The Newark basketball team is feeling really confident and can't wait to see what the future holds.
The Newark Basketball team has been working really hard during practices because they believe that hard work gets success. Some challenges Newark will face this year is trying to get less fouls and getting rebounds. The team gets pumped up before a game by listening to music.
Some goals of the team are winning state, having a good time while playing basketball, and according to senior Will Clausel, "getting Steve Young buckets."
By Jeremy Van Heiden
For the last couple years Newark has not had a JV team for cheerleading. This year we have a JV team consisting of 8 athletes. The varsity team has 7 athletes on it. The team goal is to improve overall as a team.
"Since we have a lot of new girls on our team, we get to experiment with new things and have new ideas, since a couple were cheerleaders at their junior highs. I’m excited to see what everyone brings to the table," said senior Kylie Eike.
Before the games started, the girls practiced four times a week. Now that the season is underway the team practices two times a week. "We try to do a dance for every home game. Christmas dance and the senior night dance are two of our big ones," said Kylie.
In addition, some team members are looking even further ahead. "I'm looking forward to post season! It's always a fun time with both teams," said Junior Lexie Pagel.
By Remington Kempiak
Starting off in the Somonauk Break-Out Tournament the week before Thanksgiving, the Lady Norsemen Varsity basketball hit the ground running and overtook Plano the first night out, the first win of three in the tournament, their other wins coming from Hinckley Big-Rock and Wheaton Academy. The Lady Norsemen’s only loss came from Aurora Central Catholic, leaving the team coming out of week one with a solid record of 3-1, the best opening week record in the last four years.
The following Tuesday, November 22, the Lady Norsemen battled against Aurora Christian at home, their debut on their home floor. It was a close win but a win nonetheless. In addition to celebration of the win, the team celebrated the 1,000-point milestone surpassed by senior Jasmine Mitchell amidst the game.
The girls had their next game Monday, starting off with a win against conference match-up Leland-Earlville. The next night, the Lady Norsemen took their streak to Dwight and defeated the Trojans, boosting their record to 6-1. On Thursday, December 1, conference member Hiawatha came out to Newark and got blown away in a 76-27 point game. Lady Norsemen basketball headed to Marquette that Saturday for a brutal match, which left them with a win but an injury to their point guard, freshman Meggie Scott.
On December 5, the girls defended their home court against the Timberwolves of Indian Creek in a close game, the win coming with a buzzer beater from Jasmine Mitchell. The Lady Norsemen continued to nurse their bumps and bruises, having to brush it off. They play in their Christmas tournament the week of the 19-23.
By Jasmine Mitchell
After a heart-breaking loss in the Super Sectional game against Leroy last season, the Newark Boys Basketball program is hitting the court running, again.
Coach Rick Tollefson returns to lead the boys to keep up the Newark basketball tradition after graduating four seniors who contributed greatly all four years they were in high school. Stepping up to take the mantle are another four seniors, Will Clausel, Steve McGrath, Cameron Myre, and Caleb Dierzen, three of whom have played on Varsity since sophomore year.
"I’m expecting the season to go well," says senior Will Clausel. "It’s gonna be a great time with the boys."
Revving up their preseason in the second week of November, they have to wait until the week of November 21 through the 26 before getting a crack at game time. They head to Seneca that week for their Thanksgiving Tournament.
By Jasmine Mitchell
Winter sports are gearing up for their seasons, including cheerleading, which is in full swing.
There are 15 people on the team this year, 9 returning and 6 new. This year, the team will be competing in their first competition in Tinley Park, Illinois. For the upcoming season, Junior Bailee O'Toole, one of the captains, is looking to "improve their dances for the halftime performances."
Since there are quite a few new people on the team this year, they will be doing a lot of learning and bonding with the team.
Junior Maggie Komes, another captain on the team, says her favorite part of the sport is "stunting, because it brings a challenge." Bailee and Maggie both agree that being junior captains this year could create some stability in the team, considering they could be captains next year also. December 2 is the first home game, and they will be out there cheering on the basketball team.
By Caeley Larson
The volleyball season finally came to an end and with it, the onset of the girl’s basketball season. The changing of the leaves and turning chill of the weather represents a lot more to basketball players than the turning of fall to winter.
