Norse News

By Keely O. On Monday, February 10th the Roland-Story Norsemen, ranked #7 in class 3A, played against the Van Meter Bulldogs. The Norsemen’s record is 19-2 and the Bulldogs' record is 11-9. Going into this game the girls had prepared in practice knowing that this was going to be a good game and that they were going to have to fight all the way through. They had scouted Van Meter in previous practices and knew what to expect when they faced them on Monday.  The first quarter had started and it was low scoring, only 7-7 at the end of the first quarter. The start of the second quarter had begun and the Norsemen were starting to take the lead! Finishing out the 1st half with a score of 24-20. During halftime, the Norsemen get a pep talk in the locker room and come out ready to keep competing, and that is just what the 3rd quarter looks like, a competition. Van Meter scored 13 points and the Norsemen scored 12 points, leaving the final score at the end of the 3rd quarter to be 36-33. Th...

By Nolan O. The Norsemen can improve to (5-12) after a win against Greene County (3-15). Final score 55 to 22 Norsemen. The Norse gain a much-needed win after losing the last 4 out of 5 previous games. The boys prepare for West Marshall on Tuesday, February 4. After quarter 1 the Norsemen lead 14 to 6 and are looking to keep this commanding lead through the second quarter. Halftime Norsemen lead 27 to 14 and are looking to ride some momentum into the second half. The Norsemen take over in the third quarter and shoot their lead up 42 to 16 with 1 quarter to go and a 26-point lead this game is almost sealed. The final score was 55 to 22 Norsemen win. Sophomore Luke Thoreson leads the way with 25 points on 61%  shooting from the field, adding 6 assists and 9 rebounds. Junior Cody Long adds 7 points on 60% shooting and 3 assists. With a smothering defense, the Norsemen were able to cruise to victory and had control of the game from the beginning. The Norsemen were also able to more tha...

By Alli J. The Roland-Story Varsity Girls basketball team welcomed the Dike-New Hartford Wolverines on Thursday, January 30, 2025, in a non-conference matchup. Going into the game, the Norse sat at 14-2 on the season, and Dike-New Hartford sat at 6-10. The Norse have had a strong start to the season. With two losses against Gilbert and West Marshall. Senior Claire Truesdell is the leading scorer for the Norse, with an average of 12 points per game. Truesdell is followed by senior Alyssa Jones, with an average of 8.4 points per game.  The Roland-Story Norse started the game off strong and continued to hold the lead. The Norse finished the game with a win with a final score of 47-33. Senior Alyssa Jones was the leading scorer with 13 points, followed by senior Kamryn Lande with 11 points. Kamryn Lande also led the team in rebounds with eight during the game. Sophomore Riley Johnson led the team with assists; she had eight assists. Since 2022, the Norsemen and the Wolverines have co...

By Maddie B. On January 25th, Gilbert High School hosted the annual Gilbert Showcase that housed many outstanding games. With many ranked matchups, many people tuned in to watch. The teams that attended were Grandview Christian, Clear Lake, Des Moines Christian, Carrol Kuemper, Roland- Story, Carrol, Gilbert, and DCG. The games had full coverage by IA Basketball and IA Sportz because of these many ranked matchups.  The first game of the day was between two undefeated teams, #3 Grandview Christian Thunder and #2 Clear Lake Lions. This game would strip one of the teams of their undefeated title. The Lions blew them out of the water with a win of 70-49. A sophomore, Jaxson McIntire from Clear Lake was the team’s leading scorer with 18 points. This game moved Clear Lake from the #2 ranking to the state’s leading #1.  Following that head turning game was the Des Moines Christian Lions against the Carroll Kuemper Knights. Des Moines Christian held the #16 ranking while the Knights h...

