2011 IHSA Class 1A State Champions

As most of Newark already knows, the boy’s varsity basketball team won the Class 1A State Championship this past March. In addition, they set many new standards and broke a couple records along the way.

The Norsemen basketball team broke the single season wins record tallying thirty-three wins on the season with just one loss. The previous record was twenty-nine wins, so this year’s team passed up that win total in dominating fashion. Also, the state championship was the first in school history for any sport. The team feels truly honored to have been able to compete in the state tournament and return home with a state championship trophy. “We are truly blessed to have had this experience. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and I thank God for it,” said junior player David Hillard.

Some of the players also set some new individual records during the season. Senior Kyle Anderson set the all time scoring record for the school, tallying 2,280 points over his four-year varsity career. He also set a record for most steals in the state championship game, grabbing nine steals during the contest. Senior John Avery finished in fifth place on the all-time school scoring list, tallying 1,449 total points over his career. He also set a record for most blocked shots in the state championship game, totaling four shots blocked en route to helping the team to a 57-35 victory.

This past season was one the boys will never forget. They made history and were very fortunate to have been a part of the entire experience. Good luck to the future varsity basketball teams!

By John Avery and David Hillard

Congratulatory Reception Information:
There will be a congratulatory reception held at the Newark High School gymnasium on Sunday, March 13 as the team arrives back to Newark at 2:00 p.m. The entire community is invited to attend!

      Download Photo (3MB)

      Download Photo (3MB)

From the Peoria Journal Star:
March Photo of the Month (April 6, 2011)

From the Beacon News:
Newark captures 1A state title (March 13, 2011)

Newark cheers its Norsemen (March 13, 2011)

Newark cheers its Norsemen Gallery (March 13, 2011)

Newark seniors leave winning legacy (March 13, 2011)

From the Ottawa Times:
Avery, Anderson earn all-tournament nods (March 15, 2011)

'OUR TIME' -- Newark reigns supreme as Class 1A state champions! (March 14, 2011)

Norsemen appear all over in record book (March 14, 2011)

Tollefson: They demanded that we win -- Norsemen play with new level of confidence in state-title run (March 14, 2011)

LASTING LEGACY -- Anderson, Avery secure spot on list of Newark's all-time greatest players (March 14, 2011)

What A Ride: Newark welcomes home hoops heroes (March 13, 2011)

Newark wins school's first state title (March 12, 2011)

The Newark Norsemen (31-1) continued to make school history on Friday afternoon outscoring Mackinaw (Deer Creek-M.) 52-32.
Newark will face off against Winchester (West Central Coop) for a shot at the state title at 2:00 p.m. Saturday.

From the Ottawa Times:
NORSEMEN CHARGE INTO 1A TITLE GAME -- Newark dominates Dee-Mack in semis; West Central next (March 12, 2011)

Newark provides deadly dose of 'D' -- Semifinal victory showcases NHS's new secret weapon (March 12, 2011)

STATE TOURNAMENT NOTES: Newark principal happy to 'relax and be a fan' during semifinal (March 12, 2011)

This Life (Newark) (March 11, 2011)

HOMETOWNS: 'Our Time' --- Newark revels in basketball team's state finals appearance (March 11, 2011)

Everything's coming up Newark (March 11, 2011)

From the Beacon News:
Newark takes control early in semifinal game (March 11, 2011)

Newark to face tough defense in state final (March 11, 2011)

Pressure off — Norsemen having fun in finals (March 11, 2011)

Congratulations to the Newark Norsemen for making it to the Final Four downstate! The Norsemen jumped out to a big lead early in the game and cruised to their first ever Super Sectional victory. Newark (31-1) outscored Forreston 60-47. Now the team is headed to Peoria to face Mackinaw (Deer Creek-M.) on Friday, March 11th at 2:00 p.m. Best of Luck Norsemen as you continue to make history!

Pre-Sale Tickets for Friday's State Semifinal game will go on sale:

Wednesday, March 9th:
8:30 a.m. for Player's Families
9:30 a.m. for Cheerleader's Families
10:30 a.m. for Faculty/Staff, Board of Education, Draw Down Ticket Holders
11:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m. for Students, Faculty and Staff
1:30 p.m.-4:00p.m. for General Public

Thursday, March 10th:
9:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. for General Public

Tickets prices are $8.50 & $10.50.

View photos from Tuesday's Super Sectional

Read Newark punches ticket to state semis from the Beacon News

View Photos from the Super Sectional from the Beacon News

Read This time, transfers work the other way for Newark from the Ottawa Times

Read FINAL(LY) FOUR: Norsemen break through to earn spot in Peoria from the Ottawa Times

Read BAND OF BROTHERS: From the Anderson brothers to the team itself, brotherhood is second nature for Norsemen from the Ottawa Times

Driving Directions to Peoria Civic Center 201 SW Jefferson St., Peoria, IL 61602


View Larger Map

Congratulations to the Newark Norsemen basketball team for your 65-40 Sectional Championship Victory against Chicago Hope Academy! The Norsemen (30-1) will now advance to the Super-Sectional game to be held on Tuesday, March 8th, 6:00 p.m. at DeKalb (NIU) vs. Forreston. Doors open at 5:00 p.m.