The Lady Norsemen are coming back from a winning record last season under now second year Varsity coach, Coach Barb Scott. They lost four seniors last year with only one junior returning as the seniority on the team. “We are going to be extremely young this year, but with leadership from our senior and juniors, we should do very well,” Coach Barb Scott tells.
Their practices began the week of Halloween, a mere three days after the Regional Championship for volleyball, which meant for nearly fifteen volleyball players only the briefest of breaks.
With only two weeks of real preseason, the Lady Norsemen will head into the Somonauk Break-Out Tournament in the week of November 14 through the 18, playing four games on the weeknights against Plano, Wheaton Academy, Aurora Central Catholic and fellow conference member Hinckley Big-Rock.
By Jasmine Mitchell
As the season came to a close, the golf team had some phenomenal achievements. In the conference tournament, sophomore Corey Jacobson won an individual first place. He had to win a double playoff to win the individual title, as he and another golfer were tied after 18 holes. Overall, as a team they came in second in the tournament. “He and the other golfer tied on the first playoff, then on the second playoff, Corey won by one stroke,” Coach Machetta said. In regionals, they headed over to Seneca and placed third to advance to the sectional meet up in Elgin. There they finished 12th out of 12 teams. Coach Machetta’s response to sectionals was, “we were happy to reach that point and there were a lot of good teams there. We had 3 guys shoot their average or better that day. They all gained great experience heading into next season.”
By Caeley Larson
Newark Soccer had 11 wins and 1 loss this year, a record which earned them first place in the conference. “We were upset in the conference tournament by Hinckley-Big Rock, but we were still able to take 3rd place in the Little Ten Conference Tournament,” said Coach Fitzer. There were two goals the team had this year. The first goal was to make the team better and the second goal was to be competitive. The team reached both goals. They will be losing four seniors this year who will be missed by the soccer team. “Luckily we have a young team, but it is going to be hard losing four good seniors,” said Coach Fitzer. The team had some injuries to the staring players this year but they got through the season. The bench had good support for the players on the team, which was huge for the players on the field. “There were a few important athletes that quit the team. It was difficult for the team, but they managed to get by without them,” said Coach Fitzer.
By Remington Kempiak
After a slower start to the season than they’d hoped for, the Lady Norsemen ended up 1-2 after the first week, falling to Aurora Christian and Lisle, but gaining momentum by the end in the win over Dwight.
The following week, the girls fell again to Rosary but managed to overcome their first conference match later that same week against Leland-Earlville, that win taking them on to also defeat other LTC conference members Hinckley Big-Rock, Hiawatha, Lamoille, Indian Creek, and Paw Paw in the weeks to follow. During this time, the Lady Norsemen also won their non-conference match-up with Ottawa Marquette.
The ladies headed to Mount Pulaski on the weekend of September 17 and then IMSA the first few days in October. They placed a solid second at IMSA after an avenging win over ACS to get to the championship.
The week after, the Lady Norsemen completely devoted their energy to the Little Ten Conference tournament, easily whipping through opponents like Serena and Leland-Earlville to go toe-to-toe with Somonauk, the other undefeated champion in conference play.
Battling for the first time in the season, the Lady Norsemen were thrown off guard from the very beginning, dropping behind Somonauk to a 0-9 fault at the start of set one. The Bobcats ended up controlling the rest of the match and taking home the Little Ten Conference Tournament Championship, the title going to someone other than Newark for the first time since 2009, breaking the Lady Norsemen’s undefeated 82 conference winning game streak.
Bruised from their loss, the ladies brushed it off, or at least attempted to, in time for their match at Harvest Christian on October 11. They lost the non-conference match-up after a few serving streaks by the Lady Lions.
However, the Lady Norsemen had other goals that week, with their regular season conference game at Somonauk their main goal. They were seeking revenge from the week prior, and receive revenge they did. Newark ladies came into Somonauk October 13, their energy high and minds set on claiming the regular season champion title.
In the first set, Newark came back from a 17-9 deficit, their resilience noted as they finished that set with a win, setting even more momentum in their favor as they started set two on a 10-1 serving run. Needless to say, the Lady Norsemen reclaimed their glory and won over Somonauk, taking first place in conference for their undefeated regular season.