By Blake L. The Roland-Story boys basketball team faced off against West Marshall in a Heart of Iowa Conference matchup. Roland-Story is 5-12 looking to gain momentum as the playoffs approach. West Marshall is 10-7 in the hunt for a first round bye. The first time these two teams faced off, the Trojans won 50 to 28.  It was a competitive game from the opening tip off. Eli Van Hove got Roland-Story started with 6 early points. DJ Ridout made some shots for the Trojans to tie the game 13-13 at the end of the 1st quarter. The two teams traded shots in the second quarter, but Cody Long made a big shot before half to give Roland-Story a 22-20 lead.  The second half was just as competitive as the first. West Marshall’s defense allowed them to regain the lead, but Roland-Story didn’t go away. The Norsemen rallied late and won 42-37, pulling off the upset. Jake Berggren had a team-high 14 points along with Luke Thoreson’s 8 rebounds. Roland-Story is on a two-game win streak. With only...

By Claire T. On February 14, the Roland-Story Girls’ Basketball team welcomed the Clear Lake Lions into the Norsement Gym for a Class 3A Region 4 Semifinal. The winner would face the winner of the Forest City-Crestwood game the following Saturday for a spot at the State Tournament. Previously, the Norse had beaten the Lions 58-31 on January 11, meeting them at their home in Clear Lake.  Nerves were high as the losing team of this game would close out their season. The game tipped off at 7:00 p.m. with Norse starters Elizabeth Ihle, Mati Motta, Claire Truesdell, Kamryn Lande, and Kate Berggren. Clear Lake started Xada Johnson, Madi Ott, Taylor Schwenn, Madison Loge, and Addie Doughan. The Norse Girls got off to a great run of 14-2 in the first quarter. They continued to extend their lead to 22-14 going into halftime. However, the game was only halfway done. And while the Norse were ahead, no game is over until the buzzer sounds.  With one half to go, the game was on the line. T...

By Peyton J. The Roland-Story girls have had an amazing first half of their season. They are 11-0 in the Heart of Iowa conference and 16-1 overall, which has made this an exciting season.  The girls were undefeated until they played Dike-New Hartford on January 25th. They traveled to Dike to play the number one-ranked team in 2A. Unfortunately, they played a tough game and lost 57-33. Although they lost, they responded very well during the next games they played. They won against Saydel with the ending score being 71-10 and beat West Marshall 63-54.  During the Dike-New Hartford game, there were some outstanding game leaders: Mati Motta with 15 points, Claire Truesdell with 7, and Alyssa Jones with 5. Overall, the Norsemen had a total of 27 rebounds and eight steals. The Norsemen girls are looking forward to finishing the season off strong.

By Carson B. The Roland-Story Norsemen took on the West Marshall Trojans on Monday January, 29th. The Norsemen Boys entered the game 13-2 (8-1 in conference), with the Trojans having a record of 3-10 (1-9 in conference). Earlier in the season the teams met in State Center with the Norse winning 74-44. The Norse are averaging 67.9 PPG (Points Per Game) while the Trojans are averaging 48.9 PPG. Senior Jonovan Wilkinson came into the game leading the team in points (23.4), rebounds (9.3), and assists (4.1) per game. Entering the game, senior Boaz Clark was on a hot streak scoring 20-plus points the last three games. The Norse came out hot going up 11-4 with four minutes left in the first quarter, then the Trojans took a 12-11 lead. By the end of the first quarter, the Norse were up 14-12. Then they took a big lead in the second quarter with good defense being up 33-18 heading into the half.  The Norse continued to pull away, going up 51-30 in the third quarter. They struggled a little...

By Connor M. The swish of a net, a basketball hitting the floorboards in rhythmic patterns, and the crowd chanting and cheering the players on. Shoes squeak under the pressure of ten young men in a fierce battle for victory.  This is basketball at Roland-Story High School. The Roland-Story Boys Basketball Team started their season with a scrimmage game for charity on Saturday, November 25th, against Denver High School in Parkersburg, Iowa.  As the game started, both teams got off to a rocky start, but soon it was evident that Roland-Story had the upper hand. As the first half ended, it was Roland-Story with a 35-20 lead over Denver. Coming out of halftime, Roland-Story started strong and ended up beating Denver with a score of 73-40. Boaz Clark and Jonovan Wilkinson both contributed greatly to the win. Clark scored 22 points and Wilkinson scored 19 points. Although these two players scored most of the points for Roland-Story, the win was a team effort. Cody Long, Trevor Britte...

