Geneva 5th Grade Feeder Team Wins State Championship

GENEVA, IL — A few months after their season started in October, the Geneva 5th Grade Feeder Team made history March 20 when it won the state championship game in Champaign, Illinois. The win marks the first time a Geneva boys' Feeder team has ever won state, according to coaches.

During the State Basketball Championship, the boys competed against Feeder teams from across the state to clinch the title. The team remained undefeated against fifth-grade Feeder teams throughout their season, Head Coach Jason Rader told Patch.

"The families and kids stuck together to play for their city," Jason Rader wrote in an email to Patch. "The kids have been grinding together since third grade and worked very hard with having a ton of fun."

Alongside Rader, the fifth-grade boys' team is coached by Mike Endresen, Jamie Ganz and Andy Fauth. The youth feeder program, which works with the Geneva High School Vikings, introduces players to a competitive environment and prepares them for the next level of competition.

The following boys, who attend elementary schools in Geneva, are on the Feeder team that took the first-place medal at the recent state championship.

• Haddon Endresen
• Luke Pascoli
• Cody Rader
• Jake Fauth
• Chris Fauth
• Max Rasmussen
• Maddux Carson
• Jonny Udoiwod
• Austen Ganz
• Declan Hallahan

Cody Rader's younger brother, Dylan, also won a state title with his team. Though the boy is in second grade, he won state playing in the club division with the Illinois Attack 4th Grade Team, based in Aurora.