Basketball Recap

The Newark basketball team recently entered the best part of the season, March and the state playoffs. They played Paw Paw on Valentine’s Day, but after the cancellation of LaMoille they took a two-week break into the Regionals. The Norsemen were granted a two seed for their efforts in the regular season. They faced off in the semifinals against a familiar foe, Somonauk. In a back and forth affair, the Norsemen finally broke free after Steve McGrath’s steal and layup, putting them ahead by three with fifty seconds left in the game. The boys put Somonauk away after a flurry of free throws, and walked out with a 50–42 win, which put them in the Regional final, where the Mooseheart Ramblers waited. Mooseheart, with three players 6’7” or taller, were a tough opponent, and the team knew they would have to play an almost perfect game to win. The Norsemen slowed down the pace, taking three minutes off the clock with each possession. They went into the half trailing 11-10 having successfully slowed the game down and frustrating Mooseheart’s 6’10” center Makur Puou, holding him to three points at half and five total. The third quarter was higher scoring, with twelve points from Mooseheart and eight from Newark. Jack Clausel keyed a run with seven consecutive points in the stanza, and Grant Riehle-Moeller consistently out rebounded the much taller Ramblers. In the fourth, the game found its slower pace again. Matt Eike’s three-pointer early in the period was the lone basket of the entire quarter. The team had a shot to tie it with 4.7 seconds left, but the pass was intercepted and that ended the game. The Norsemen bowed out 25-22.

The team was proud of all the effort that they gave during the season, and they made many memories during the course of the season. Four of five starters return next year, with Grant Riehle-Moeller being the only senior this year. He will be missed; Grant was a great player during his time at NHS. Thanks to everybody who came out and supported the team during the season, the boys are very grateful for everything the community did for them this season.

By Jack Clausel and Zachary Robert Bond

Cheerleading

After reviving the cheerleading program at Newark High School after a year without cheerleaders, a number of students said the program was off to a good start. At the beginning of the season, they explained everything they wanted for the season to their new coaches, Miranda Linco and Ms. Amanda Eibl, and got to work right away. Along with getting out the uniforms this year, the girls also received brand new warm-up jackets (bedazzled with the words “Newark Cheer” on the back) and warm-up pants.

Their first game of the basketball season was at the Thanksgiving Tournament at Sycamore High School in Sycamore. Not only did they cheer there for the first time, they also performed their first half time dance routine. Different routines included different formations and different songs. One of the favorite formations was a “V” formation where the girls gathered to make a large V on the gymnasium floor. Some songs they chose to dance to included a remix of “Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You)” by Kelly Clarkson and “Right Now” by Rihanna. They even danced to a couple of medleys like their Christmas dance, for example not only did they dance to a variety of songs in one dance, but they also wore Santa hats and ugly Christmas sweaters. Their last dance included a medley as well that included songs such as “Timber” by Kesha, “Counting Stars” by One Republic, “Shake It” by Metro Station, and “Burn” by Ellie Goulding.

After cheering at Sycamore, they headed to other games that included big wins for the Newark Norsemen basketball team at Chicagoland Jewish High School in Deerfield and a recent big win against Somonauk on the first night of regionals at Somonauk on February 26th. Make sure to look for the cheerleaders at halftime and on the sidelines at next year’s Newark Norsemen basketball games!

