The End of Another Great Season

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

Kicking Off The New

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

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

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

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

Little Ten Conference Soccer Tournament

With the Norsemen soccer regular season coming to an end, the Norsemen prepared for their conference tournament starting October 6th. Coming in to the tournament off a 10-3 Norsemen win over Plano, Newark had confidence and it showed for their first match against Paw Paw, with Newark picking up a 4-2 victory. The Norsemen would move on to face a very talented Hinckley Big-Rock team. Right out of the gate Newark took a 1-nothing lead but failed to score any more and lost the match 4-1 sending Newark to the 3rd place game.

In the third place game Newark was set to face a good Serena team that they had already played twice before. Newark lost their first match against Serena in the Paw Paw tournament, a tournament that Newark won. Later in the season Newark faced off against Serena on their Homecoming game. In a game that defender Mitchel Schmidt described as “intense”, Newark picked up the victory 2-1.

Early in the third place game Newark took a 1-0 lead off of a penalty kick. Shortly after, Serena tied the game. Again, Newark took the lead and Serena came back and tied it. Nearing the end of the game with it tied 2-2, Midfielder Matt Eike put a beautiful shot on goal from the corner to take the lead with 40 seconds remaining in the game.

Newark finished the season strong with a first ever showing in the regional championship. Congratulations on a great season from all of us here at NCHS!

By Steve McGrath and Austin Dike

Goal!

The Newark soccer team has made a great impression with the games played so far. Junior Austin Green says, “We’re the best we’ve ever been. We have great team chemistry and it’s only going to get better.”

The Newark Soccer team has been to a couple tournaments and placed well at all of them. The team brought home a first-place trophy at the Paw Paw tournament on August 30.

Other than tournaments, they have had a handful of games against some tough competition. They are 5-5 overall. In conference they are 3-1. They have played Plano, Ottawa, Streator, and DePue in nonconference. Their conference games have been against Kirkland-Hiawatha, Earlville, Hinckley-Big Rock, and Paw Paw.

The team is looking forward to upcoming competition. A nonconference match against Princeton will be on October 2 at home.

Then the team will be going into the conference tournament. The games from October 6 to 10 games will be played at home also. Come out and support the Newark Norsemen Soccer Squad!

By Rachael Lape, Maddie Friestad, and Marissa Friestad

Kicking off a Great Season

The Newark Soccer team is ready to kick off a great season. This year is the second year of the Newark and Seneca co-op. We asked head coach J.R. Veliz what he thought about the co-op.

“I think it’s great! The Seneca kids bring a lot of talent to the team. Between both schools we should put together a pretty good season this year!” said Coach Veliz.

When talking to senior midfielder Matt Eike,who is also the captain, we asked him what his expectations for the season were. “Our teams goal is to be well above 500% win percentage, but we’re just going to take it one game at a time,” replied Matt. We also asked him what his responsibilities as a captain were. Matt jokingly responded, “To lead stretches. But mainly to relay information from referees back to the players. I also have the responsibility of being a team leader with my words and my actions.”

We also talked to junior goalie Kevin Klock. When we asked him what his favorite part of the game was, he responded, “to see a great formation with great ball control.” When asked who he tries to model his game after, he said, “Tim Howard because he is a fabulous goalkeeper and a proud American.”

By Austin Dike and Stevie McGrath

Cleaning the Cleats

Soccer is coming to an end, yet that’s not how the Newark Norseman are playing. They continue to play hard and continue to do well in conference, with a great homecoming victory against Hinckley Big Rock in overtime, when Tom Bartkus passed it across the field to Cole Westmoreland, who kicked the ball into the goal for the game winning point. This is the first time in history the Newark Norseman has beat Hinckley Big Rock in soccer.

The Norseman then beat Serena 6 – 1 in conference. The Norseman then headed on to the LTC and lost to Serena, 2 to 1, beat Kirkland due to a forfeit, and then beat Indian Creek 5 to 2. Overall the soccer season has been rewarding for the team. The Seneca Irish and Newark Norseman have come together as one team and are excited for the start of the next season. The conference record for the team was 4 wins and 3 losses. The team gives a special thanks to the parents and fans for being a part of the experience.

By Anthony Green

Congratulations on a Successful Season

Congratulations to the Norsemen soccer team on a successful season! Special congrats to the team on a second place win at the Paw Paw tournament, Homecoming victory - first win in school history against HBR, 4th seed standing in the LTC, and an 8-win season! Way to Go Norsemen!!

Soccer Kicks Off the Season

The combined teams of Newark and Seneca start the season with a second place win at the Paw Paw tournament. They fought tough and competitively during the whole tournament, the outcome was a 5-0 win against Paw Paw, a 3-3 tie against Serena, and a sad loss 0-6 against Depue. They then went on to win their first conference game against Indian Creek with a rewarding score of 4-2. A close match with Somonauk that kept the team fighting the whole game was sadly met with a loss, 3-1, then off with a great 5-2 win at Elgin Academy. As the season progresses, the combined Newark and Seneca soccer team grows closer together and forms one great powerhouse team. Coach Veliz is very pleased with the progress of our team and knows as the season continues, the soccer team will only get better. The soccer team is getting ready for the upcoming games.

By Anthony Green

Congratulations!

Congratulations to the Soccer team for their 2nd place finish in the Paw-Paw Tournament on Saturday. Newark took 2nd place in three games with a 5-0 win vs. Paw-Paw, 3-3 tie vs. Serena and a 0-6 loss to DePue. Way to go! Great start to the season!

