Wrapping Up Baseball and Softball

As we were going to press, the baseball and softball team were entering regionals. Please refer back to the school website if you would like to see how they did.













By Remington Kempiak

To The Finish Line!

The track season is coming to a close, and the weather has made the season very challenging. Coach Schutt said, “Every time you think you have the practice planned out, the rain sends us indoors to train and you can only do so much indoors.”

Most of the athletes have completed their season early due to scheduling conflicts with other activities in school, but the hopes are high that several athletes can qualify for state this year. Coach Schutt stated that, “if we finish with better performances at the end of the year than we had at the beginning of the year, we will have had a successful season.”
Sophomore Connor Swanson is leading in points for the boys and Freshman Kenna Borton is leading for the girls.

In the records categories, Coach Schutt said that “almost every individual in track this season bettered their own personal records.” Several notable records were achieved by Kenna Borton in the long jump, 100 hurdles and 300 hurdles. Beau Brown improved his own discus record and Neal Knutson broke his the previous 800 and 3200 records.

The girls sectional was on Friday, May 12, at Seneca High School. Freshman Naomi Sweeney place fourth in the long jump and sixth in the shot put. Another freshman, Kenna Borton, placed fifth in the 100 meter hurdles and jumped a personal best of 16’5” in the long jump and made the qualifying distance to go to state. Kenna will be competing May 20 at Eastern Illinois University in Charleston. Best of luck to our Newark participant, and congratulations to all athletes on a great season!

By Kyle Scott

REGIONAL CHAMPIONS!

Congratulations to the Newark Lady Norsemen softball team for your 12-1 Regional Championship Victory against Earlville-Leland! The Lady Norsemen will now advance to the Sectional Semifinal game to be held on Wednesday, May 24th, 4:30 p.m. at Somonauk vs. Winner Somonauk Regional. Good luck Lady Norsemen!

Track 2017

Senior Kylie is doing 100-meter hurdles, 300-meter hurdles, and pole vault. She looks forward to spending another season with Coach Schutt and hopefully going to state for 300-meter hurdles and pole vault.

Junior Kyle, is doing discus and shot-put for track. He is looking forward to getting to the meets and having fun. Kyle says that so far they have a good start to this year.

Freshman McKenzie is doing 100 meters, 200 meters, shot put, and hurdles for track. She looks forward to running with all of her track friends. She enjoyed her first track meet very much, although she learned to dress warmer.

By Jeremy Van Heiden

My Favorite Season? Baseball Season, Of Course

The Newark baseball team went to Jacksonville over Spring Break. They played a total of three games at the tournament, and they won two out of the three. They played West Carroll, Milford, and Payton Prep.

Each year the athletes on the baseball team go above and beyond while they work on the field. They treat the field better than they treat their own yards at home. They bring stuff from home like rakes shovels, gators to haul dirt, etc. They even mow it on their own sometimes. This year has been a little different because of all of the rain we got.

“We finally just recently got a chance to work on it for a little bit and were able to get our first practice of the year on it the first week of April,” said Coach Veliz. The team captains for this year are Seniors Steve McGrath, Zach Perkins, Cameron

By Remington Kempiak

Breaking Things In

The Lady Norsemen softball team started off with four cancelations due to rain, but finally got into gear with a game against Paw Paw, winning 11-0. On April 7, they traveled an hour and a half to Amboy and came out with a loss 3-1.

The next morning, the team competed in a double header on their field, winning both of their games 14-1 and 16-2. Reflecting on the early season, Senior Jasmine Mitchell said, “We have a lot of young talent on the team that is breaking things in and we are starting to get a good feel for team dynamic. We still need to work on consistent batting and keeping the defense tight.”

Junior Riane Tomsa stated, “We have a lot of new freshmen who are all solid players, which just adds to the group of returning players.
We all treat each other as family, and I think the upcoming season is going to be very fun!”

The girls will be playing Somonauk on May 1. Their record right now is 5-1.