Nearing the end of the season, the ladies celebrated their Senior Night, seniors Emma Nelson and Jasmine Mitchell enjoying their final home game playing volleyball in that white uniform on that floor. The Titans of IMSA dared to enter the arena with them, losing in two quick sets to allow the team to enjoy the traditional senior night cake together. The very next night, Newark finished off their conference games, defeating Serena for the third time this season.
By Jasmine Mitchell
Newark has two new coaches this year. The head coach is Tyler Engle and his assistant is Mr. Fitzer, who is also the school's social worker.
"Coach Engel is an experienced soccer player that has played professionally. I can see his experience when he coaches. He has really made this team better each day. The team seems to be in sync, and I think as the year continues we can only get better as long as we stay healthy. It's been a really fun start!" said Coach Fitzer.
There are 24 athletes on the team this year, 16 athletes from Seneca and 8 athletes from Newark. There are two goalies on the team this year, Silas Odum from Seneca and Neal Knutson from Newark.
"We have a very young team this year. We have 8 freshmen, 8 sophomores, 4 juniors, and 4 seniors. There are 4 freshmen and two sophomores that start on the team. This is great news considering we have a really good team this year. It gives us a lot of potential for years to come. We will be losing some great seniors after this season, Nicholas Bartkus, Tom Bartkus, Cole Westmoreland, and Neal Knutson," said Coach Fitzer.
By Remington Kempiak and Scott Samion
The Lady Norsemen started with their season opener on August 30 against Aurora Christian. Looking at the schedule for the upcoming season, they have some tough competition ahead of them.
This year, there are 14 rostered players on the varsity team, including two seniors Emma Nelson and Jasmine Mitchell, returning juniors Mikayla Williams, Riane Tomsa, Alyssa Schofield, Cheyane Copeland, Caeley Larson, and volleyball newcomer junior Meghan Lehmann. The returning sophomores include Rachel Testin, Alyssa Gittins, and setter Olivia Nelson. New additions to the team are three freshmen: Mattie Chapman, Naomi Sweeney, and Meggie Scott. Their overall record is 4-5.
Over the summer, the team played in league and had some tournaments on the road. Many hours were spent in the gym in preparation for the season. This past week they have their first conference game and came out with a big win. Looking ahead further into the season, they have a lot of work ahead of them and huge goals to accomplish.
By Caeley Larson
Senior Cameron Myre is confident in how the golf team is looking this year! He says, "We are cooking really good so far. We have yet to lose and could win conference."
The freshmen are doing well and are looking like solid players, Cameron said. This year we have two players from Serena; both of them are playing on the varsity. Returning from last year are Cameron Myre, Brett Myre, Corey Jacobson, James Martin, and Wyatt Snyder. Cameron is predicting the team to hit their toughest competition in the middle of the season against Indian Creek. The Norsemen are practicing at Prairie Lakes Golf Course this year.
Assistant Coach Machetta is also new this year. He said he became a golf coach because he enjoys golf and has a good relationship with the golfers. His goals for the season include continue to make improvement, get as far a possible as a team, and hopefully have some golfers make it to State this year.
By Kyle Scott
Newark athletes have been doing fantastic for their first track team. It is amazing how far the team has come from start to finish. There has been a lot of fun throughout the season with the athletes.
"The athletes who are dedicated about being at practices and take the workouts seriously have all improved a great deal. I am really thankful for those athletes and we will need them to be leaders next year as the program continues," said Coach McCoy.
From March to the end of the year there have been several personal records that have been broken. Breaking your own time, distance, or height is not a very easy thing to do, and it requires a lot of practice.
A couple team goals for the year were for the athletes to break their own time, distance, or height. Another goal that the coaches had for the athletes was to learn how track and field functions as a sport.
Most of the athletes have worked hard to break their personal record. The 4x800 relay team with Remington Kempiak, Kyle Scott, Antoine Dalle, and Chance Weismiller has been running the relay for several meets now. At the Yorkville meet, they broke their record by ten seconds. At the girls only meet in Oregon, there were eight girls, and each girl broke a personal record in at least one event.
There was a girls IHSA Sectional at Seneca High School on May 13. Newark came in sixth place out of the 15 teams at the meet. Unfortunately, none of our athletes proceeded to state. Kylie Eike received third pace in pole vault. She jumped 7 feet 9 inches. Second place got 8 feet.
