (2-1-3, 2-0-0) sit in first place after shutout wins over Waubonsie Valley and Neuqua Valley, while the Huskies (4-2-0, 1-0-0) beat DeKalb in its DVC league opener. North knocked off Neuqua in its season opener, but that did not count in the league standings as the two teams will meet again on April 8.
Naperville North ranks 11th in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25 after two losses last week knocked from the top perch. Naperville Central has been steady at no. 18 the past two weeks.
“The Central game never changes,” Naperville North coach Jim Konrad said. “It could be the state championship or the first game of the year, and it always carries emotion and school pride.
“I’m super proud of our success but also as a Naperville resident, I’m proud of the fact that between us and Central we’ve won the last 10 (area) sectionals. They’re having a great year, and we’re having a great year so it should be a really fun matchup.”
The game could have additional meaning for Konrad who sits on 299-career wins. He’ll make his third attempt at no. 300; the Huskies fell to Wheaton Academy and Geneva on the road in their last two games. Now, Konrad, who is 299-65-29, gets a chance to reach the milestone against the Redhawks on home soil.
On paper, the Redhawks have more experience, but judging by results, the Huskies have more firepower. But the reality is both teams are dealing with the challenges brought on by the pandemic, including rust and winter weather that has led to nagging injuries and a lack of practice time.
“You search for consistency in a season that you’re not going to get it,” Adams said. “We need to be more consistent. We’ll look really good for 20 to 40 minutes and then we’ll look, honestly, really bad for 20 to 40 minutes.
“Some of that is attributed to it is not the normal start. You basically had 3 days to get ready before your first game. And it’s a facility issue because you can’t always practice every day. It’s a crazy situation, but we’re in way better shape than other schools with having the second turf field.”
While North has scored 16 goals in six games, the Redhawks have been in every game thanks to the stellar play of senior goalkeeper Caden Redpath, one of their only players with starting experience.
“Caden has been very good in the net,” Adams said. “He has saved probably at least five or six goals from going in. That turns a tie into a win or a loss into a tie.”
The Redhawks are also strong on defense with center backs Evan Lueckhoff and Evan King off to good starts. The 6-foot-3 Lueckhoff, who missed the second half of last season with a concussion, has proven dangerous on dead balls, scoring three goals.
But nearly everyone else is either new to the starting lineup or dealing with minor injuries, making consistency and chemistry difficult to find.
“None of these kids are fit,” Adams said. “We are seeing a ton of soft muscle issues.
“It’s wonderful to get back on the field with the kids and work with them again, but we’re definitely making the adjustments on the fly as opposed to having some kind of structured, organized format.
“The kids have been super excited to get back out there. I think they’ve enjoyed getting back out playing against friends. It gives the kids a little sense of normalcy.”
It has become normal in recent years to see the Huskies field dangerous attackers and that is again the case this year. Though nine starters graduated, North boasts one of the top young talents in the Chicago area in sophomore Alex Barger, who has racked up six goals and five assists.
After starting at left back as a freshman, Barger has moved to forward as Konrad searches for a replacement for graduated Division I forwards Ty Konrad, his nephew, and Patrick Koenig.
“He’s been fantastic,” Konrad said. “He’s a special kid. I think he could end up being one of the better ones in North history. He hits a great ball with both feet, is fast and tough.”
The only other Huskie with significant varsity experience is senior defender Josh Kaufman. Konrad said he has been fantastic in front of senior goalkeeper Pablo Jara, who also has been solid.
Offensively, Barger has been supported by midfielders Jacob Ryu, Cam Redeke and Nikhil Javeri. Ryu has tallied three goals, while Redeke, who missed the 2019 season with a broken collarbone, and Javeri have each found the back of the net twice.
“The boys have been great,” Konrad said. “Even though we’re very young this year, I’ve been impressed with how they’ve played so far.
“The tough thing is balancing honoring the seniors while also understanding that this is almost a super preseason because we’re going to be back at it in four months. Not having a state tournament changes things where you don’t have that passion of building towards something. Now it’s like every game is a stand-alone game.”
The North-Central game has always stood out on the schedule. It will once again, even though many of the players’ names are new and the circumstances strange.
“It’s great for the kids to have one really special night, that they get to play against their rivals,” Konrad said. “The seniors especially get that feeling of a big game. It will be a really special night.”
with Konrad’s 300th win on line
By Matt LeCren
A lot of things are different in the context of boys prep soccer since the last time Naperville North and Naperville Central met.
Among them, the coronavirus pandemic postponed the start of the 2020 season by nearly seven months, and condensed it into a six-week late winter/early spring sprint with no state tournament.
But one thing remains the same. When North hosts Central on Tuesday night, more than bragging rights will be on the line. Once again, the winner of this match will be the heavy favorite to win the DuPage Valley Conference championship.