Pre-Sale Tickets for Tuesday's Super-Sectional game will go on sale:

Sunday, March 6th:
3:00-4:00 p.m. for Players, Cheerleaders and their families
4:00-4:30 p.m. for Booster Club and Draw Down ticket holders (bring your draw down tickets with you.)

Monday, March 7th:
9:00-11:30 a.m. for general public
11:30-1:00 p.m. for students during their lunches
1:30-4:00 p.m. for general public

Tickets are $10.00.

View photos from Friday's Sectional Championship game

Download Full Size Team Photo

Click here for driving directions to Tuesday's Super-Sectional game

Read "ONE STEP FROM STATE: Newark rocks Hope for 3rd straight sectional crown" from the Ottawa Times

Read "Hines shines: Senior comes off the bench to spark Norsemen" from the Ottawa Times

Norsemen Advance to Sectional Championship

Congratulations to the Newark Norsemen basketball team for your 63-42 Sectional Semifinal Victory against Dwight! The Norsemen (29-1) have now advanced to the Sectional Championship to be held on Friday, March 4th, 7:30 p.m. at Mooseheart against Chicago Hope Academy. Tickets for the Sectional Championship game will only be available at Mooseheart on Friday night.

Regional Champions!

Congratulations to the Newark Norsemen basketball team for your 61-34 Regional Victory against HBR! The Norsemen have now advanced to Sectional Semifinals to be held on Wednesday, March 2nd, 7:30 p.m. at Mooseheart vs. Dwight. Tickets for the Sectional game will only be available at Mooseheart on Wednesday night. Doors open at 6:30PM.

Boys Basketball DVD

Attention: If anyone would like a copy of the 2010-2011 Newark Boy's Basketball Highlight DVD - they are on sale for $5 and may be purchased from Nick Bond. The DVD is just over 8 minutes in length and features all of the season's best plays!!

Little Ten Tournament Champions!
Date: 2/5/11
Opponent: Indian Creek
Result: 62-57 W, Tournament Champions

Congratulations to the Newark Norsemen for winning the 2011 Little Ten Conference Tournament Saturday night! The Norsemen defeated Indian Creek on Saturday, February 5th to earn the title. Read about the game in the Ottawa Times.

Anderson Surpasses Milestone

Congratulations to Kyle Anderson on surpassing a 2000 point scoring
milestone at Friday's game against Paw Paw. Read about his accomplishment in the Ottawa Times.

Norsemen Place Second at Christmas Classic

Congratulations to the Newark Norsemen Basketball team for placing second at the 48th Annual Plano Christmas Classic Thursday night. After Newark won their first three games, Rockford Christian took the title in a very close fourth game, 48-44. The results of the Tournament were:
12/27/10, Newark vs Somonauk, 59-31 W
12/28/10, Newark vs Spring Valley Hall, 72-39 W
12/29/10, Newark vs Princeton, 58-57 W
12/30/10, Newark vs Rockford Christian, 44-48 L

Norsemen Escape Poor Shooting Night With A Big Conference Win

December 14, this date would be circled on both Newark and Indian Creek calenders as this game between the teams would most likely determine who would be the regular season Little Ten Conference Champion. The Norsemen looked to come out onto the floor a bit sluggish as they missed alot of open shots early as well as gave up some big points on the defensive end. They would go up by 7 at half time but the third quarter looked as though it may be trouble. The Timberwolves would cut the Norsemen lead to just 1 with seconds to go in the third. A big turnaround however came when a Kyle Anderson 3 was followed by a quick steal and an and-1 shot by John Avery at the buzzer. Newark was able to regain their 7 point lead that they would increase to 17 at the end of the game. Kyle Anderson led all scorers with 27 points, 14 of which coming from the free-throw line. Also John Avery had 20, and Jeremy Anderson finished the night with 14.

By Gregory Hughes

Big 2nd Half Leads Norsemen to Win #9

Coming off of a win over Seneca at the United Center, the Norsemen were able to have a long week of practice to prepare for their next contest against the Eagles of Aurora Christian. The crowd was full of both AC and Newark fans and they were ready for a big matchup they wouldn't soon forget. It started out great for the Norsemen. After winning the tip-off, Jeremy Anderson was the first to score against his old team with a quick drive and layup to the hoop. It was short lived however as Aurora Christian would go up by two at the end of the quarter. The second looked as though it would go better as Newark was able to take a 30-29 lead off of a Greg Hughes' 3 pointer. This lead would not last very long however as the Eagles would go on a 14-3 run to end the half up 43-33. The extended halftime at the game though seemed beneficial to the Norsemen as they came out in the third quarter looking to regain the lead. They would end up going down by as much as 12 but rallied back to cut the lead to just 2 going into the 4th. Finally, in the last quarter they were able to gain the lead and never give it up as they would win the game 80-75. Kyle Anderson was the leading scorer for the Norsemen with a total of 26. Brett Anderson was just 2 points away from a double-double as he pulled down 12 rebounds.