By Caeley Larson

Boys Basketball

The team had a fantastic postseason, starting with a big win against Ottawa Marquette in their regional championship, Aurora Christian in the sectional championship (53-47), and Colfax Ridgeview in the super sectional (43-32), sending them to the state finals in Peoria. The team made the trip down to state Thursday, March 9, leaving the school with a rally of people cheering as the bus pulled out of the parking lot led by fire trucks and ambulances.

Players arrived in Peoria and had some time to get the feel of the court with a practice. Later that night, the team had the chance to attend the "Tip-Off" banquet. On Friday, the boys had their first game against Okawville. They finished with a final score of 63-48, placing them in the third place game at 11:15 on Saturday.

After the game, they attended a media interview, then had the rest of the night to themselves for dinner at Pizza Ranch and some fun at "The Experience."

Saturday, the team played in the third and fourth place game against Chicago Hope Academy. They finished in fourth place, the final score 60-46. The boys were each given a medal, and the team was presented a trophy. Dylan Patrick stated, "It felt great playing in front of that big of a crowd."

Coming home on Sunday, the team rode into Newark on fire trucks with a parade of people cheering them on. There was an assembly held at the school in the gym to honor their accomplishments of the season. Many community and family members attended the assembly to congratulate the team on a phenomenal season.

By Caeley Larson

Swingin’ into the Season

The Lady Norsemen are less than a month into their 2017 softball season. Energy is already high as players, coaches, and fans are anticipating a successful season.

Players are excited for the upcoming competitions. Junior Alyssa Schofield, who started at second base last year, can’t wait "to play games in the warm weather."

Head Coach Mike Crackel seems encouraged by the skill and progress his athletes showed in just the first couple weeks of practices.

"The girls are working very well together. We are blending six freshmen with one new sophomore and ten returning players," Coach Crackel said. He believes their greatest challenge will be developing a consistent offense early in the season because of the variety of girls on the team this year.

The Lady Norsemen didn't waste time. After three weeks of practice, they jumped right into competition, with three games and a doubleheader the first week. Their opponents included Marquette Academy, Serena, and Families of Faith Christian Academy.

Looking ahead, the Lady Norsemen hope to clinch the conference title and possibly a regional title in May. The Lady Norsemen have been close to winning their regional the last two years and want to take it this year.

By Emma Nelson

Ready, Set, Go!

Newark's 2017 track season will start on March 9, 2017. This year there is somewhere around 20 or more people coming out for track. Throughout the year there are around 9 to 12 meets. According to Coach Schutt, "This is a guess because it depends on if the weather is nice during the season."

Coach Schutt is back in his second season with new assistant, Coach Biccochi. Coach Schutt said he has several goals for the team overall during the year. "For individuals in track, our goals are to have individual improvement as the year goes along," Coach Schutt said. "If each individual improves their times or distances from the beginning of the year to the end, then it has been a successful season. If along the way, we can get some kids down to state and place at state that is gravy on the potatoes."

Some practices will be held at Cross Lutheran gym, and they have equipment that Newark does not have yet. When asking Coach Dr. Schutt where practices will be held, he told me, "Since we do not have a track at Newark, we need to be creative. Winners find a way to train."

Other practices will also be held at other towns' track facilities and around the town of Newark. The first meet for girls is March 28 and March 30 is for girls and boys.

By Kyle Scott

The Boys Are Back In Town!

The baseball team has their first game on Friday, March 24. As many of the Newark fans know, Newark went down to Jacksonville last year for the Jacksonville tournament. This tournament is the beginning of the boy' 2017 season. They will be returning from Jacksonville on March 26.

"It is great for team building and just like last year, the team will be a closer unit, I'm sure of it. Plus, with the weather that has been going on here, the trip will assure us of getting games in, being that it’s turf there," said Coach JR Veliz.

There are 18 athletes on the team this year, and track is open to everyone in baseball or softball as well. Most kids split the practices half and half between each sport.

"I think it’s great that they have the opportunity and option to do both. It’s also great that the track coach, the athletes, and myself are on the same page and are able to coordinate and work together," said Coach Veliz.