"Our lives would certainly be easier if we did have a track, but I think we have done a very good job of getting quality workouts and learning without one. Doc Schutt has measured out a lot of different distances throughout the community, and we implement them well. We also take advantage of the facilities at Cross Lutheran, which is a big help. I know that next year there will be much stricter policies on not attending practices that will help the program have more successful practice times and really determine who is dedicated to the process of getting better,' said Coach McCoy.
This year has been a great experience for Newark. The athletes had a fun time in practice and still managed to get their workout in. I personally am very thankful for Dr. Schutt and Coach McCoy for coaching and Mrs. Navarro for making it possible for Newark to have a track program.
By Remington Kempiak
KELSEA ZITT
Favorite Game: My favorite team to play is Seneca because it is always good competition.
Game day traditions or superstitions: I always have grape big league chew for each game.
Plans for Next Year: Butler University
SHELBY HODDY
Favorite Game: My favorite team to play is Somonauk, even if we don’t win we always play a good game.
Game day traditions or superstitions: Visit my car
Plans for Next Year: Internship in South Africa
DELANEY DREW
Favorite Game: My favorite team to play is HBR because Coach just let us play wherever we wanted. It was like playing 10U softball again.
Game day traditions or superstitions: Eating my mom's delicious PB&J's
Plans for Next Year: I'm planning on attending NIU to pursue a degree in speech pathology to become a speech therapist.
EMILY OLDENBURG
Favorite Game: Freshman year when Kelsea hit a walk off homerun. My favorite team to play is Somonauk.
Game day traditions or superstitions: Play catch with Klesea, wearing a certain pair of socks and a certain hair style.
Plans for Next Year: I plan on attending Aurora University to study nursing and play softball.
MEGAN DICLEMENTI
Favorite Game: Favorite softball game was my freshman year first game in the sectionals and Kelsea hit a walk off wonder that won us that game!
Game day traditions or superstitions: I always tie my cleats and then retie them, because it makes me hit better.
Plans for Next Year: I plan on attending Aurora University to study sports psychology/athletic training and play softball.
by Maddie Friestad
Thus far this season, the Norsemen are playing with a record of 9-7, with 7 of the wins coming from conference games. The Norsemen will continue their season with regionals beginning on May 16. Senior pitcher Kevin Klock said, "It’s been a fun season this far and I am really looking forward to see what we’re capable of doing this postseason."
The boys had a large victory on May 3 against the Royals of Hinckley Big-Rock, winning 11-0. You can visit the school’s website for further information on game times and locations, and we encourage you to come watch the Norsemen play some ball!
By Evan Schomer
The Newark track team had its first meet on March 31 at Plano High School. The boys took fifth out of six teams and the girls took third out of six teams. Newark did great, considering we are a little behind everyone else.
There are athletes in track and baseball or softball, which gets challenging for the coaches and athletes.
“As we get further into the season the baseball and softball coaches are going to help us make sure our sprinters are getting some sprints and conditioning in either before or after softball/baseball practice if those athletes couldn’t make it to track that day,” said Mrs. McCoy.
The track team is not where they need to be as far as conditioning. They have been working on getting the correct running form down and conditioning while getting the form down. Mrs. McCoy said, “Athletes have been working on Dynamic Range of Motion. We will get to where we need to be.”
Track sectionals are May 19 and 20 for both boys and girls. At sectionals the athletes are able to qualify for state. To qualify for state, competitors have to get the state time or the height/length for their event. If no one makes the time, height or length, and the athlete is in the top two, then he/she will still be going to state because they take the top two athletes.
Track meets this month will be May 3 at Yorkville, May 5 at Aurora Christian, May 7 the Moose heart relay meet, May 9 at Oregon, May 12 at TBA girls sectional meet, May 13 at TBA girls sectional meet, May 14 at Sandwich (boys only), May 16 at Oregon boys sectional prep, May 19 sectionals, and May 20 sectionals.
Come out to sectionals to watch the Newark athletes as they compete for state.
By Remington Kempiak
KENDALL ENDRES
Favorite Game: Leland-Earlville. I always hit well against them, as well as nearly throwing a no hitter against them three times. I always seem to pitch against them for whatever reason.
Favorite MLB Player: Scooter Gennett. He plays for my favorite team, the Milwaukee Brewers, and his name is Scooter. What more could you ask for?
