Naperville North senior forwards Noah Radeke and Jaxon Stokes spent the past three seasons lighting up defenses and thrilling fans throughout the Chicago area.
Now the longtime friends have done it on a national stage at the High School All-American Game.
“It was a really fun experience that I got to play with all those good players,” Stokes said. “It was definitely a confidence booster because I was playing with all these big-time players that are committed to huge schools.”
Radeke had two goals and an assist, and Stokes created several dangerous chances, helping the West beat the East 7-4 in Charleston, South Carolina, on Dec. 14.
Radeke and Stokes, a Belmont commit, may not have the national recognition of some of their teammates and opponents in that game, which included players bound for Notre Dame, UCLA, Stanford, Rutgers, Wake Forest and UConn, among others.
But the Huskies demonstrated the tremendous athleticism and flair for the dramatic that Illinois opponents have come to expect from them.
Radeke, a two-time Naperville Sun Boys Soccer Player of the Year, started at forward and did all of his damage in the second half, first recording an assist and then scoring twice.
“One of my goals, I got the ball passed to me on a through ball, and I just finished in the bottom left corner,” he said. “Then my other one, Kayden Hudson crossed me the ball, and I headed it in.”
Each team’s roster had 20 players, all of whom received roughly equal playing time. Radeke and Stokes joined Hudson, a Peoria Notre Dame forward, as the only players from Illinois.
It is extremely rare for one school to have two players represented in the High School All-American Game, which began in 2011. This is the first time Naperville North has been so honored.
Radeke had 54 goals and 35 assists in 101 games for the Huskies, while Stokes finished with 61 goals and 18 assists in 71 games.
“It was a great overall experience,” Radeke said. “We played some of the nation’s top recruits, and it was pretty cool going on the field playing with them as well as against them.
“We played like we would any other game, and we put on a good performance and represented our program pretty well.”
Yet they weren’t on the field at the same time. Stokes came off the bench and was used as an attacking center midfielder, but he was his usual relentless self.
“I almost scored twice,” Stokes said. “There was one where I did a give-and-go, and I got it back at the top of the box, and I hit the left post.
“That was early. Then the next one was I got a 1v1 with the defender, and I took it to my left and shot it, and the goalie blocked it with his face.”
Stokes said his legs felt tired during a team practice a day earlier but that he felt better for the game. One thing stood out to him.
“Both teams were really good, but we played more as a team, I feel,” he said.
That could have been the result of having two Huskies on the roster. Stokes certainly was, well, stoked for it.
“It was really fun and exciting to play with Noah,” he said. “Noah is one of my best friends, and being able to share the field at an All-American Game means a lot.
“Usually in the All-American Game, there is only one player per (high school), and the fact that we got two shows a lot about how the program has been so successful.”
Being on the winning side is nothing new for Radeke and Stokes. Doing so in their final high school appearance together was a bonus.
“I enjoyed it a lot,” Radeke said. “It was so much fun. Me and Jaxon got to hang out and have fun and meet some new people and make friends. It was a very cool overall experience.”
One that will help both players at the next level.
“It definitely gave me a sense that I’m along with those guys and I can perform with anyone on any given day,” Radeke said. “It prepares me for college soccer.”
Stokes said the game reinforced his approach to the sport.
“I was competing with them, so it shows that if I just keep working, I’m on track to do good things in college,” Stokes said. “But I still have to keep working hard.”
Matt Le Cren is a freelance reporter.
