Getting Off to a Hot Start

The Newark girls basketball team began its season on a good path to greatness. The girls started off their season at the Somonauk Breakout Tournament. They finished the tournament going 2-2, with losses to Plano and Wheaton Academy.

At Somonauk, the Lady Norseman team was lead by returning seniors, Kelsea Zitt and Megan DiClementi. Megan improved her outside game this season by hitting a lot of threes. “Coach Scott as a new coach is doing a great job. She allows us to reach goals as a team and manages games very well,” said senior Maddie Friestad.

The Lady Norsemen recently played Dwight and played very good defense, which added to tons of scoring. Getting junior Jasmine Mitchell back after she missed a few games in the Somonauk Breakout Tournament really helped the Norsemen roll over Dwight. They have been getting some help from their young guards, sophomores, Alyssa Schofield and Riane Tomsa. The girls are really looking forward to the Lisle Christmas Classic and hope to get some W’s.

By Dylan Patrick

Strong Start

The Newark boys basketball team began their season on a good note at the Leland G. Strombom Tournament in Sycamore. The Norsemen played four games during the Thanksgiving break finishing with a 3-1 record. The loss came to the hands of the J-Hawks of Rockford Jefferson in a tough two-point overtime defeat.

In Sycamore, the Norsemen saw production from many players including 14.2 points per game from senior Jack Clausel and 13.2 ppg from junior Cameron Myre. After a shaky first game, the backcourt of juniors Steve McGrath and Will Clausel, kept their turnover numbers low and managed the game. Seniors Evan Schomer and Jack Clausel have led the team effort on controlling the rebounding effort both on the offensive and defensive glass.

When asked how the first tournament went, Evan Schomer said, “It went good, especially as a small school. We played at a high level.” The Norsemen were the only 1A team at the Strombom tournament which was filled with 3A and 4A teams. A 3rd place finish is considered a success for the Norsemen, even though they feel that they could’ve won it.

“We really feel like we were capable of playing in the championship game,” Coach Rick Tollefson said in regards to the team’s finish at the tournament. The Norsemen look to carry this momentum into the month of December and the Plano Christmas Classic.

You can keep up with the Norsemen by visiting www.norsemenbasketball.com, which is packed with news, stats, photos, videos, and even live stream of games. Check it out!

By Will Clausel

Cheer for the New Year

Basketball is now in full swing, and with it comes NHS cheerleaders. This year’s cheerleading team consists of both new girls and returning girls.

The girls are Coach Miranda Linco; seniors Savanna Flowers, Mackenzie Fletcher, and Missy Friestad; juniors Autumn Bolte, Kylie Eike, and Skye Isenogle; sophomores Maggie Komes, Bailee O’Toole, Nikki Kala, and Lexie Pagel; freshmen Taryn Borcky, Gayle Walker, Lyndsay Larsen, Natalia Elizalde, and Kara Renz.

This year, as a fundraiser, the girls organized a Newark Kids Cheer Camp. Younger children below high school age were able to come cheer and dance with the girls during halftime of the December 11 basketball game. More details and information about the Kids Camp will be included in the February news article.

This Thanksgiving, Coach Miranda got engaged! She says, “It was the most perfect moment of my life. And most importantly most of our family was there to help us celebrate for the rest of the day! Can't wait for the exciting memories to come, celebrating with each other & our friends and family.”

Come help the cheerleaders support our boys at the upcoming home games:

• Saturday, January 9 @ 5
• Friday, January 15 @ 5:30
• Friday, February 12 @ 5:30
• Friday, February 19 @ 5:30

By Skye Isenogle

Boys Basketball

The boys basketball team continues their path to state, as they finished off their first games of the year in the Sycamore Tournament. They will begin their first exhibition game at Leland Earlville, on December 4. Coming off the holiday break, they continue their path with the same goal as when the season started, getting to the state game.

As Christmas approaches so does one of the most fun tournaments of the year. The Christmas Classic, hosted by Plano High School, will begin on December 22. Coming off an 11th place finish at the classic last year, the team set high expectations coming into the tournament this year.

"It’s the best time of the year," said senior forward Kendall Endres. Come on out to support the boys as they play in one of the biggest tournaments of the season!

By Evan Schomer

Girls Basketball Ready to Roll

The Newark Lady Norsemen began this season at the Somonauk Breakout Tournament at Somonauk High School starting on November 16. This marked the beginning of the Barb Scott era, as they were her first games as the varsity head coach.