By Gregory Hughes

Norsemen & Bulls Both Win in Close Games at the UC

Saturday December 4, 2010, this would be the date of a historic Newark Norsemen home game like none other. A home game in which they would have to travel over an hour away through snow and ice to play in an arena which holds 20,000 plus compared to the original home gym which can just barely hold 500 when packed in. This would be an experience people would talk about for years to come, Newark against Seneca at the United Center.

The game started out slow for the Norsemen who made some early turnovers and missed some easy shots. Late in the first however, the team was able to shake off their nerves and hit the shots and gain a 13-7 lead after one quarter. The second quarter showed a few flaws in the Newark defense as it seemed as thought the Irish were getting open lay-ups everytime they got the ball. After a Newark timeout the Norsemen seemed to figure it out and were all ready to go into the locker room with an 8 point lead. Unfortunately this lead was reduced to just 6 after an Irish 2 at the buzzer. Disappointment for the first half result looked to be the theme on the faces of the Norsemen players in the United Center locker room. Newark was able to play a strong quarter on both ends as they maintained their 6 point lead going into the final quarter. The fourth quarter began strong for Seneca as they were able to reduce the lead to just 1. The Norsemen defense came up huge in the last 5:38 allowing just 4 points and getting the win 53-42. Kyle Anderson and John Avery were the only two players to hit double digits during the game with 20 and 16 respectively. John Avery also had 7 rebounds. Newark will now have a long week of practice before their next game on Friday at Jeremy and Brett's old school of Aurora Christian.

By Gregory Hughes

110...

4 quarters, 32 minutes, 110 points. This was the story of the night for the Norsemen who had a total of 6 different players scoring in double digits as well as 2 double doubles. The biggest quarter for Newark came in the first where they started out the game scoring 36 points. They followed this up in the following quarters with 25, 29, and 20 respectively. Kyle Anderson and John Avery each had 21 points for the game. Cameron Berg had 17, Taylor Wright and Jeremy Anderson had 13 each. Brett Anderson was the final double digit scorer for the Norsemen with 11. Brett also recorded a double double with a season high 17 rebounds including 10 on the offensive end of the floor. His older brother Jeremy recorded the other double double with 10 assists. Newark hopes to keep the points rolling as they travel out to the United Center tomorrow to play the Seneca Fighting Irish.

By Gregory Hughes

Hughes Perfect from Downtown in Home Opener

Finally, 5 games into the 2010-11 season, it was time for the Norsemen's home opener against the Red Ramblers of Mooseheart. The team was all but perfect on the offensive side of the ball as Newark's quick passing and great shooting proved to be to much for the Rambler defense and they took an early 28-10 lead in the first quarter. Defense may have gotten a little bit lazy in the second however as they allow 14 points but still maintain a 48-24 lead going into the half. The third quarter went by smoothly giving the Norsemen a 40 point lead going into the 4th. With that lead it was decided that the 4th would be played with a running clock only stopping for timeouts. The game would end with the score of 84-47 in favor of the Norsemen. Kyle Anderson led all scorers with 20 points but it was the Newark Bench that was the story with a combined 33 points for the subs. This included 3 from Junior Taylor Wright, 13 for Cameron Berg, and 17 total points for Senior Greg Hughes including a perfect 5-5 from three. Jeremy Anderson and Paul Hines led the team with 7 assists for the game, John Avery had 8 rebounds. The next test for the 6-0 Norsemen will be a home game on Friday the 3rd against the LaMoille/Ohio Lions at home. This will be the first conference game for Newark.

By Gregory Hughes

Avery Records Double as Newark Rolls

A huge shooting night for the Norsemen as they roll to a 75-41 win. The night started out with a big first quarter with Newark going up on the Reapers 19-4, 11 of those coming from the hands of John Avery. They weren't done either as they record 26, 18, and 12 in the next three quarters. Newark's big scoring night came thanks to 73% shooting accuracy from the field including 7-7 from sophomore Brett Anderson. The team also went 28-31 from inside the arc. Newark also had a big rebounding night as they out rebound Plano 31-11. Unfortunately Newark turned the ball over a total of 19 times to the Reaper's 14. The Norsemen will hope to improve on that stat in their game on Thursday against the Mooseheart Red Ramblers in the first home game of the season. Kyle Anderson led the team with 22 points and 8 rebounds. Brett Anderson finished the game with 17 points and 9 rebounds. John Avery also recorded 17 points as well as 10 assists.

