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Chicago Tribune
29-05-2025
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Jack Reif, ‘the biggest guy in the pool,' secures the biggest prize for Naperville North. He prizes Navy too.
As the final four seconds ticked off the clock, Naperville North senior Jack Reif held onto the ball as a New Trier player tried in vain to pry it from his hands. The 6-foot-1, 230-pound Jack Reif's teammates, including senior Mason Hofmann, knew a dream was about to become reality. 'He has great ball control,' Hofmann said. 'He's a super big guy, so when we need someone to keep possession, he's the guy that you go to.' When the horn sounded, the Navy-bound Jack Reif turned and hurled the ball to the ceiling of Stevenson's natatorium as his mother, Naperville North boys water polo coach Kelly Reif, began jumping up and down on the pool deck. That was the beginning of a celebration capping a storybook ending. The Huskies, led by Jack Reif and Hofmann, had just rallied to beat New Trier 7-6 on Saturday night to win the first state championship in program history. 'Their best player shot the ball, and we got the save,' Jack Reif said. 'We were able to spread out, and I knew they'd get the ball to me. I'm the biggest guy in the pool, so I was able to hold him off. 'I was just overwhelmed with emotion.' So was Kelly Reif, the former Waubonsie Valley and Indiana star who began coaching the Huskies in 2021, when Jack Reif was in eighth grade. 'It was just like all the emotions at once,' Kelly Reif said. 'We've worked so hard for this. 'His freshman year, I looked at this group of kids, and I said, 'We're winning state your senior year. Watch us.' And with four seconds left, I just couldn't believe it that we had the ball in the hands of one of our strongest players. I knew we could kill four seconds. I was so excited.' Kelly Reif first introduced Jack Reif to water polo when he was 8 years old. Her husband, Myles Reif, coached the club team that included Jack Reif and Hofmann, who were the two best scorers for Naperville North (31-4) this season. Hofmann, a Johns Hopkins recruit, finished with 171 goals and 91 assists, and Jack Reif had 121 goals and 72 assists. Each scored six goals in the Huskies' 17-10 victory over Young in the semifinals earlier that day. New Trier (31-3), which had won three of the four regular-season meetings with Naperville North, led 6-2 at halftime but didn't score again. The Huskies rallied behind Hofmann, who had three goals and an assist, and Jack Reif, who contributed one goal and one assist. Hofmann assisted junior Caden Tsao's go-ahead goal with 4:09 left in the fourth quarter. Jack Reif led Naperville North's strong defense the rest of the way. 'As you can see, none of the kids give up ever,' Kelly Reif said. 'To be able to shut them out in the second half is incredible. You saw Jack and Mason just take charge, like 'we're not losing this game,' so it was awesome.' Hofmann had dreamed of winning a state title even before he entered high school. Doing it alongside Jack Reif made it even better. 'I've been playing with Jack for probably 10 years,' Hofmann said. 'Almost every time I've played water polo, he's been there, too, whether it's at a practice in the morning, at a gym, or in the weight room, late-night drives to masters practice. He's been there the whole way. 'It's our last game playing with each other, so it's bittersweet.' Jack Reif never played football, despite his size. Water polo and swimming were his only sports, and playing for his mother was an added bonus. 'I wouldn't have it any other way,' he said. 'Working hard at practice and then going home and talking about the practice and game-prepping with her in late nights, early mornings, I'll never forget that. 'The bond we have is really something special. Not a lot of people get to experience that, especially winning a state championship, so I'm very proud of our team.' Kelly Reif, who has a career record of 110-28, is equally proud. 'I feel very blessed to have this opportunity,' she said. 'Not many people get the opportunity to wear the hat of mom and coach, nonetheless a state championship, so it's just so exciting. 'I love him so much. I love all the kids so much. It's just a really special bond that we have.' Jack Reif also had a bond with his great-grandfather Bob Young, a Navy veteran who served in World War II and later became a high school football coach and then an Illinois High School Association official for football and basketball. Young died at age 99 one week before the Huskies won the state title. 'After our last sectional game, I found out that he had passed away,' Kelly Reif said. 'So this is extra special. I'm sure he's up there looking down and pulled us through for that one.' Young was a role model for Jack Reif. 'He always loved telling stories about the Navy, so I really looked up to him,' Jack Reif said. 'He was a great man.' So Jack Reif jumped at the opportunity to attend the Naval Academy. 'I took it with no regrets, didn't look back at all,' he said. 'I'm really excited to serve my country.' Upon graduation from the Naval Academy, Jack Reif will be required to serve five years on active duty. He's ready to do it for one simple reason. 'I just want to give back to the things that have given me the most,' he said. 'This country has given me so many excellent things. It's a great opportunity for myself to be successful but also to give back.'