By Hopi Horvat and Mackenzie Fletcher

Ending The Season Strong

In the past month, the Norsemen had a pretty slow schedule after weather cancelled a slew of games. The team played only six games in the month of January. They lost to Dwight on the 3rd of the month; therefore, rebounding to play some stifling defense against Plano for an eight point win. Later, the Norsemen welcomed conference rival, HBR, to the home gym for a game with the Royals. Our team shot the ball well, scoring almost 70 points in a 62 – 28 win. After beating HBR, the Norsemen traveled to Seneca where they were outclassed by the Irish, losing 63 – 39. After the Seneca defeat, the boys made the long haul to Hiawatha; there, they led at the half 35 – 14 behind Jack Clausel’s 21 points. They ended the game with a 71 – 28 final score. The team then took two weeks off after the game against Lamoille was cancelled due to weather. They then took on conference foe, Indian Creek, in a game to see who has the best conference record. The Norsemen trailed at that the half but closed out the second half strong, winning by eight with a score of, 66 – 58. Evan Schomer played the role of hero in that contest, scoring 19 points and pulling down 11 rebounds. Before mid-February, the Norsemen played in the Little Ten Tournament. They won the opening round game against Lamoille, 70 – 34. Matt Eike was the leading scorer, pouring in 20 points. The quarterfinal matchup was against Paw Paw. The Norsemen came out flat, but rallied in the fourth to win by seven. Jack Clausel led all scorers with 20 points. Then in the championship game, the Norsemen took on the Bobcats of Somonauk. In a game for the ages, the Norsemen dropped a close decision, losing 64 – 57. Jack Clausel was the leading scorer with 21 points, and Evan Schomer dropped 17 in a losing effort. After the hard fought loss against Somonauk, the Norsemen travelled to Putnam County to play the Coaches vs Cancer Shootout against Roanoke Benson. The Norsemen were down three at the half, and then were outscored by seven, losing 58 – 48. Two games remain in the season; then, the postseason comes. So come on out and cheer on the Norsemen!

By Jack Clausel and Zack Bond

Girls Basketball

The girls basketball team finished the season with 20 wins and 8 losses. It was a season to be proud of and the girls showed heart and devotion during the games. The girls finished their regular season games strongly with a 63-7 win against IMSA, and 62 to 14 against Gardner South Wilmington (GSW). The last regular season game was against Aurora Central Catholic. They pulled off this close game with a final score of 50 to 46. Regionals began, and after defeating GSW, the varsity squad advanced to the regional championship against Serena. The girls fought a hard battle, but came up short with a respectable ending score of 61-48. No matter what, they always were doing their best on and off the court and have left some great impressions and memories with the Newark basketball program. Congratulations on a great season ladies!

By Maddie and Marissa Friestad

Norsemen Basketball

The Norsemen Basketball team traveled to Plano over Christmas break to participate in the Plano Christmas Classic. The boys were seeded 13th in the tournament and opened up action against a Little Ten opponent, Hinckley – Big Rock. The Norsemen won in dominating fashion, 58 – 23. The next time the boys took the court, it was against Kaneland, the 4 seed and one of the favorites in the tournament. They found themselves down 17 – 10 at the end of the first quarter, but made a big run in the second to take a 30 – 28 halftime lead. They extended the lead in the third quarter, and held off a comeback attempt in the fourth to beat the Knights 57 – 50. After Kaneland, they faced off against a familiar foe, Aurora Christian. The week before, the Norsemen beat Aurora Christian by 1 at Newark. This time, the case was different. Aurora Christian jumped out to a 12 – 0 lead early in the game, and they couldn’t recover, losing 62 - 53. After Aurora Christian, they played Seneca. Saddled with foul trouble, the Norsemen had key players out of the game for long stretches at a time, and Seneca took advantage, bullying the team on their way to a 69 – 40 win. After Seneca, they squared off with Coal City, the 3 seed. The team had complete control of the entire game, and barley held off a big run in the waning minutes to win 56 – 55, and ultimately winning 7th place in the 24 team tournament. They finished highest of all the 1A and Little Ten teams. The next Friday, the team traveled to Dwight to take on the Trojans. They came out flat and it stayed that way, losing 57 – 43. After Dwight, the Norsemen played Plano at home. They jumped out to a 16 - 2 advantage early into the second quarter, and Plano never got within 5 of the lead, the Norsemen winning by a final score of 50 – 42. The team is just hitting their stride and starting to get some wins, so come out and watch the boys play!

By Jack Clausel and Zack Bond

Lady Norsemen Basketball

The varsity basketball program is in full swing! The girls worked hard to prepare for the season during preseason. They are continuing to work hard and improve everyday. The team is undefeated in conference and recently placed 5th in the Lisle tournament. Senior Nicole Lawrence was asked how she thought the team has grown this season. She answered, “Throughout the season the team chemistry has progressed as well as communication.” This group of seniors has been playing with each other for four years now. The five seniors had a very successful season their sophomore year. The girls plan to continue to work hard and improve for the games to come. They will compete in their conference tournament January 20th-24th. Good luck the rest of the season, ladies!