By Gregory Hughes

Newark Clinches 1st in Close Win

Coming off of a disappointing game against Sandwich, Newark was looking to redeem themselves and clinch the Sandwich Thanksgiving Tournament title in their next matchup against a very strong Yorkville team, but the Foxes wouldn't go down easy. Yorkville went up early in the game and the Norsemen had to fight just to keep a 4 point deficit at the end of the quarter. Newark would come back in the second though outscoring the Foxes but still trailing by 1 going into the locker room. John Avery had three fouls going into the second half so he knew he would need to be careful to stay in the game. After a quick foul in the third however, he would have to stay on the bench to keep from getting his fifth. The team was able to fight hard on the defensive end but continued their poor shooting on offense and were only able to leave the quarter with the game tied at 37. Newark was able to find their rhythm just in time as the fourth quarter came around. John Avery was also able to stay in the game with four fouls and help out on the floor. Yorkville had to rely on fouling late in the game to try to stay alive. The team was able to hit their free-throws and go up by as much as 8 and finish the game up 51-46, clinching the 1st place title for the Norsemen. The leading scorer in the game was Kyle Anderson with 17. Newark also recorded 12 steals in the game including 4 from Avery. Brett Anderson, Kyle Anderson, and John Avery were also selected to the All-Tournament team on Saturday. Streator's Cravatta was crowned MVP.

By Gregory Hughes

John Avery Reaches 1000 Point Milestone in Wednesday's Win

After two straight blowout wins in the Sandwich Tournament, the Norsemen walked into the gym on Wednesday expecting nothing less. Quickly into the first quarter though they realized it might not be as easy as they thought. They would end up falling behind for the first time of the season and had to grind it out just to leave the quarter with a 3 point lead while not only scoring the fewest points in the first so far this year but also giving up more defensively as well. The team was able to improve slightly in the second quarter outscoring the Indians by 8 and going into the locker room up 28-17. After some harsh and motivating words from Coach Tollefson, the Norsemen came back out in the second half looking more like team everyone came out to see going up 47-21. Read more...

Kyle Anderson was not able to provide his usual superstar stats after some late fouls eventually leading to him having to sit and watch on the bench with 5 fouls. But Newark was able to stay tough and keep the score rolling anyway. The Norsemen were up big, but the excitement wasn't over yet. After a timeout for the Norsemen it was announced from coach to everyone on the bench that John was just 3 points away from reaching 1000 in his career. It wasn't too long after going back into the game when he got his chance. With Newark on offense, the ball was passed to Paul Hines at the top of the key, from there he was able to find John standing wide open at the 3 point line. The pass was made, the shot went up, and the milestone was reached as John got the 1000th point of his varsity career. Newark would finish the for the third straight game with four players in double digits. Avery would finish the game with 12.

By Gregory Hughes

Another Big Win for the Norsemen

After Monday's big win over Streator, Norsemen fans were looking for yet another strong performance from their team, and they didn't leave disappointed. Newark trounced the Huskers in the first two quarters going up 24-2 in the first and followed that up with a 22-5 advantage in the second giving them a big 39 point lead heading into the locker room. The Norsemen eased it up in the second half moving into a 2-3 defense and running the clock with some solid ball movement on offense. The final score would end up at 69-23. The Norsemen offense was very balanced with four different players recording double digits for the second straight day. Newark was also able to post it's second straight day of shooting over 50 percent from the field. Possibly the biggest stat for the Norsemen had to come in the turnover department. Newark was able to force 16 turnovers as a team, the heavy majority of which coming in the first half, while giving up the ball just 4 times. The next game for the 2-0 Norsemen will be on day 3 of the Sandwich Thanksgiving Tournament against Sandwich. Tip-off will be at 6:30 on Wednesday.

By Gregory Hughes

Norsemen Start Season Out Hot

Newark 69, Streator 51. It was a stormy afternoon outside of Sandwich High School as the Newark Norsemen prepared for the first game of their highly anticipated season. And the Norsemen didn't disappoint coming out of the gates quick as lightning scoring the first 8 points of the game. And they didn't slow down from there going up on the Bulldogs 26-8 in the 1st quarter behind some big 3's including 3 from Kyle Anderson. Newark continued to play tough throughout the entire game despite some very physical play from Streator. Kyle Anderson led the team with 18 points even after running into some foul trouble late in the 3rd quarter. The Norsemen D' did a good job of holding all but one player to single digits in scoring. Newark hopes to keep it's shooting percentage up tomorrow as they battle the Huskers of Serena in Game 2 of the Sandwich Thanksgiving Invitational.

By Gregory Hughes