The Lady Norsemen have only five upperclassmen this year that they will rely heavily on. "We have a solid group of upperclassmen with Megan, Kelsea, Morgan, Maddie, and Jasmine. I am excited about the leadership and work ethic they bring to the team," Coach Scott said.

Coach Scott also expressed her excitement for the group of underclassmen who will try to fill in some depth at the varsity level: "We have a great group of 12 underclassmen that are working very hard and will contribute to the team in positive ways."

The upperclassmen on this year’s squad are looking forward to the challenge of leading this young team. Senior forward Morgan Myre expressed this by saying, "With there only being us five upperclassmen, we are looking forward to leading the team and helping some of the underclassmen out during their adjustment to the Varsity level."

By Will Clausel

Newark Cheer KID'S Camp

Introducing Newark Cheer Kid’s Camp! Ages 5-13 welcome! Practices held Dec. 7 & 9 5:30-7 p.m. $25 Per Child T-shirt included! Performance will take place Dec. 11th during the varsity half time. Download the flyer and registration form here: http://www.nchs18.org/pdf/KidsCampRegistrationForm.pdf

NCHS Booster News

Spirit wear t-shirts and hoodies will be on sale at our home basketball games.

Senior Nights:
o Girls'Basketball January 25th
o Boys Basketball & Cheerleaders - Feb 19th
(Notes with more information will be sent home with each player closer to time.)

• "I have a need for Beads" will be for sale at games also. See Sandy McGrath.

Booster officers:
o Jana Eike – President
o Sandy McGrath - Vice-President
o Chris Nelson –Treasurer
o Lisa Jacobson – Secretary

Upcoming Events:
• January 30 - Alumni Night @ Newark High School
• March - Trivia Night @ Newark American Legion

Booster Meetings Dates for 2nd Semester:
o Jan. 4 @ 4:30 p.m.
o Feb. 8 @ 4:30 p.m.
o March 7 @ 4:30 p.m.
o April 4 @ 4:30 p.m.

Girls Basketball Preview

The Newark Lady Norseman basketball team will start off their season on November 16 at the Somonauk breakout tournament. The girls made it to the first round of sectionals last year and hope to get over that hump this year. The Lady Norsemen will be getting Barb Scott as a new coach this year.

When asked what she is looking forward to as a 1st year coach, Coach Scott said, “I am really looking forward to bringing excitement to girls basketball at Newark and in the community and develop a solid program for the future.” Previously Coach Scott coached varsity girl’s basketball in Michigan, and most recently coached grade school girls at Lisbon Grade School.

The Lady Norsemen have 2 of their starting players back for this year. Senior guard Kelsea Zitt said, “I am excited for my senior season and ready to learn from Coach Scott.” The Lady Norsemen have a couple of young players who will have to step up and get the job done: Alyssa Schofield, and Riane Tomsa.

By Dylan Patrick

Boys Basketball Preview

The Boys Basketball team will begin its season on November 23, as they start off in the Sycamore Thanksgiving tournament. The boys are coming off a sectional final appearance in 2014-2015 with a record of 23-11. The boys have set high expectations for themselves. With practice beginning the first week of November, the boys will be given time to group together and figure out the task. Only two of the previous players have graduated heading into this season.

“I’m excited. We have a great group of guys who are capable of doing great things” said junior swingman Caleb Dierzen. The boys open up at home on December 11, as they face off against the Royals of Hinckley Big-Rock. Newark will have four of the five starters returning including senior center Jack Clausel who missed the majority of last season due to a foot injury.

Head coach Rick Tollefson will return for his 8th season with the Norsemen, assisted by JV Head Coach Rob Scott and Assistant Coach John Avery.

By Evan Schomer

Cheer Cheer for Ole Newark High

We say Newark; you say Norsemen! Newark, Norsemen! Newark, Norsemen! Are you pumped for this cheerleading season?

“I am excited because I had a lot of fun last year,” junior Autumn Bolte said when asked how she feels about this upcoming season.

Junior Kylie Eike has set some goals for herself this year. “I want to be able to get the new cheers down in the first couple of weeks and spend time working on tumbling skills,” Kylie said.

As we near the new season, there will be some new things you will just have to come to the games and see. We look forward to the new cheers and the exciting new team that has been put into place this year. Join us as we cheer on the boys, and come show your school spirit.

