Naperville North’s Noah Radeke paused for a moment when he was asked for his favorite highlight of the season.

In the end, Radeke couldn’t pick just one.

“Probably scoring that header against Romeoville and probably my hat trick against (Naperville) Central,” he said. “And the goal against Central in the playoffs.”

Radeke made so many highlight-reel plays that it was hard to keep track of them all, let alone rank them. The junior forward recorded 22 goals and 20 assists to help the Huskies (23-2-3) finish third in Class 3A.

Radeke, the 2023 Naperville Sun Boys Soccer Player of the Year, is the second player in program history to have at least 20 goals and 20 assists in the same season.

“He’s so talented,” Naperville North senior midfielder Hindo Allie said. “Honestly, we’re so lucky as a team to have a player like that that can assist and also score goals.

“He’s big in the air, and he’ll finish the ball if we need him to. So just having him up there means so much.”

The 6-foot-3 Radeke was the tallest player on the team and often the tallest on the field regardless of the opponent. He was a key target in the box, and his rugged frame was able to take the punishment often dished out by defenders.

“Obviously, the stats show how good he is going into goal,” Naperville North coach Jim Konrad said. “He’s such a big kid, he’s shifty, he doesn’t move like other guys, so he’s tough to defend. He’s big enough that if he gets you on his hip, you’re in trouble.”

Radeke wasn’t a one-dimensional scorer. He and junior Jaxon Stokes formed the best one-two scoring punch in the state. Stokes had 29 goals, many of which were set up by Radeke.

“Me and Jaxon have played on the same club team, so we came into North’s season hoping for a connection like this,” Radeke said. “The first game, at least, wasn’t too good. But after that, me and Jaxon started producing.

“As the season went on, it just kept going, and we just kept finding chance after chance, and it just worked out. I’d find Jaxon through the lines a lot because he’s so fast and can dribble well, and he can also find me too.”

After the Huskies opened the season with a 5-2 loss to West Chicago, Radeke and Stokes took turns decimating defenses. At the Best of the West Tournament on Sept. 2, Stokes scored four goals against Benet in the morning, and Radeke followed with a hat trick in a 5-0 win against Naperville Central in the final in the evening.

“The coaches had a very high standard for me and Noah, and they had really high expectations for us coming into the season,” Stokes said. “The first game was kind of iffy, but we started to work off of each other.

“If Noah wins the header, I run in behind. A lot of my goals, Noah has assisted, and I have assisted some of his goals too.”

As a sophomore, Radeke produced nine goals and three assists. That was merely a preview of his breakout season.

Naperville Sun

Twice-weekly

See also  NHL roundtable: Kings more than just a Stanley Cup title sleeper

News updates from the Naperville area delivered every Monday and Wednesday

“I just put in a lot of work this offseason, and I knew I was definitely going to improve and get better,” he said. “I kind of expected and wanted it to go like this.”

Radeke is far from verbose when talking about himself, but his actions speak volumes.

“Noah is such a calm, even-keeled kid, but he competes,” Konrad said. “Every game we play, he’s willing to run back, he fights and wins a ball, and he’s not a prima donna.

“I say this about Hindo, too, but when you’ve got a kid like Noah who is one of the best players on the field every game working incredibly hard, wearing himself out for the team, that’s an inspiring thing. There’s a lot of kids who can score goals and some who can get assists, but very few kids do both and will also work hard and lead your team.”

Konrad is thrilled Radeke will be back to lead nine other returning starters next season. Allie won’t be there to see it, but he believes Radeke hasn’t reached his peak.

“The ceiling he has is huge,” Allie said. “I think that he’s going to continue to improve, and I’m excited to see what he does next year and in college.”

Matt Le Cren is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun.