Naperville N. gets philosophical

The beginning of Thursday's boys water polo match between Naperville North and Waubonsie Valley started in an all-to-familiar way for Waubonsie coach Chad Ganden.

Naperville North's Austin Katz scored a goal on the first possession of the game, 22 seconds in, to set the tone for a 12-4 win. Ganden knew what was coming, but his team could do nothing to stop a goal that gave the Huskies a lead they would never relinquish.

"You have to be a little bit more focused in the beginning," Ganden said. "You can't let up a goal like that in the beginning. That's just a lack of focus. They really didn't have to work hard for it. You know what's going to happen. We adjusted after that, but we knew that was going to happen. That's the same play they ran last year."

Naperville North coach Kurt Johns said it was not a set play in the opening possession but was happy to see the way his Huskies executed.

"One thing that we try to tell these guys at the beginning of the game, swim up right away," Johns said. "It's not really a set play. We want somebody to drive all the way and beat his man and pass. It's not so much a set play but a philosophy. We're looking at the guy driving initially for an assist."

It was Katz who got the scoring going, but it was Naperville North standout Conor Handley who handled most of the heavy lifting. Handley opened up a six-pack of goals in the game and dished out assists on two other scores.

"He is a great player," Johns said. "He has the ability to put our team on his shoulders. One thing we want the rest of these guys to get used to is that they're good, too, and they can do their own part. For us to be successful this year, everybody has to be willing to shoot and step up and not be afraid to take shots when they have them, not be afraid to drive, stuff like that."

Naperville North (10-3) led 5-1 before Jim Zuponeck scored the first of his two goals in the game off a rebound. But the Warriors (1-7) allowed a crucial goal to Handley with 10 seconds left in the half that gave the Huskies a 6-2 lead at the break. They then outscored the Warriors 3-1 in each of the final two periods for the win.

Waubonsie's offensive struggles continued without leading scorer Jack Polletto in the lineup. Polletto has been gone all week swimming at the junior national meet in Orlando, Fla., putting Waubonsie behind against Naperville Central and Naperville North, two of the top teams in the state.

"He's swimming really well," said Ganden, who was back home at the pool where he became a Naperville North legend in the mid-1990s. "He needs to do that. It's good for him. I encouraged him to do that. He will open up a whole lot more when he gets back."