By Skye Isenogle

Conference Championship Momentum

The Newark Lady Norsemen volleyball team comes into the final stretch of the season after a bittersweet conference championship victory. The ladies beat Indian Creek in two games in front of a frenzy crowd at Paw Paw High School. This conference championship completes a clean sweep for this year’s seniors, as they have won conference titles in all 4 years during their careers.

Unfortunately, during the October 9 victory, Sophomore Caeley Larson came down awkwardly on a kill, clutching her knee. She had to be helped off the court and would not return to the game. Sadly, results showed a torn ACL and sprained MCL that will sideline Caeley for the season.

This is a tough blow for Caeley and the team, especially this close to the postseason. “It’s going to be really hard to replace Caeley but I think we can step up and do it. We will need to cover very well and so far Riane Tomsa has stepped in and done a good job,” said Senior libero Megan DiClementi.

The Lady Norsemen began postseason play on October 26 with Regionals at Serena High School. This team hopes to take their recent hot streak into the playoffs and make a deep run. “The conference title gave us as a team a lot of confidence going forward. We proved to ourselves that we could fight through adversity and still rally to win.” DiClementi said as she and the girls prepare for the postseason.

Senior Kelsea Zitt also stressed the importance of the conference title. “We look to carry this momentum from the conference tourney into the final few games of the season and into the postseason,” she said.

By Will Clausel

Newark Golf

The Newark Golf team has gone above and beyond expectations for this season. The team worked hard to be the best golfers they can be. The boys played both Hinckley-Big Rock and Earlville on September 29. They were just 4 strokes short of beating the schools record.

Newark participated in Class 1A Seneca Regionals at Whitetail Ridge on October 6. Senior Neal advanced to sectionals with a score of 87. Golf Sectionals will be played at Prairie Vista Golf Course in Bloomington. Smith has shown great leadership this season on the golf course. He is a key member of the golf team’s success.

Smith was asked if he was going to continue to play golf in college “If the college I go to has a golf program I would love to play at the college level. I have loved being a part of Newark’s golf program throughout my 4 years of high school and if I had the option I would want to continue being a part of a golf team,” Neal said.

Freshman Corey Jacobson came up just shy of advancing to sectionals with a score of 88. Jacobson says, “I’m looking forward to working this off season to come back better next season. This season has been a lot of fun. The seniors are a huge part of this team and they leave big shoes to fill.”

Cameron will be returning next year as the only veteran senior. The Norsemen are looking at a bright future. Great season to the team, and good luck to Neal at Sectionals!

By Marissa Friestad

Setting Big Goals

The Newark Norsemen have a season record of 12-10. It has been a season full of learning and improvements. Junior Neal Knutson said, “ I think our biggest improvement has been on defense. I have been working hard at improving in the goalie position all season.”

The Norsemen are now on their way into post-season. They have made a few changes on the team in the past few games to try and put here best possible team on the field. Senior Mitch Schmidt said “Switching from defense to offense will be tough, but we are trying some new things to get us through he post season.”

Newark has already proved their toughness on the field by placing 2nd in the Little 10 Conference. They played in the Little 10 Tournament October 5 to October 8. They lost a hard fought game against HBR for the 4th place title.

Newark played Regionals at Somonauk at on October 13. They fell short of the win when they played Plano High School. But the team went out strong. The team did a great job working hard on the field all season long. They will say goodbye to Seniors Mitchel Schmidt, Ryan Johnson, and Clayton Flatness.

By Maddie Friestad

Little Ten Conference Champs!
Congratulations to the Lady Norsemen Volleyball Team for placing 1st at the 2015 Little Ten Conference Tournament Friday night! The Lady Norsemen (19-5, 6-0 Conf.) took on #3 seeded Lady Bobcats and finished with a win in two games with scores of 28-26, 25-16. Way to go, Lady Norsemen!!!

Swinging into October Golf

The Newark golf team has been working hard these last few weeks in preparation for this season. Their first official meet was August 24 against Somonauk followed by Hinckley Big Rock on the 28. They also played against Reed Custer and soundly beat them 218-186. They took home a win at all three meets! The boys’ team then attended the Putnam County Scramble on the 29 and they tied for 2nd. They have two losses to Indian Creek and Harvest Christian.