This season, that prize will be the biggest on offer for the longtime rivals and state powers.
“Something crazy could happen, but the winner of this game should have the inside track for DVC,” Naperville central coach Troy Adams said. “The good thing about playing North is you don’t have to worry about if they know what you do.
“All the kids know each other. You can’t hide. Everybody knows everybody, so it’s not like a surprise.”
To no one’s surprise, both teams are unbeaten in league play in the early going. The Redhawks (2-1-3, 2-0-0) sit in first place after shutout wins over Waubonsie Valley and Neuqua Valley, while the Huskies (4-2-0, 1-0-0) beat DeKalb in its DVC league opener. North knocked off Neuqua in its season opener, but that did not count in the league standings as the two teams will meet again on April 8.
Naperville North ranks 11th in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25 after two losses last week knocked from the top perch. Naperville Central has been steady at no. 18 the past two weeks.
“The Central game never changes,” Naperville North coach Jim Konrad said. “It could be the state championship or the first game of the year, and it always carries emotion and school pride.
“I’m super proud of our success but also as a Naperville resident, I’m proud of the fact that between us and Central we’ve won the last 10 (area) sectionals. They’re having a great year, and we’re having a great year so it should be a really fun matchup.”
The game could have additional meaning for Konrad who sits on 299-career wins. He’ll make his third attempt at no. 300; the Huskies fell to Wheaton Academy and Geneva on the road in their last two games. Now, Konrad, who is 299-65-29, gets a chance to reach the milestone against the Redhawks on home soil.
On paper, the Redhawks have more experience, but judging by results, the Huskies have more firepower. But the reality is both teams are dealing with the challenges brought on by the pandemic, including rust and winter weather that has led to nagging injuries and a lack of practice time.
“You search for consistency in a season that you’re not going to get it,” Adams said. “We need to be more consistent. We’ll look really good for 20 to 40 minutes and then we’ll look, honestly, really bad for 20 to 40 minutes.
“Some of that is attributed to it is not the normal start. You basically had 3 days to get ready before your first game. And it’s a facility issue because you can’t always practice every day. It’s a crazy situation, but we’re in way better shape than other schools with having the second turf field.”
While North has scored 16 goals in six games, the Redhawks have been in every game thanks to the stellar play of senior goalkeeper Caden Redpath, one of their only players with starting experience.
“Caden has been very good in the net,” Adams said. “He has saved probably at least five or six goals from going in. That turns a tie into a win or a loss into a tie.”
The Redhawks are also strong on defense with center backs Evan Lueckhoff and Evan King off to good starts. The 6-foot-3 Lueckhoff, who missed the second half of last season with a concussion, has proven dangerous on dead balls, scoring three goals.
But nearly everyone else is either new to the starting lineup or dealing with minor injuries, making consistency and chemistry difficult to find.
“None of these kids are fit,” Adams said. “We are seeing a ton of soft muscle issues.
“It’s wonderful to get back on the field with the kids and work with them again, but we’re definitely making the adjustments on the fly as opposed to having some kind of structured, organized format.
“The kids have been super excited to get back out there. I think they’ve enjoyed getting back out playing against friends. It gives the kids a little sense of normalcy.”
It has become normal in recent years to see the Huskies field dangerous attackers and that is again the case this year. Though nine starters graduated, North boasts one of the top young talents in the Chicago area in sophomore Alex Barger, who has racked up six goals and five assists.
After starting at left back as a freshman, Barger has moved to forward as Konrad searches for a replacement for graduated Division I forwards Ty Konrad, his nephew, and Patrick Koenig.
“He’s been fantastic,” Konrad said. “He’s a special kid. I think he could end up being one of the better ones in North history. He hits a great ball with both feet, is fast and tough.”
The only other Huskie with significant varsity experience is senior defender Josh Kaufman. Konrad said he has been fantastic in front of senior goalkeeper Pablo Jara, who also has been solid.
Offensively, Barger has been supported by midfielders Jacob Ryu, Cam Redeke and Nikhil Javeri. Ryu has tallied three goals, while Redeke, who missed the 2019 season with a broken collarbone, and Javeri have each found the back of the net twice.
“The boys have been great,” Konrad said. “Even though we’re very young this year, I’ve been impressed with how they’ve played so far.
“The tough thing is balancing honoring the seniors while also understanding that this is almost a super preseason because we’re going to be back at it in four months. Not having a state tournament changes things where you don’t have that passion of building towards something. Now it’s like every game is a stand-alone game.”
The North-Central game has always stood out on the schedule. It will once again, even though many of the players’ names are new and the circumstances strange.
“It’s great for the kids to have one really special night, that they get to play against their rivals,” Konrad said. “The seniors especially get that feeling of a big game. It will be a really special night.”