For the second time this season, the Naperville Central boys water polo team will play Glenbrook South. This match -- Saturday in the semifinals of the IHSA state tournament -- will be significantly more important than their regular season clash.
Central (27-4) beat Glenbrook South 8-7 in that match, which was in pool play of Central's Best of the West Tournament on April 11, to give the Titans (29-1) their lone loss.
So the teams are acquainted. Here's what you have to know (or remember if you must) about the Titans: they are the champions of the Glenbrook North Sectional and the champions of the Central Suburban Conference. OK, you don't really need to know that, but it's true, and slightly impressive.
This is easily the best season in the school's history. Prior to this year, the record for wins in a season was last season's 21.
This is the first trip to the state tournament for the Titans, who didn't play any of the state finalists other than Central in the regular season.
The players to watch for are: No. 12 Ben Hengels (72 goals, 37 assists), No. 10 Chris DeLetto (74 goals, 16 assists) and No. 8 Tommy Nimrod (45 goals). DeLetto scored four goals in Thursday's 7-6 quarterfinal win over Lyons Township.
All three are juniors, so the Titans seem to be a program on the rise.
Goalie Ben May allowed six goals on Thursday against Lyons Township, but on the season, allowed an average of 2.79 goals per game.
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