Favorite Memory: I really enjoyed playing in Cooperstown, NY, but my favorite memories will be from the times in high school when we would stay after games and practices and just sit in the dugout and talk while playing the rock game. This was especially fun when Mr. Hacker and Mr. Randa would stay and hang out with us.
Plans for Next Year: I plan on attending Purdue University, or Kirkwood Community College and major in turf grass science.
JAKE PUTTY
Favorite Game: HBR
Favorite MLB Player: Adam Laroche
Favorite Memory: Having a perfect batting average freshman year
Plans for Next Year: University of Illinois
JACK CLAUSEL
Favorite Game: Leland- Earlville
Favorite MLB Player: Joe Crede
Favorite Memory: The 05 White Sox winning the World Series.
Plans for Next Year: Playing basketball at either North Central or Millikin.
MITCH SCHMIDT
Favorite Game: Somonauk
Favorite MLB Player: Joe Random
Favorite Memory: Getting knocked out in Cooperstown and waking up in a random hospital room.
Plans for Next Year: Welding
TYLER MULLIGAN
Favorite Game: Serena
Favorite MLB Player: Jose Altuve
Favorite Memory: Fikri’s fake ISA letter
Plans for Next Year: Go to Aurora University and play baseball.
AUSTIN PAGEL
Favorite Game: Marquette or Somonauk
Favorite MLB Player: Ichiro Suzuki
Favorite Memory: Jacksonville. I loved messing with Mr. Machetta at 2 am.
Plans for Next Year: Go to ETI Welding School
AUSTIN GREEN
Favorite Game: Kirkland-Hiawatha
Favorite MLB Player: Ichiro Suzuki
Favorite Memory: Being around all your friends every year.
Plans for Next Year: Attending NIU for a major in business management.
EVAN SCHOMER
Favorite Game: I really enjoy playing Somonauk. It tests my managing skills and what I need to do differently to compete.
Favorite MLB Player: Prince Fielder. Obviously.
Favorite Memory: Probably being drafted to the NWL and being a part of the Rapids organization. #Rapidsnation
Plans for Next Year: I plan on continuing my career in the NWL and going to college.
KEVIN KLOCK
Favorite Game: Somonauk. The rivalry is intense
Favorite MLB Player: Nick Swisher
Favorite Memory: Definitely the Jacksonville trip we took this year. It was a blast being able to be with friends. And also mess with Coach Mac.
Plans for Next Year: JJC or ETI
By Maddie Friestad
Newark High School is bringing a track team to the school as of 2016. There was a paper that went around the school to see how many students would be interested in joining the team, and there were a ton of names on the list.
The track team will be practicing at the high school on the soccer field and in the gym, working around the baseball and softball schedule if the weather is bad. The team will be traveling to Cross Lutheran to use certain equipment there like the track for practicing relays. There will only be three to four times a month that Newark will be going to Cross Lutheran.
Mrs. Navarro and Coach Schutt worked hard to order all the equipment, except for pole vault. All field events will be available in practice but pole vault. Assistant coach Mrs. McCoy said, “If an athlete expresses a large interest in pole vault, they should talk to Coach Schutt or myself and we will try our best to make something work.”
There are approximately 30 athletes signed up. We have a good mixture of boys and girls, all ages, freshman to senior. “I personally have never started a track program from scratch before, but I know Coach Schutt has started successful programs in his career. My experience with track is as athlete in high school and junior high coach at Ransom Grade School,” Mrs. McCoy said.
As of now, Maya Wright is the only person who has offered to manage the team and help the coaches out with everything.
By Remington Kempiak
The boys basketball team finished their season in the Super Sectional held at ISU, losing to the LeRoy Panthers, 58-50. They finished their season with a record of 28-3, creating a historic year for the Norsemen. Winning the regional championship against the Leland-Earlville Panthers 66-47, they advanced to the sectional, which was hosted by Marquette.
They went on to beat the Flanagan Falcons in an exciting overtime finish with a score of 53-46. Junior guard Steve McGrath said, “It was a great season playing basketball with my friends. We wish we could have made it to our ultimate goal, but proud of my teammates for all that we accomplished.”