Kicking and Screaming

As summer winds down Newark soccer kicks it into high gear with many new additions to the team. The Norsemen set sail this season with the Seneca Irish right by their side as head coach JR Veliz and assistant coach Dale Skelton set their sights on victory this year. Many have speculated about the outcome of merging Newark and Seneca under one soccer team. When asked about the team Coach Veliz appears to be in high spirits stating, “I wasn’t sure about the co-op teams, but, we have come together really well and if someone were to come out and watch, not knowing it was two different teams they wouldn’t notice a difference.” With the combination of talent between the Norsemen and Irish, Coach Veliz reacts with enthusiasm about how this season will go saying, “We can compete. We will know more once we play our first game, but from what I can tell, we’re going to compete.” Check out Newark High School’s website for the schedule on upcoming games. Hope to see you all there.

By Anthony Green, Maddie Hoddy, Bailey Andersen

Soccer

The Norsemen soccer season has come to an end. The overall record for the Norsemen was 0-20-0. They went the entire season without recording a win but the coaches and captains both agree that there were many good things to look back on. Coach Velez said in an exclusive interview, “I am disappointed with the outcome of the record, but I am very proud of the team for sticking with it and never giving up.” The Norsemen were led by their two senior captains, Joe Hughes and Wyatt Williamson, who will be leaving their soccer careers behind as they move on to college. Hughes said, “We were not the best team around, but I had a lot of fun with this team and a lot of good memories were made.”

by Joe Hughes and Ryan Edwards

Soccer

The Norsemen soccer team started off slowly building chemistry, but has gained their balance in their last couple of games. At the beginning of the season, the Newark Norsemen lost 9 of their games by wide margins. Lately, however, the Norsemen have played as one and held some very good teams to close scores. Against Indian Creek, Newark held the lead for three quarters of the game. The Timberwolves were down 1-0 with about twenty minutes left in the game until they started making all of their shots on goal. They scored six goals in a very short amount of time to hand the Norsemen a 6-2 loss.

The Norsemen are still awaiting their first win of the season, but even coach J.R. Veliz agreed that they are starting to work like a team, “They are really understanding the game much better. Since the first day of practice until now, I have seen a lot of improvement both individually and team wise.” Ryan Edwards was asked, “What is the biggest problem with the soccer team?” Edwards responded, “The main hurdle that the players must overcome is that everyone is afraid to take responsibility of the ball.”

In an exclusive interview with Joe Hughes, these reporters gained his opinion on the team. When Hughes was asked, “What does the team need to improve on most?” Hughes answered, “We need to start playing more as a team instead of individually. We don’t talk enough to each other on the field to let each other know what to do and where to go.”

The season is not over, and the Norsemen’s confidence level continues to climb. They are looking forward to the second half of the season to surprise some teams and the spectators with their improved playing ability on the soccer field.

By Ryan Edwards & Joe Hughes

SOCCER

As the Newark Norsemen soccer team prepares for the upcoming season, they look forward to an exciting year. They will sport new jerseys, new coaches, new players, and positive attitudes. The two new coaches this year are already known throughout the high school athletic department. Coach Jim Hacker has returned to lead the Norsemen after three years off to take graduate classes. The head coach of the Newark Norsemen baseball team, J.R. Veliz, assists Coach Hacker.

With new coaches and virtually all new players, with the exception of a few returning players, the Norsemen are excited for a fresh start. When coach J.R. Veliz was asked, “How excited are you about this young team?” He responded, “ I am thrilled! This is a great group of kids [who] are very athletic and very determined.”

The Newark Soccer team is led by returning captain Joe Hughes, and Wyatt Williamson. Williamson was asked, “How do you plan on leading such a young group of kids?” Williamson responded by saying, “It will be tough, but I am going to try my hardest to lead these kids. ” Hughes was asked, “What are your expectations for this season?” Hughes said, “We play in one of the best conferences in the state so no one really expects us to do [well], but we are determined to shock a lot of people and win a few games.”

With all of the great expectations and the determination that the Norsemen have, it is not hard to believe that this year’s team is prepared for the competition they have ahead of them.

By Joe Hughes & Ryan Edwards

Congratulations!

Congratulations to Wyatt Williamson for making the All-Conference Soccer Team this year. His hard work and sacrifice were a key part of the team this year and we look forward to having him back in the net next year.

Soccer

As Newark Norsemen start the 2011-2012 soccer season, they are looking forward to a successful year. Even though they have lost eight games and won only one game, they beat Serena on September 7th with the score of 3-2. At the end of the game, Wyatt Williamson helped us with the game during the shoot-out with his outstanding goal keeping skills.

I took some time to interview some of the players on the team. According to Kenny Kratzer the rest of the season will be “interesting.” He also stated that this season has been a learning experience. He feels that to improve himself, he needs to “work on his ball handling skills.” His favorite thing about soccer is playing a scrimmage in practice. I also interviewed Bailey Andersen, who said he has been playing soccer for six years. Bailey’s favorite thing is to run during games.

During my interview with Coach Grubb, I learned he has been coaching soccer for two years now. Coach explained that this year has been good. “We have a lot of potential on improving our games; unfortunately we have only won one game so far. He expresses that the team is doing something different this year. “They are focusing more on technical skills such as passing, ball handling, positioning, and communication.” The last question I asked him which was his favorite team to play against? He pointed out that Serena has been Newark’s equal. He also said another good challenge was Paw Paw.

By Kaylee Pehlke

Congratulations!

Congratulations to Juan Elizalde who made the All-Conference soccer team! He had a great season and will be greatly missed next year.
- Coach Grubb

Congratulations on a great season!

Congratulations to the Norsemen Soccer Team on a Great season. Unfortunately, the loss against Earlville Friday ended the season. However, the guys played their hearts out and gave it all they had. We ended the season with a record of 10-10-3. It's been an amazing season and all of the seniors will be missed next year. To all of our returning players for next year - start getting ready now because Norsemen Soccer will be back with a vengeance next season!! Go Norsemen!! -Coach Grubb.