Senior Seth Larson was asked how the team is looking now compared to the beginning of the season and he replied, "We have all improved individually and as a team. We look and act like a team more now than ever." The team is looking forward to Regionals (October 6th) at the end of the season and seeing how much they've improved.

By Marissa Friestad

Setting the Pace

The Newark Norsemen have stepped up this year and set the tone for the season. The team began the season with two big wins against Plano and Kirkland and then took their winning streak to the Paw Paw tournament. They went 3-0 at Paw Paw and brought home a first place trophy. Junior, Neal Knutson said, “The tournament was a really fun day and our team really came together. It was nice to see our hard work pay off.”

The boys have been relentless on the field and making every game count. They faced some tough competition from Ottawa and Harvest Christian but still came out with ties against both teams. August and September have brought some great competition Newark’s way. October introduces the conference tournament and regionals. There will also be a few away games. On October 1, the Norsemen will be playing Princeton away at 4:30. On October 2, they will play at Somonauk for their first night game. Somonauk will host Newark under the lights at 6:30. The Conference tournament starts October 5 at Hinckley Big Rock. After the tournament comes post-season. Somonauk will host regionals this year starting on October 14.

By Maddie Friestad

October Playoff Push

For the Newark Lady Norsemen volleyball team, October is a big month. With a slate of 8 games to prepare them for the Regionals, the ladies look to get ready for the post season.

Senior defensive specialist Rachel Jacobson said, “We try to play our best volleyball come post season time when it’s win or go home.” Hitter Kelsea Zitt stressed the importance of the 8 October games, “Those games help us prepare for our playoff run. We try to make sure we are all the same page to make a deep run.”

Leadership will be a key for the Lady Norsemen to stay together during the back end of the season. Senior Megan DiClementi said, “The captains and the seniors really help the team stay close during the end of the year. Keeping our team chemistry high is important for our success at the end of the year.”

The Lady Norsemen will look to their seniors captains, Marissa and Maddie Friestad, and also junior captain Emma Nelson for this leadership. Emma, being the only junior captain, explained how the adjustment to being a team captain has gone: “It has gone very well. It is nice to know that the girls trust me enough to put me in that leadership position.”
Hopefully our Lady Norsemen will bring their best volleyball to the post season and make one of their usual deep runs.

By Will Clausel

Kicking into High Gear

Newark Soccer is in full swing! Junior Tom says, "We have a lot of work ahead of us for this season, but we have a great group of young players coming up." Newark’s soccer team has been practicing the past few weeks to prepare for their first game. They played schools like Plano, Ottawa, Streator, and Harvest Christian Academy.

They beat Plano 3 to 0. Then they tied with Ottawa 3 to 3. Tom scored 5 of the goals in the first couple games. He is expected to have a great season and help lead the Norsemen to some big wins.

Newark has had many changes to the team this year. They lost seniors from last season, welcomed their new coach Ben Jacobs, and have already seen some freshman step up. Connor has been a huge part of the team so far this year. Senior Mitch says, “Connor brings a lot of energy and hustle to the field. He’s already scored some goals and we’re excited to see what him and the underclassmen can bring to the team.” Newark already has a few wins to start off the season. The team has a lot of returning seniors and some young talent coming up. Come support the team!

By Maddie

Lady Norsemen Volleyball Preview

On September 1, the Newark Lady Norsemen volleyball team will begin another season under the leadership of Coach Tonya Grayson. This year’s squad will try to continue the dominance of previous year’s teams.

There are 9 returning team members from last year’s team including senior captains Maddie and Marissa. Junior Emma will join them as the third captain to lead this year’s squad over the sectional hump they are looking to get over. Newark has been defeated by Harvest Christian the past 2 years in the Sectional and are striving to get past them this time around. Harvest Christian will visit Newark on September 17, which is a date that many are looking forward to. “We are looking forward to playing Harvest. They are a tough team that will give us a test, and it is also the Homecoming game,” said senior Megan.

Team chemistry is always important with sports teams, and it seems like this year’s Lady Norsemen already have that unique bond. “Team chemistry is definitely a strength of the team,” Coach Grayson said,  “The girls get along great, and always play hard together as a team.” Sophomore middle hitter Nikki piggybacked on Coach’s comment, “We all get along great, which is a huge advantage for us.”

The Kill Club will be back again for this year’s volleyball season with a fresh face in charge. Senior Kendall will take over as President of the club this season. Evan will be his right-hand man as the Vice President.