By Evan Schomer
Newark Baseball is just beginning! The roster consists of six seniors leading the way. There are five returning seniors: Austin Pagel, Mitchel Schmidt, Tyler Mulligan, Kendall Endres, Jake Putty, Ian Cerney, Kevin Klock, and Austin Green.
There is one newcomer that will be stepping out to the field for the first time since he was ten years old: Jack Clausel. All of those athletes have been a huge part of Newark sports the past four years and plan to go out strong. Also joining the Norsemen will be manager Evan Schomer. Evan says, “I am looking forward to helping out the team and being with his friends.”
The Norsemen are out for a winning season. Senior Austin Pagel says, “We are really looking to get a win against Somonauk. Beating them as a senior would make a lot of hard work pay off.” They have picked up some tough nonconference competition.
They will be going down to Jacksonville, Illinois, over spring break for a tournament. The boys will take on regionals in May. Senior Mitch Schmidt says, “Winning a regional this year is definitely possible. We’ll have to work hard, but we have a lot of talent this year.”
Besides the strong groups of senior veterans the Norsemen are also seeing the talent of some young athletes. Some key junior returnees are Conner Christian, Steve McGrath, and Cameron Myre. Freshmen Billy Gebhart, Corey Jacobson, and Jacob Slivka will be playing with the varsity this year also.
Come out and see the action live on opening day! The Norsemen will play March 16 at home against Marquette!
The Newark Norsemen baseball team takes the field for the first day of practice.
By Maddie Friestad
Spring is right around the corner, which means softball is as well. This year Coach Krackel and Coach Akre are working the girls hard to accomplish big things this year. Last year, the girls went 15-7 and ended the season after winning regional semi finals.
The seniors will be Sara Hipsman, Kelsea Zitt, Shelby Hoddy, Delaney Drew, Megan DiClementi, five of those being returning veterans. Senior Megan DiClementi says some team goals are, “Going undefeated in conference, getting first in conference, and making it to sectionals.”
Sophomore Nikki Kala was asked what is the best part of softball and she said, “The team. The team is worth every long practice, hard games, black eye and bruise. We are a family and we win for each other.”
The first games this season will be March 21 at Aurora Christian, March 24 against West Minister Christian at home and March 30 against Ottawa Marquette at home. Come out and support your Lady Norsemen!
By Marissa Friestad
Congratulations to the Newark Norsemen basketball team for your 56-49 Sectional Semifinal Victory against Ottawa Marquette! The Norsemen will now advance to the Sectional Championship game to be held on Friday, March 4th, 7:00 p.m. at Ottawa-Marquette (Game played at 201 Chicago St., Marseilles) vs. Flanagan (F.-Cornell). Tickets sales on Thursday from 9-3 for the public. All Tickets $5.00. T-Shirts $10. Go Norsemen!
Softball season is right around the corner! Are you ready for sunflower seeds, uniform tan lines, and warm Saturday games? The softball team sure is!
During the month of February, the team has been having open gyms every Wednesday night and plans to do so up until the first practice. The practice schedule begins on March 1.
The first game for the Newark softball team is on March 21 and is away at IMSA starting at 4:30. The next, and last game for the month of March is the 22nd. The game is home against Aurora Central Catholic and will also be starting at 4:30.
This year, the softball team consists of six seniors, one junior, seven sophomores, and three freshmen. Senior Kelsea Zitt is most excited for Saturday double headers with a cookout in between games. Senior Delaney Drew stated that the team can’t wait to begin practice to work together as a team and to have a great overall season.
By Shelby Hoddy
The boys basketball team has now entered the end of their regular season, coming off a conference tournament championship for the second consecutive year. They defeated Indian Creek 63-50 in the championship game.
The Norsemen now will finish their season playing three more games before entering regionals in Serena. Depending how regionals go, the Norsemen would then play in the sectional taking place at Marseilles Grade School. The season extends into early March where the state tournament would be held at Carver Arena in Peoria.
“We are all real excited and looking forward to what we can be capable of doing,” said senior forward Jack Clausel. Newark has recently been given an AP ranking of 6 in the state and hope for a big run to come with the post season approaching. Go Norsemen!
By Evan Schomer
This year the Newark Cheerleading team was not just a team. Sophomore Nikki Kala says, “It feels more like family.”
The bond of thirteen girls has grown over the past few months. Senior Savanna Flowers says, “We have a team full of girls who can learn quick and nail a dance.”