Chicago Tribune
22-05-2025
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Indiana recruit Trey Meyers is a tall order for opponents. But the 6-6 New Trier star ‘has all the makings.'
Less than an hour after New Trier's Trey Meyers heard his knee pop, he made up his mind. Meyers had played his last football game. 'I was in the car, going to the hospital,' he said. 'That's when I knew I was quitting. I was like, 'Yeah, I'm all in on baseball.'' It was August 2023, the beginning of Meyers' junior year. Still a multisport athlete at the time, he was a wide receiver on the football team and a first baseman on the baseball team. But on the opening night of football season, after an opponent's helmet hit Meyers' left knee and caused a sprained MCL, he knew it was time to give up football. 'Honestly, I missed it a little bit,' he said. 'I was watching all my buddies play, going to the games. But I also got to lift a lot more, so I felt way stronger and better going into the baseball season. Baseball takes a lot of strength, so those extra lifts helped me tremendously.' Meyers proceeded to deliver a sensational baseball season as the Trevians went 33-4. The Indiana recruit entered the summer as a top-15 prospect in the state, lauded for his 6-foot-6, 223-pound frame, elite power-speed combo and sharp baseball mind. 'His baseball IQ is really good, and I think people just take it for granted,' New Trier coach Dusty Napoleon said. 'He's definitely stronger and faster than everybody, but he understands baseball. He understands what pitchers are trying to do to him.' There aren't many players of Meyers' size who bat first in the lineup, but Napoleon craves as many at-bats as possible for his best hitter. So the leadoff spot it is. 'We need to maximize his plate appearances,' Napoleon said. 'He's also our fastest guy and our best base runner.' Meyers has backed that up with gaudy numbers for Central Suburban South champion New Trier (23-7-1, 10-5) this season. He reaches base more often than he records outs, posting a .538 on-base percentage through May 19. Meyers was batting .418 with nine doubles, five home runs, 29 RBIs and 40 runs scored. He had more extra-base hits (16) than strikeouts (9) and was 14-for-15 in base-stealing attempts. A fan of both the Chicago Cubs and the Cincinnati Reds, Meyers models his game after Reds star Elly De La Cruz. At 23, De La Cruz is MLB's first player since 1900 to post 115 extra-base hits and 115 stolen bases through his first 300 games, and he's on the cover of 'MLB The Show 25.' 'He's another big, really fast guy that I kind of relate to,' Meyers said. 'He's one of the more similar guys to me.' Professional baseball could begin sooner than later for Meyers, who has been ranked among the top 400 prospects for the 2025 draft. 'Well, if the opportunity is right, I'll do it, for sure,' he said. 'It's definitely something I'm interested in. But we're just going to see how everything shakes out and make a decision from there. I don't really want to think too far ahead. I guess we'll just see where we are in a couple months.' Meyers wants to focus on the Trevians and their quest for a state title, not the draft. 'There's definitely a lot going on, but I try not to think about that kind of stuff too much right now to keep myself more levelheaded and just focus on playing the game,' he said. Meyers is looking forward to Indiana too. 'I'm excited to compete at such a high level with some of the best players,' he said. 'I love competing, and there's a lot of really good power in the Big Ten.' Meyers committed to Indiana in December 2023 after visiting campus a few times. First, the well-connected Napoleon, who coached in the Big Ten for eight years at Northwestern, briefed Indiana's staff on what makes Meyers remarkable. 'They really just wanted to know things like, 'Hey, what kind of worker is he? What type of kid is he? How's his family?'' Napoleon said. 'The behind-the-scenes stuff is the hardest part when it comes to evaluating kids. Trey checked all those boxes easily. So it made it an easy decision for Indiana to move forward. 'He's respectful, he helps out in the community, he comes from a good family and then there's the way he works. He always wants to hit. He gets up three times a week to lift. He has all the makings of a Division I scholarship athlete.' Those qualities have endeared Meyers to his New Trier teammates too. Senior outfielder Ben Toft has played with Meyers since they were 13 years old. Toft will play for Iowa, so he'll be a Big Ten rival. He's grateful to be on Meyers' side for now. 'Trey is a really good teammate,' Toft said. 'He does a really good job at setting the tone for how people should be acting in the dugout, getting us locked in, being positive and being a good influence. People enjoy his company. 