Nikki explained how important the Kill Club is to the team, “We love having the Kill Club at games. The energy and excitement they bring really gets us going.” This year’s leaders encourage everyone to come to the games and help cheer on our ladies to another successful season. President Endres said, "With only 6 home games this year, we’re looking to be fully engaged every time our Lady Norsemen take the floor."

By Will, Dylan, and Evan

Teeing off to a New Season

The Norsemen golf team’s potential this year is off the charts. The nine-player squad consisting of Seth, Tyler, Neal, Cameron, Caleb, James, Cory, Brett, and Wyatt had their first meet Monday, August 24, with a victory over Somonauk High School at the Orchard Valley Country Club at 4:00 PM.

Most of the older golfers agree that the freshmen will provide key support to the team with continued practice. A team goal for the year is to advance through regionals.

When asked what golf has taught them throughout the years, Seth says, “Some days you will do great and other days you will feel like you’ve never played before. You just have to get through the bad days, so the good days are possible.” Cameron says, “You need to be focused the whole time, each and every day you need to be focused and determined.”

This fourteen meet season is looking promising for the Norsemen Golf team as they set sail for regionals.

By Austin and Remington

Newark Norsemen/Lady Norsemen Season Pass Information:

Season Passes may be purchased at the home volleyball game on September 10, 2015. All passes are good for admission to all home events, excluding tournaments. Adults: $60 for the year, Senior Citizens: $30 for the year, Family Pass:(includes 4 members of immediate family) $60 per sport or $180 for the year, Student Athletic Pass: $40 per year. Download the flyer here.

Tournament Champions!

Congratulations to the Newark-Seneca Varsity Soccer Team for placing 1st at the 3rd Annual Paw Paw High School Soccer Invitational on Saturday! The Norsemen took 1st place in three games with a 4-1 victory for each. Way to go, Norsemen!

Norsemen Baseball

The playoff run is here for the Newark baseball squad. In their first round game, they had to take on the LaMoille Lions on Monday, May 18. It was a Norsemen winner, as the 3 seed beat the 6 seed, 17 to 1. Cam Myre got the win, pitching the first three innings and giving up 1 run. Conner Christian pitched the next two innings without allowing any runs. “It was a good game, a nice way to get the regionals going,” said Coach J.R. Veliz. With this win, they had to play the 2 seed, Putnam County, at Putnam County on Friday, May 22. The Norsemen unfortunately were knocked out of the Regional Tournament in that game, losing 11-2. The Norsemen finished the regular season with a 13-13 and 9-7 conference record. It wasn’t the easiest year for Newark, but they battled throughout the year. The team had two starting seniors and a foreign exchange student. Matt Eike and Zach Ward are both 4-year starters and brought great talent to this game. Matt Eike, the 3 hitter, Of/C was all conference and all academic. “He was one of the best players I’ve coached here,” said Coach Veliz. “He had so many tools to his game, a wonderful player.” He will being attending Augustana University. Zach Ward, the solid defender and hitter, saw his averages around 330 every year. Next year he will be going to Joliet Junior College. Fikri Rachman, the foreign exchange student from Indonesia, had a wonderful time here in America. Fikri said that when he leaves Newark, he is going to miss his time on the baseball team the most. By Ian Cerney and Steve McGrath

Softball Senior Night

Softball Senior Night was held on May 7. Two seniors were honored: Caroline and Lexi. As of press time, the team was continuing to play in the regional tournament.

Photos courtesy of Caroline and Lexi.

Norsemen Baseball

"It’s a Norsemen winner"; those words were said quite a bit throughout the month of April about the Newark baseball team as they went 8-4. They started off the month with their first conference series against the Royals of Hinckley Big-Rock. The Norsemen got off to a hot start at HBR piling up runs from the start of the game. Austin Pagel tossed a quality 6 innings allowing 7 runs. "He pitched a quality game. We know what we're going to get from him, which is strikes. There was one inning were they got their runs when he left the ball up but for the first 5 innings he was marvelous." Said coach J.R. Veliz.

In that game, Tyler Mulligan was able to secure the save, his first of the season in a 13-8 winner. The second matchup was a pitchers' duel between Kendall Endres and HBR's junk throwing side armer. Down 3-2 going into the bottom of the 7th Austin Pagel hit a walk off hitting in Cam Myre and Matt Eike for a 4-3 win.