They have been working together since November and come a long way. At the beginning of the season the girls hosted a camp for younger girls and cheered at the boys games.
Toward the end of the season the girls have began working on multiple dances. The squad performed their dance at senior night on February 19.
Marissa Friestad said, “We bring a lot of energy and encouragement to the game. The basketball and cheerleading team feed off one another.”
The cheerleaders have had a fun season full of exciting wins, and memories to last a lifetime.
By Maddie Friestad
The Lady Norsemen are coming off a good finish at the Lisle Christmas tournament with a 4th place trophy. The Lady Norsemen are looking for a little run to cap off the conference tournament. After asked, “Why this team would make it farther than any other team in the conference”, Coach Scott said, “Our team is very unselfish and they distribute the ball really well. They play extremely hard and are determined to improve and play for a conference championship!”
The next few games are very important to the Lady Norsemen as they enter the conference tournament. As a first year coach, Coach Scott has some big plans for this team. When asked, “What's your favorite thing about coaching this group of girls”, She answered, “ These girls are so much fun to coach and they always come ready to play and work hard! We have had some great team kickboxing workouts, too!”
The Lady Norsemen are approaching the conference tournament that will be starting on January 18. Coach said, “We are looking forward to playing both Indian Creek and Serena at the conference tournament and then again at the end of their regular season”. Hopefully the Lady Norsemen can make a little run as they're heading towards the end of the season!
By Dylan Patrick
Newark’s boys team is coming off of a great Christmas tournament, losing only one game to the La Salle-Peru Cavaliers who later went on to win the tournament. Newark ended up beating Burlington-Central in the third place game after coming back from a large deficit in the first quarter. Jack and Will Clausel both received all tournament nominations after their stellar play in the tournament.
The boys will continue with their first home game in the new month taking place on February 12, when they take on the Bobcats of Somonauk. The conference tournament will be starting on February 1-4 (rankings to be determined). The boys are coming off their best record since the 2011 state championship team with a record of 18-2.
With the season starting to wind down, come on out and support your boys as they attempt to make history!
By Evan Schomer
The Newark Cheer Squad is going strong this season with a few months under their belt. They have cheered at the boys basketball games, hosted a cheer camp, and had many team bonding activities. They have had a Secret Santa draw and Christmas party.
The cheer squad has shared a great deal of fun times already, but still have more planned. The 12-woman squad has been practicing hard for upcoming dances and post-season cheering.
There is still a month ahead of the cheer team. They plan to continue having team bonding activities along with supporting the boys’ basketball team.
In February there are two home games and five away games. Newark is playing in the conference tournament at Somonauk starting on February 1. Senior night is on February 19.
They will be saying goodbye to three seniors: Savanna Flowers, Mackenzie Fletcher, and Marissa Friestad. Senior Captain Savanna Flowers says, “We have a great group of girls. We all love to have fun and bring some school spirit into the games.”
By Maddie Friestad
On January 30, Newark High School Sports Boosters will be hosting the 2nd annual Alumni Night. Alumni Night is a night of basketball at Newark for players from the girls and boys basketball programs. Newark has always had a rich tradition in both programs and it’s a good way to get some old faces back to NCHS.
The Boosters are coordinating with alumni Matt Akre and Brian Hatteberg to help organize and run this year’s event. Matt and Brian have worked on reaching out to the alumni and organize who all is attending. These two were both very involved in the event last year as well.
Last year was a great success as about 40 alumni came back to Newark for a night of hoops. When asked about the expected turnout for this year, Matt Akre said, “We are expecting a similar number of players this year. The majority last year were from the men’s side, so we’re hoping for a better turnout from the women’s side this year.” Matt also stressed how important it was to bring back the alumni “It is important to recognize the athletes that have helped make Newark into the program it is today.”
Alumni Night brings back former players to play on their old home court. For some, it is a chance to relive their high school days as members of the Newark Basketball program. When asked what he missed most about his high school playing days, Matt responded, “The overall team element. When you are practicing and working together to achieve something, it feels very special when you actually have success. I miss the importance of every practice and game.”
Overall Alumni Night is a great way to bring the Newark basketball alumni back to keep the rich tradition alive and allow them to get back to the floor that holds some great memories.
By Will Clausel
