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
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
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