'He's definitely matured mentally, as well. He knows how to deal with failure a lot better.' Meyers was challenged after suffering the knee injury. He said doctors told him that he could be ready in four months, in time for baseball season, but he would have to grind through physical therapy to get there. 'It was so difficult, especially at the beginning, when my knee really hurt,' Meyers said. 'It was something I was dreading. I didn't even want to get up and move around, drag myself to PT and do these exercises that sucked so bad.' Meyers remembers one exercise in particular involving blood-flow restriction. 'You have to do the leg press with no circulation,' he said. 'It's probably the hardest thing I've ever done. It was so bad.' Meyers did 15 reps at a time, alternating between circulation and no circulation. It tested his resolve. But over time, the painful, tedious work paid off. By October 2023, he felt fresh and was itching to hit again. 'He was like, 'OK, coach, I'm all-in on baseball,'' Napoleon said. 'I was like, 'OK, let's get healthy first.' The last thing I wanted was him pushing himself to hit too early.' Once Meyers' knee was drained, he did begin to hit again. By December 2023, four months after the injury, Meyers was fully back. 'It was tough for him, but he never stopped working,' Napoleon said. 'He's always been a hard worker.'
CBS News
19-05-2025
- Sport
- CBS News
New Trier girls' soccer team is chasing a repeat state championship
New Trier Township High School girls' soccer teamThe New Trier Township High School girls' soccer team in Chicago's North Shore suburbs is one of the best in the state of Illinois — defending champs led by the winningest coach in IHSA girls' soccer history. It is a challenge just to score a single goal against Trevians — let alone find a way to actually beat them. Nevertheless, the New Trier girls' soccer team knows chasing a repeat is no easy task. "It's always a challenge to come back from a state championship, because you really do have that target on your back, and what ends up happening is everybody brings their best game," said New Trier girls' soccer coach Jim Burnside. "Every team basically has our game circled on our calendar, and everyone wants to come out and beat big bad New Trier," said New Trier senior defender Honor Dold, "but we carry that with a lot of pride, and there's no other way you would want it." The Trevians won their seventh state title under Jim Burnside last year. It was their first since 2014, and it was his first with a freshman in net. Goalkeeper Annie Fowler came up big in the biggest moments to help them capture the 2024 championship. "It was pressure, but it was like the best pressure to have. I mean, we had such a strong senior class last year," said Annie, now a sophomore, "and every game was nerve-wracking, but it was exciting, and we got the result we wanted last year, and it was like the best feeling I could have ever asked for." "Annie is special in terms of the type of athlete, type of person — and she just has that competitive edge," said Coach Burnside, "and you know it's also, she just has this level of anticipation that most athletes don't have. So she is already a foot, a yard, and a thought ahead of other people — and that really is what kind of sets her apart as a goalkeeper." With Annie Fowler in net, New Trier had a pretty lofty goal when it comes to the number of goals they wanted to allow this season. "We have kind of our records on our wall in our locker room, and they know that one of the records is giving up three goals in a season," said Coach Burnside. "I'm not going to a game like putting that pressure on myself I can't let in a goal," added Annie. "But I don't get many shots during the game. Like I show up for saves when I need to." But New Trier sophomore midfielder Adelaide Randall said Annie succeeds in keeping opposing teams from scoring to the point where her teammates don't really even have to worry about it. "Obviously with Annie in goal, they get a shot, it's going to have to be a pretty good shot for it to go in. I think it just like gives all the midfielders and forwards the confidence to try things, and after we get one in, we can kind of relax a little bit, because we have that trust in them that you know, we score one goal — and that usually has been enough for us to win." The Trevians fell just short of their record mark, allowing a fourth score in their 22nd game of the season. Of course, that didn't set well with Annie, because she really doesn't like giving up goals. What's it like giving up a goal? "I get a little pissed off. It's kind of like what motivates me," Annie said. "I try to have the memory of a goldfish. If you mess up, on to the next one." But Annie does remember what winning a championship felt like, and the entire team wants that feeling again.
