Stepping Up to the Plate (If it’s Visible Under All the Snow)

It’s that time of year again when the snow begins to melt and softball season begins. Well, that’s usually how it goes. This year, with the amount of snow we’ve been getting, it’s unlikely that the girls will be able to get out to the field for quite some time. The softball season began on March 3rd, and there are 13 girls on the team. Mr. Holman, the softball head coach, called the team this year, “all-stars,” and has been working the girls hard to get them ready for the season. Best of luck to the 2014 softball team!

By Madeline Hoddy

Basketball Recap

The Newark basketball team recently entered the best part of the season, March and the state playoffs. They played Paw Paw on Valentine’s Day, but after the cancellation of LaMoille they took a two-week break into the Regionals. The Norsemen were granted a two seed for their efforts in the regular season. They faced off in the semifinals against a familiar foe, Somonauk. In a back and forth affair, the Norsemen finally broke free after Steve McGrath’s steal and layup, putting them ahead by three with fifty seconds left in the game. The boys put Somonauk away after a flurry of free throws, and walked out with a 50–42 win, which put them in the Regional final, where the Mooseheart Ramblers waited. Mooseheart, with three players 6’7” or taller, were a tough opponent, and the team knew they would have to play an almost perfect game to win. The Norsemen slowed down the pace, taking three minutes off the clock with each possession. They went into the half trailing 11-10 having successfully slowed the game down and frustrating Mooseheart’s 6’10” center Makur Puou, holding him to three points at half and five total. The third quarter was higher scoring, with twelve points from Mooseheart and eight from Newark. Jack Clausel keyed a run with seven consecutive points in the stanza, and Grant Riehle-Moeller consistently out rebounded the much taller Ramblers. In the fourth, the game found its slower pace again. Matt Eike’s three-pointer early in the period was the lone basket of the entire quarter. The team had a shot to tie it with 4.7 seconds left, but the pass was intercepted and that ended the game. The Norsemen bowed out 25-22.

The team was proud of all the effort that they gave during the season, and they made many memories during the course of the season. Four of five starters return next year, with Grant Riehle-Moeller being the only senior this year. He will be missed; Grant was a great player during his time at NHS. Thanks to everybody who came out and supported the team during the season, the boys are very grateful for everything the community did for them this season.

By Jack Clausel and Zachary Robert Bond

Cheerleading

After reviving the cheerleading program at Newark High School after a year without cheerleaders, a number of students said the program was off to a good start. At the beginning of the season, they explained everything they wanted for the season to their new coaches, Miranda Linco and Ms. Amanda Eibl, and got to work right away. Along with getting out the uniforms this year, the girls also received brand new warm-up jackets (bedazzled with the words “Newark Cheer” on the back) and warm-up pants.

Their first game of the basketball season was at the Thanksgiving Tournament at Sycamore High School in Sycamore. Not only did they cheer there for the first time, they also performed their first half time dance routine. Different routines included different formations and different songs. One of the favorite formations was a “V” formation where the girls gathered to make a large V on the gymnasium floor. Some songs they chose to dance to included a remix of “Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You)” by Kelly Clarkson and “Right Now” by Rihanna. They even danced to a couple of medleys like their Christmas dance, for example not only did they dance to a variety of songs in one dance, but they also wore Santa hats and ugly Christmas sweaters. Their last dance included a medley as well that included songs such as “Timber” by Kesha, “Counting Stars” by One Republic, “Shake It” by Metro Station, and “Burn” by Ellie Goulding.

After cheering at Sycamore, they headed to other games that included big wins for the Newark Norsemen basketball team at Chicagoland Jewish High School in Deerfield and a recent big win against Somonauk on the first night of regionals at Somonauk on February 26th. Make sure to look for the cheerleaders at halftime and on the sidelines at next year’s Newark Norsemen basketball games!

By Hopi Horvat and Mackenzie Fletcher

Ending The Season Strong

In the past month, the Norsemen had a pretty slow schedule after weather cancelled a slew of games. The team played only six games in the month of January. They lost to Dwight on the 3rd of the month; therefore, rebounding to play some stifling defense against Plano for an eight point win. Later, the Norsemen welcomed conference rival, HBR, to the home gym for a game with the Royals. Our team shot the ball well, scoring almost 70 points in a 62 – 28 win. After beating HBR, the Norsemen traveled to Seneca where they were outclassed by the Irish, losing 63 – 39. After the Seneca defeat, the boys made the long haul to Hiawatha; there, they led at the half 35 – 14 behind Jack Clausel’s 21 points. They ended the game with a 71 – 28 final score. The team then took two weeks off after the game against Lamoille was cancelled due to weather. They then took on conference foe, Indian Creek, in a game to see who has the best conference record. The Norsemen trailed at that the half but closed out the second half strong, winning by eight with a score of, 66 – 58. Evan Schomer played the role of hero in that contest, scoring 19 points and pulling down 11 rebounds. Before mid-February, the Norsemen played in the Little Ten Tournament. They won the opening round game against Lamoille, 70 – 34. Matt Eike was the leading scorer, pouring in 20 points. The quarterfinal matchup was against Paw Paw. The Norsemen came out flat, but rallied in the fourth to win by seven. Jack Clausel led all scorers with 20 points. Then in the championship game, the Norsemen took on the Bobcats of Somonauk. In a game for the ages, the Norsemen dropped a close decision, losing 64 – 57. Jack Clausel was the leading scorer with 21 points, and Evan Schomer dropped 17 in a losing effort. After the hard fought loss against Somonauk, the Norsemen travelled to Putnam County to play the Coaches vs Cancer Shootout against Roanoke Benson. The Norsemen were down three at the half, and then were outscored by seven, losing 58 – 48. Two games remain in the season; then, the postseason comes. So come on out and cheer on the Norsemen!

By Jack Clausel and Zack Bond

Girls Basketball

The girls basketball team finished the season with 20 wins and 8 losses. It was a season to be proud of and the girls showed heart and devotion during the games. The girls finished their regular season games strongly with a 63-7 win against IMSA, and 62 to 14 against Gardner South Wilmington (GSW). The last regular season game was against Aurora Central Catholic. They pulled off this close game with a final score of 50 to 46. Regionals began, and after defeating GSW, the varsity squad advanced to the regional championship against Serena. The girls fought a hard battle, but came up short with a respectable ending score of 61-48. No matter what, they always were doing their best on and off the court and have left some great impressions and memories with the Newark basketball program. Congratulations on a great season ladies!

By Maddie and Marissa Friestad