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

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!

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!

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!

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

Second Place Plano Christmas Classic

Congratulations to the Newark Norsemen Basketball Team for your Second Place finish at the 54th Annual Plano Christmas Classic! The Norsemen went 3-1 to finish 2nd place in four games. Congratulations to Will Clausel, Cameron Myre, and Dylan Patrick on winning all-tournament team! Way to go, Norsemen!!!

Boys Basketball 2016-2017

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

Back to the Grind

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

TOURNAMENT CHAMPIONS!

Congratulations to the Newark Norsemen Basketball Team for your Championship victory at the Seneca Thanksgiving Tournament! The Norsemen took 1st place in four games - vs Mendota 65-56, vs Hall 85-61, vs Reed Custer 81-52, and vs Illiana Christian 55-45. Way to go, Norsemen!!!

Boys Basketball Review

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

SECTIONAL CHAMPIONS!

Congratulations to the Newark Norsemen basketball team for your 53-46 (OT) Sectional Championship Victory against Flanagan-Cornell! The Norsemen will now advance to the Super-Sectional game to be held on Tuesday, March 8th, 7:00 p.m. at Normal (ISU) vs. LeRoy.

Congratulations!

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!

The Final Chapter

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

Second Half Finish

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

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

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

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

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