Chicago Tribune
01-04-2025
- Health
- Chicago Tribune
Northwestern Medicine Lake Forest Hospital uses dual chamber pacemaker implant to aid patient
Jerry Karzen has had many successes as both a tennis player and a coach. Now he is getting the chance to extend those accomplishments with the assistance of a new generation of pacemaker. In January, Karzen was one of the first patients to receive a new dual chamber leadless (pronounced LEED-less) pacemaker now offered at Northwestern Medicine Lake Forest Hospital. The device received Food and Drug Administration approval in 2023 and went into use inside the Northwestern medical system last summer. For Karzen, 71, his journey toward implantation occurred two to three years ago when he noticed his endurance decrease. 'I was getting tired much quicker than I thought I should,' Karzen remembered. It was a frustrating development for Karzen, a professional tennis player in the 1970s who competed at the sport's major tournaments, including Wimbledon and the U.S. Open. He later won United States Tennis Academy-sanctioned championships with his children and has coached the New Trier girls' tennis team to state titles. Plus, he operates his own tennis club in Glenview. Frustrated with the lack of stamina, Karzen took a series of tests, but they all proved inconclusive. Then, about nine months ago, Karzen underwent a cardiopulmonary stress test that revealed a lower heart rate during intense exercise. He was only reaching 96 beats a minute, when it should have been between 120-130. Karzen discussed the situation initially with his primary care physician and soon they connected with his friend and fellow tennis player, Dr. Nishant Verma, an electrophysiologist at Lake Forest Hospital. Verma believed Karzen would be a candidate for the new pacemaker that is about the size of a Triple A battery. 'His main problem was his upper chamber not allowing his heart rate to go fast enough,' he said. 'This leadless device can sit in the upper chamber and increase that. Prior leadless devices did not have that capability.' Verma said one main difference of this pacemaker is that it is inserted through a small incision in the leg and not the arm. He added that in a traditional pacemaker, there is a battery under the skin and then there are wires that connect to that battery. The wires are connected through a vein under the collarbone that leads into the heart and plug it into the battery that is sitting in the chest. In this case, there aren't any wires left behind. 'That is a significant advancement because those wires can have issues over time including fracture or they can infected,' he said. 'Also, if they have been in for an extended period of time, removing them is quite challenging and has significant risks.' Verma said these pacemakers are only implanted on the upper and lower right side of the heart chamber. 'This is the first time we have a leadless system that functions exactly the same as a traditional pacemaker, with one unit in the upper chamber of the heart and one unit in the lower chamber, and they are able to communicate with one another.' He added, 'That mimics your natural electrical system because the electrical signal comes from the right upper chamber and goes to the right lower chamber. The two devices are what is quite unique about this. It is pretty slick.' Another advancement is a much faster recovery time for patients. In traditional pacemakers, a patient can't carry any more than 10 pounds in the left arm and can't lift the left elbow over the shoulder for about six weeks. With Karzen still playing and coaching tennis, a lengthy recovery would have been an issue. 'For you as an athlete this would be a better option and it never existed before,' Verma recalled telling Karzen. Verma presented the information to Karzen, who acknowledged having some caution due to the lack of time the new pacemaker has been widely available. But he decided to move forward, becoming one of the first to do so at Lake Forest Hospital. 'There is trepidation but eventually you have confidence in the doctors and the people who are doing the procedures,' he said. In January, Verma inserted the pacemaker into Karzen during an operation that typically lasts two to three hours. Karzen was back on the tennis court about a week and his recovery continues with his heart rate returning to normal levels. 'I feel like things are better, but there is still a distance to go,' he said. 'It wasn't a magic bullet and I am not 30 again, but it will give me the chance to last longer.' Verma said the dual-chamber pacemakers might not be right for every patient as it depends on the type of heart issue someone faces. In addition, given its recent debut on the market, safety data is still being collected, and it is yet to be determined how long the device will last. Yet overall he remains pleased with the initial results in Karzen and his other patients. Karzen echoes that sentiment hoping he has charted a new recovery path for people facing heart issues. 'I hope it can help me,' Karzen said. 'And I hope it can help others.'