LaMoille was rained out on Thursday April 9 but on Friday April 10 the Norsemen were back in action beating the Lions in six innings 18-1. Saturday April 11 the Norsemen went to Channahon to face Families of Faith Christian Academy. Winning both of those games in six innings allowing only a total of 8 runs and scoring a combined 30 runs. It was a successful month for the Norsemen as they got a good start in conference going 6-3.

By: Ian Cerney and Steve McGrath

Get Your Game Face On: Newark Softball

Newark Softball is in full swing! The lady Norsemen have kicked off the season with some wins under their belts.

They have played some conference games against Somonauk, Serena, and Earlville. They have also played some games against some big non-conference teams, like Plano and Wheaton Academy.

May will be a big month for the team. They will kick it off with playing Dwight at Dwight on May 1. On May 2 they have a double-header against Kirkland-Hiawatha at home.

They will finish up their conference games, playing Indian Creek on May 6 at home and May 12 at Indian Creek.

The Lady Norsemen play some non-conference opponents, like Aurora Christian at home on May 7 and Gardner-South Wilmington away on May 14. Junior Megan DiClementi says, “As long as we keep our head in the game we will be strong leading into the post season.”

On May 16 they will play in the Putnam County Tournament at Putnam County. The tournament starts at 8:00.

By Maddie Friestad

Norsemen Baseball

Norsemen Baseball started their season Wednesday, March 18, against a good Marquette Academy Crusader squad. It was a very good start for the Norsemen; they were up 2-1 going into the bottom of the 4th inning, but the Crusader bats came alive and dropped a 7-run inning on the Norsemen, which ultimately ended their night. The Norsemen dropped the game 11-2. Even with the loss, Norsemen Coach J.R. Veliz said, “For the first game of the season we played great. We’ll get on the practice field and fix our mistakes and win the next one.”

By Ian Cerney & Steve McGrath

Field Work: Newark Softball

Newark softball has begun! The last two years, Newark has won a regional title, so they have high standards set. They had two seniors graduate last year, so there are some big spots to fill. That won’t shake the Lady Norsemen. This year, the team also has two seniors. They are Lexi and Caroline. They are assets to the Lady Norsemen softball team and will help them reach some goals this season. They have their work cut out for them, but they’re putting in the hard work now. Weather permitting, Newark will play the first conference game at home against Hinckley-Big Rock on April 6 at 4:30. Come out and support the blue and white this spring!

By Maddie Friestad

Girls Basketball

The Newark Girls Basketball team was undefeated in the regular conference. They beat state ranked Harvest Christian. They were the regional champions with wins against Gardner South Wilmington and Serena. The varsity team’s final record was 20-8.

The team had three athletes selected to the Little Ten Conference Squad. Those athletes were Jasmine Mitchell, who was unanimously chosen as a sophomore center; Mozelle Kempiak, unanimously chosen as a junior forward; and Kelsea Zitt, chosen as a junior point guard.

Kelsea also made it to the top 32 in the state for the 1A three-point shooting contest. Jessica Hager was also named to the senior All-Star team.

The JV team’s leading scorer was Alyssa Schofield, and the leading rebounder was Reegan Skelton. “The JV team has improved tremendously,” said Coach Petges.

By Jennifer Otto

Norsemen Basketball Recap

The basketball season has finally come to a close after a thrilling 58-57 overtime defeat to Flanagan-Cornell in the IHSA Sectional final game.

The boys overcame adversity this season. After losing forward Jack Clausel to injury in January, the Norsemen rattled off a 13-game winning streak with it finally ending in the sectional championship. The Norsemen ended the season with a 20-11 record, one of many 20-win seasons by Coach Tollefson.

Two seniors, Matt Eike and Karter Kunkel, say goodbye this year. Matt, a three-year varsity starter, was known for his toughness and competitive spirit, along with his aggressiveness on both ends of the floor. Karter, a two-year varsity player, was a long-range sniper from three-point land and a lockdown defender on the other end.

“Those two stepped up again and again this year. I’m proud to call them my friends,” said Mitchel Schmidt, a junior guard.

All in all, it was a great season for the team, and one to remember forever, especially for Sophomore Cameron Myre, who made it to State for the three-point shooting contest. The team took 11th at the Plano Christmas Classic, won the Little Ten Tournament, won the Regional and came close to winning a Sectional.