Last year was the first year in a few years that Newark had a JV team because there were a ton of new freshmen playing. There is a chance that Newark could have a few JV games for the 2017 season because they are still a young team.

Caleb Christian and Jack Gomoll are the team managers. The team has been working out since before Christmas break in the weight room.

"It was great to see how we started from just a few guys to filling up the room. It will help the team for sure. We will get our TNT (conditioning) as the season goes on but not as much as before the season," said Coach Veliz.

By Remington Kempiak

STATE BOUND!

Congratulations to the Newark Norsemen for making it to the Final Four downstate! Newark (28-4) outscored Colfax (Ridgeview) 43-32 to win their second ever Super Sectional victory. Now the team is headed to Peoria (Carver Arena) to face TBA on Friday, March 10th at 12:45 p.m. Best of Luck to our Norsemen at STATE!

We Are Newark!

Newark Norsemen cheer slowly came to an end, but for the players it did not go by very slow, the girls learned a lot of new cheers, kicks, and stunts throughout the season.

"Our new coach is very talented and she is definitely pushing the team. Next year, we hope to begin competing as a squad, and we plan on conditioning throughout the summer and fall," said junior Nikki Kala.

The girls went down to watch the state competition on Friday, February 3. "It was awesome to watch all the teams compete down at state," said Nikki. The cheer season is coming to an end, and the girls are proud of what they got accomplished this year.

By Remington Kempiak

Shooting for Success

As the Lady Norsemen's season neared its end, they said goodbye to their only senior athlete, Jasmine Mitchell. She joined six other female athletes in the 1000-Point Club back in January, following in the footsteps of her father, Rocky Mitchell. They are the only father/daughter duo to accomplish this. "My dad was a basketball athlete at Newark and playing for the same team in the same gym has been incredible," Jasmine said.

Mitchell has many memories of her time at Newark, but her biggest memories are competing in post-season and conference games. She will be continuing her basketball career at Indiana Wesleyan University.

The girls competed in Regionals at St. Francis de Sales in Chicago on February 8 and 9. They breezed through the semi-final round, destroying St. Francis de Sales 92-11. The Lady Norsemen advanced and played Bridgeview Universal. The girls defeated Bridgeview 59-25, claiming the regional championship. Senior Jasmine Mitchell and Freshman Meggie Scott also advanced in the 3-point shooting contest. They played Annawan in the first round of the Sectionals at Serena, suffering a 34-57 loss.

Coach Scott was leading a younger team this year. After losing the conference tournament championship game to Serena, the Lady Norsemen really had to battle back to develop more mental toughness and team play. "Jasmine was our only senior, so we had been working to develop as a group. I could not be more proud of the teamwork and unselfish play that this team has shown throughout the season," Coach Scott said.

By Emma Nelson

Boys Basketball

The boys basketball team has had an incredible season with a record of 20-4. The team recently won the Little Ten Conference tournament at Somonauk High School. They have won this tournament for the past two years.

For the championship game, they faced Indian Creek. The gym was packed full of fans dressed in blue and white with complete support of the Norsemen. The game went into an exhausting double overtime with a final score of 80-73.

The team celebrated the golden ball the third year in a row with their fans all decked out in blue and white. The program will be going into the next three games against Indian Creek this coming Saturday, Mooseheart on Feb 14, and Somonauk on Feb 17 all in focused preparation for the upcoming regionals on Feb 20. Regionals this year for the boys will be in Gardener South Wilmington with their first game against the winner of game 1 at 6:00.

By Caeley Larson

SECTIONAL CHAMPIONS!

Congratulations to the Newark Norsemen basketball team for your 53-47 Sectional Championship victory against Aurora Christian! The Norsemen will now advance to the Super-Sectional game to be held on Tuesday, March 7th, 7:00 p.m. at Normal (ISU) vs. TBA.

Super-Sectional Ticket Sales for Newark High School:
Sunday, March 5th
2-3:00 p.m. for Varsity Players, Cheerleaders and their families.
3-4:00 p.m. for Faculty, Staff, Board of Education, Boosters.
4-5:00 p.m. General Public
Tickets are $8 each

Regional Champions!