The junior varsity team has had a great season so far. The girls have competed and placed 1st in both tournaments they have participated in (Putnam Country Trny. and Earlville Christmas Trny.) They are undefeated in conference and are continuing to grow as players. The girls love playing together and are excited to play together in the future. Sophomore Rachel Jacobson says, “I love playing with the girls. We have a lot of fun together and we always have each others backs on and off the court.” The girls will compete in their conference tournament at Serena High School, January 18th.

By Marissa Friestad

Educator Night

On January 9th and 10th the varsity boys and girls varsity basketball teams did an Educators night! The players each picked a person that worked with them in some way, and that has made a huge impact in their life. For the athlete to have an educator nominated, they needed to write a paragraph about how they influenced them in some way. To show honor to the educator, the athlete would escort them out to center court and present them with a T-shirt that had the players’ number on the back. For example, my Educator was Rob Scott, JV head coach of the boys basketball team. My freshman year was his first year coaching for us. My sophomore year with Coach Scott we were watching a high school basketball team together and we witnessed a kid, no taller then I was, dunk. After we saw that, Coach Scott leaned over to me and said, “I could definitely see you doing that by your senior year.” And to this day he still tells me to keep working at it. He tells me he always believes in me, which means a lot. And I’m sure that these Varsity players have memories as good as mine with their educators.

Below listed are the Boy’s varsity basketball players and underneath their name is their educator:

• 11 - Grant Reille-Mohler (Senior)
  Mike Gaul – Trainer, Trinity Wellness
• 5 – Matt Eike (Junior)
  Sharon Adkins - Social Studies Teacher, Millbrook Junior High School
• 4 – Karter Kunkel (Junior) and 24 - Evan Schomer (Sophomore)
  Rob Scott - JV Coach, Newark High School
• 22 – Noah Nichols (Junior)
  Priscilla Jorstad - Language Arts Teacher, Lisbon Grade School
• 15 – Zach Anderson (Sophomore)
  Carol Navarro - Science Teacher, Newark High School
• 42 – Jack Clausel (Sophomore) and 20 – Mitchel Schmidt (Sophomore)
  Aaron Sovern - Coach, Hoop Stars/Hustle Camp, Currently Athletic Director at Yorkville Christian HS
• 21 – Kendall Endres (Sophomore)
  Brian McGrath - Coach, Winter Travel Team
• 3 – Will Clausel (Freshman)
  Duane Ramey – Coach, Millbrook Junior High School
• 2 – Steve McGrath (Freshman)
  Matt Akre – Coach, Winter Travel Team
• 10 – Dimitri Milakis (Freshman)
  Amanda Eibl – Science Teacher, Newark High School

Below listed are the Girl’s varsity basketball players and underneath their name is their educator:

• 2 – Marissa Friestad (Sophomore)
  P.J. McKinney – P.E. Teacher/Coach, Lisbon Grade School
• 10 – Lexi Zeznanski (Junior)
  Carol Navarro – Science Teacher, Newark High School
• 11 – Kelsea Zitt (Sophomore)
  Jeff Eddy – Coach, Millbrook Junior High School
• 13 – Nicole Lawrence (Senior) and 20 – Jasmine Mitchell (Freshman)
  Kris DeGraaf – Teacher/Coach, Lisbon Grade School
• 14 – Kristine Zitt (Senior) and 33 – Lindsey Larson (Senior)
  Dale Skelton – P.E. Teacher/Coach, Newark High School
• 22 – Sarah Bogden (Junior)
  Duane Ramey – Coach, Millbrook Junior High School
• 23 – Kaylynn Shankle (Junior)
  Demetra Turman – Teacher/Principal, Millbrook Junior High School
• 24 – Alexa Myre (Senior)
  Ursula Goldman – English Teacher, Newark High School
• 25 – Alicia Cihak (Senior) and 15- Megan DiClementi (Sophomore)
  Brian Holman – Math Teacher/Coach, Newark High School
• 30 – Rachael Lape (Junior)
  Tonya Grayson – Teacher/Coach, Newark High School
• 34 – Jessica Hager (Junior)
  Ray Eddy – Coach, Millbrook Junior High School

By Karter Kunkel

Heartland Bank Donation

Special thanks to Heartland Bank for donating $1 for every free throw made at all home basketball games. Friday night they gave us $85 and they will add the last few games to that total.