By Jack Clausel

Spiriting Off

When the buzzer went off at the sectional championship, the varsity basketball team wasn’t the only team that said goodbye to their season. Though they were sad to see the post-season ride come to an end, the cheerleaders made a lot of memories over the past few months.

Coach Miranda Linco’s favorite memories were when the cheerleaders accomplished new lifts, especially “when Lindsey stuck her first full lib.” Some other highlights from the season were cheering at senior night, the conference tournament, and post-season games. Junior Mackenzie Fletcher found that the cheerleaders improved throughout the season, mostly by being “sharper and louder” on the sidelines.

Though the five seniors will be missed next year, preparation for the next season is around the corner. With tryouts in May and activities throughout the summer, Mackenzie is most looking forward to “new routines and new squad members” next season.

By Lindsey Tollefson

Norsemen Advance to Sectional Championship

Congratulations to the Newark Norsemen Basketball Team for your 71-43 Sectional Semifinal victory against Ashton-Franklin! The Norsemen have now advanced to the Sectional Championship to be held on Friday, March 6, 7:00 p.m. vs Flanagan-Cornell at Somonauk. Go Newark!

Norsemen Baseball Preview

March 2 will be the first day the IHSA will allow teams to begin organized team practices for the baseball season. The team is lacking depth in the pitching chart for the season, so some players for whom pitching may not be their forte will have to be up for the task.

Most of the load will more than likely be on the back of sophomore returnee Conner Christian, according to Coach JR Veliz. Later in the season, expect to see junior Kevin Klock taking the mound as well.

Another thing Norsemen baseball fans could see this year is some new faces at key positions, like catcher. The coaching staff this year is looking experienced, as fans will see head coach JR Veliz backed up by Jim Hacker and Shane Randa.

Just a reminder, the first game of the season will take place March 25 at home as the Norsemen play Dwight at 4:30 p.m.

By Ian Cerney and Steve McGrath

Let’s Hear it For the Seniors!

For many, senior year is the year that dreams turn into plans. This was definitely true for the eight seniors recognized on February 13 at the boys’ basketball game against Paw Paw, where the boys took over with an 83-34 win. The seniors recognized include boys basketball players Matt and Karter, boys basketball manager Ben, and cheerleaders Hopi, Lindsey, Bailey, Sarah, and Mikaila.

Matt has been playing basketball for the Norsemen for four years and plans to attend Augustana College next year as a history major.

Karter has been playing basketball with the Norsemen for four years and plans to major in business administration next year at Southern Illinois University.

Ben has been the boys basketball manager this year. He is unsure about his future plans.

Hopi will major in psychology, but she is undecided on where she will study. She has been cheering on the Norsemen for two years.

Lindsey has been cheering on the Norsemen for two years and will be majoring in journalism next year at Loyola University-Chicago.

Bailey will be at Joliet Junior College next year, studying in the field of veterinary science. She has been cheering on our boys basketball players for two years.

Sarah will be at the New York Film Academy next year. She has been cheering on the Norsemen for two years.

This is Mikaila’s first year cheering on the Norsemen, and she will be attending Joliet Junior College next year to receive for associate’s degree in psychology.

Everyone enjoyed a reception afterwards that included cake, pizza, and pop provided by the Sports Boosters. Good luck, seniors!

By Hopi Horvat

Norsemen Basketball Update

The Norsemen Basketball team has hit its stride in recent weeks. Starting February 2, they started the Little Ten Tournament with a dominating 30-point win against LaMoille. This set up a semi-final matchup with Leland/ Earlville. After a rough first half, the Norsemen turned up the defensive pressure and won by 17 to set up the championship game against Hinckley-Big Rock.

Again, after an even first half, the Norsemen forced a multitude of turnovers and won by 13 to capture the conference championship for the first time in 3 years. After the win over HBR, junior Kendall Endres said, “After losing to Somonauk here last year, it was great to finally get a win in the conference tournament.”

After wins against Paw Paw, Gardner-South Wilmington, and IMSA, the Norsemen have a 10-game winning streak as of press time. They’re looking to ride that momentum in the state tournament, so come out and support the team!

By Jack Clausel

Regional Champs

The Lady Norsemen are regional champions once again. For the second year in a row they were able to win the regional championship. This year, they were led by Coach Dale Skelton.

They were the number one seed in the Somonauk regional and came up on top with wins over Gardner-South Wilmington and Serena in the championship. For a team that only had two returning starters (junior Kelsea Zitt and sophomore Jasmine Mitchell) and a new coach, they were able to accomplish a lot.