Congratulations to the Newark Norsemen Basketball Team for your 57-52 Regional Victory against Ottawa-Marquette! The Norsemen have now advanced to Sectional Semifinals to be held on Tuesday, February 28, 7:00 p.m. vs. TBA at Somonauk. Also, Congratulations to Beau Brown and Cameron Myre on advancing to Sectionals in the 3 point shootout. Way to go, Norsemen!

Regional Champions!

Congratulations to the Newark Lady Norsemen Basketball Team for your 59-25 Regional Victory against Bridgeview Universal! The Lady Norsemen have now advanced to the Sectional Semifinal to be held on Monday, February 13, 7:00 p.m. vs. Annawan High School at Serena. Also congrats to Jasmine Mitchell and Meggie Scott for advancing to the Three-Point Showdown! Way to go, Lady Norsemen!

LTC Tournament Champions!

Congratulations to the Newark Norsemen for winning the 2017 Little Ten Conference Tournament Friday night! The Norsemen defeated Indian Creek 80 - 73 on Friday, February 3rd to earn the title. The Norsemen went 3-0 to finish 1st place in three games. Way to go, Norsemen!

Girls Basketball

Over Christmas break the girls competed in the Ottawa Christmas Classic tournament. They ended up finishing ninth out of 20 teams.

"Overall, we were 2-2 and played some really good competition," stated Coach Scott. "I was pleased with the way we competed and was happy to be in a tournament that will help us prepare for the second half of our season."

The Lady Norsemen are continuing to work on defense, shooting, and ball movement. They play well together and look for each other well on the court. Conference wise, Coach Scott says, "We are currently 5-0, and took first place in the conference going into the conference tournament."

The leading scorer is Senior Jasmine Mitchell with 17.4 points per game. She is also the leading rebounder with 6.8 rebounds per game. Freshman Meggie Scott is averaging the most assists with 7.8 assists per game.

By Caeley Larson

We are Newark!

The Plano Christmas classic turned out to be a great tournament. The boys made it to the championship and lost the final game. Also, the cheerleaders did a dance there during the games. The cheerleaders have been working hard to go further in the season and compete against other cheerleaders.

"We were planning on going to a cheer competition so we have a chance to go to state but we decided against it because we did not make up a dance. Coach is pushing to start in the next couple years," said Junior Lexie Pagel. Going into February, the IHSA state series is on the cheerleaders' minds.

"Post season is the best part of the season because everyone's energy is up and are more involved in the cheers we do with the crowd," said Kylie Eike. The captains on the cheer team are juniors Maggie Komes and Bailee O'Toole.

By Remington Kempiak

Boys Basketball

Over Christmas break, the boys' basketball team showed off their skills and some of their younger talent in the widely known Plano Christmas Classic Tournament. This was the 54th Annual Classic, a tournament bringing teams and their fans from near and far together to enjoy the popular sport of basketball.

After beating Princeton by one point in the first round, they advanced and beat Morris. Their next facedown was Burlington Central, the top ranked team in the tournament. The Newark Norsemen ended up walking off the court on top, defeating the Rockets 65-57.

Energy was high in the gym on the night of the championship match. The bleachers were packed with anticipation of the upcoming game. After fighting hard, the Norsemen couldn't pull through, losing 37-48, a bitter loss for the team. When asked about how the tournament went, senior Will Clausel said, "We were disappointed with second place, but it went good overall."

The Norsemen are looking forward to their January 17th game against Indian Creek. "They will be our biggest conference competition this year," explained Clausel. The Norsemen have plans to beat Indian Creek and take the conference title. "Beau Brown is our go to player when we need to score during a close game," said Clausel.

The Norsemen were honored to have three of their players chosen for the All-Tournament Team. Junior Dylan Patrick and seniors Cameron Myre and Will Clausel received their All-Tournament Team awards after the championship match December 30.

By Emma Nelson