For the third year in a row they were regular season conference champs in the Little Ten. A tough loss to the Indian Creek Timberwolves in the conference championship game prevented them from sweeping the conference championships.

In the post-season, junior Kelsea Zitt competed in the state 3- point contest on February 26 (after press time).

Overall, this was a successful season for the Lady Norsemen. There were three new starters in the lineup with two of them being seniors.

“I think we had great play from our seniors” said Coach Skelton. “We meet our goals and played to our potential.”

The team will have three returning starters and the sixth man back for next year. “If we work hard during the summer I think we will be a force next year.” Congrats on a great season.

By Steve McGrath and Ian Cerney

Regional Champions!

Congratulations to the Newark Norsemen Basketball Team for your 53-45 Regional Victory against Ottawa-Marquette! The Norsemen have now advanced to Sectional Semifinals to be held on Wednesday, March 4, 7:00 p.m. vs. Ashton (A.-Franklin Center) at Somonauk. Go Newark!

Regional Champions!

Congratulations to the Newark Lady Norsemen Basketball Team for your 51-41 Regional Victory against the Serena Huskers! The Lady Norsemen have now advanced to Sectional Semifinals to be held on Tuesday, February 17, 7:00 p.m. vs. Amboy at Roanoke (R.-Benson). Also congrats to Megan DiClementi and Kelsea Zitt on advancing to the Three-Point Showdown! Go Newark!

Play Ball!

Snow will not stop the Norsemen baseball team as team open gyms will be going on all throughout February. The ball club has high hopes for this 2015 season as all players are making a return to the diamond.

The season gets underway Wednesday, April 25, against Dwight at 4:30 where the Norsemen are looking for a bit of revenge after dropping regionals to Dwight last season.

In that short time the team has a lot of things they need to straighten out, “The decision for starting catcher is still in the air” says Assistant Coach Hacker, and the team has to figure out how to cope the first nine games without All-Conference First Baseman/Pitcher Kevin Klock, look for sophomore Conner Christian to play a big role on the bump in the early going.

“This is a great group of kids we have here. This is one of the best teams I’ve ever had here at Newark.” Said the head coach J.R. Veliz. “I’m excited as all players are returning this year and they bring with them some quality experience. It seems like every year we have a ton of youth but this year have a lot of upperclassmen of the team that will make a difference”.

This team has the potential to be something potent. Look for them to make a run for the conference title maybe even a run towards state.

By Ian J. Cerney and Steve William McGrath

Norsemen Basketball

The Newark Norsemen took to the court over the break at the famous Plano Christmas Classic, a 24-team tournament featuring the area’s best teams.  The Norsemen were ranked 13th out of the 24 teams in the tournament.

After breezing past Forreston in the opening round game, the boys met Aurora Christian.  ACS took it to the Norsemen in this contest, winning by 16 points.  After this disheartening loss, the boys rebounded with a strong effort against St. Bede Academy, running away with a 15-point win.  The Norsemen’s next opponent, Yorkville, took advantage of a rough second quarter and won a hard-fought challenge by 9 points.  Again, the ever-resilient Norsemen came back and beat Genoa-Kingston in a high-scoring affair, 90-84. Four Norsemen scored at least 18 points, highlighted by Will Clausel’s 24.

After Genoa, the Norsemen have sputtered, losing a barnburner to Plano, squeaking out a win against conference foe Hinckley - Big Rock, and losing to Seneca on their home floor.   “We just didn’t play well.  We can rebound from this and should continue on our winning ways,” said starting guard Will Clausel.  With Kirkland Hiawatha coming to town on January 16, and a sizable break coming up, look for the squad to get to work on correcting those problems.  Starting February 2, the Little Ten Tournament kicks off, so come out and support the Norsemen.

By Jack Clausel

Lady Norsemen Basketball

The Lady Norsemen Basketball team has been on the rise since the start of the season, and over the break they didn’t slow down.  They held their own in the Lisle Christmas Tournament, going 2 - 2 against top competition.  Kelsea Zitt, a junior guard, is quoted saying, “It was fun to play.  I’m just glad we won some games.”

The Lady Norsemen continue to run the rest of the Little Ten Conference ragged, staying undefeated through five games. There are only two home games remaining in February, so come out to support the Lady Norsemen!

By Jack Clausel