By Jack B. On Tuesday, December 19, 2023, Roland-Story High School is hosting a Pink Out night against the Nevada Cubs in basketball. This event is going to be a mega night, where all the teams of both boys and girls (JV2, JV, and Varsity) play their games. All proceeds from this event will go to support the Bliss Cancer Center in Ames. The things going on to raise money include guessing jars, raffle tickets, pom poms, and donations. The Roland-Story girl's basketball team has had a great start to the year. They are undefeated in conference and also overall. The Norsemen have conference wins over PCM, Saydel, Greene County, Perry, and West Marshall. Their two non-conference wins have come against Gilbert and Spirit Lake.  The Nevada girl's basketball team is not bad, with a tally of five wins and three losses. Their losses have come against South Hamilton, West Marshall, and Boone. However, the Cubs have beaten Greene County, Saydel, Iowa Falls-Alden, Perry, and Hampton-Dumont-...

By Issie B. This year, Roland-Story is hosting the pink out game against Nevada. There will be raffles, prizes, and fun activities that go along with it. The Roland-Story Key Club is in charge of all the activities that go along with the game. This will be a tough game, and the players are giving it their all in practice to prepare.  Mrs. Lettow is in charge of Key Club, which organizes the pink out game events. She is super excited for the event. The pink out game happens every December. The RSHS and Nevada Key Clubs are collaborating with each other. There will be t-shirts, raffle tickets, accessories, candy guessing jars, and much more. All of the proceeds are going to the Bliss Cancer Center in Ames, Iowa. This is one of the biggest events for the basketball season.  Mrs. Lettow is very passionate about the pink out game. She says, “I believe everyone's lives have been touched by cancer in a way.” The proceeds will help raise money for people who can’t afford treatment. De...

By Garrett N. On Friday, December 15, the Roland-Story boys basketball team beat the Saydel Eagles. The Norsemen boys were red hot coming into the game with a perfect record of 4-0, while the Eagles were only breaking even with a record of 2-2. The previous four wins have included a triple overtime thriller against Gilbert and three blowouts against West Marshall, Perry, and Greene County, with an average margin of victory of 25 points. The boys showed no signs of slowing down against Saydel, cruising past them scoring 68-37.  Senior Brett Schmitz had a breakout game with 15 points (all coming from beyond the three-point line), three assists, one rebound, and one steal. Boaz Clark had another good game as well with 15 points, six assists, eight rebounds, and two steals. Superstar Jonovan Wilkinson yet again had an amazing game with 20 points, three assists, nine rebounds, and one steal. Riley Larson, Tristan Anderson, Cody Long, Trevor Britten and Jake Berggren all contributed to t...

By Alyssa J. Last year, Roland-Story’s girls basketball team had an overall record of 12-11. One highlighted non-conference win was a 49-45 victory against Spirit Lake. One highlighted conference game was a 57-52 victory against Prairie City-Monroe. Against the Heart of Iowa Conference teams, the Norse went 10-4 and placed second behind West Marshall. After some time off, the 2023-2024 girls' basketball season is here with Coach Maddie Gelber in her third year as the head coach.  At the end of each season, there is a lot of preparation that needs to be done in the offseason, starting with mandatory weights twice a week. During the summer and fall, the schedules look similar. There are a couple of open gyms each week, which look a lot like practices. There are also team camps at different schools. This is when the team scrimmages different schools from around the area. In the summer, the girls' basketball team went to Dallas Center-Grimes to scrimmage other teams. During the fal...

By Paige C. The Roland-Story basketball teams took on West Marshall on Friday, December 1st. The girls and boys teams were looking forward to improving their records: 3-0 for the girls and 2-0 for the boys. The Norsemen played in State Center with the theme being pajama night. On November 28th, Roland-Story previously played Gilbert. At Gilbert, Jonovan Wilkinson had a total of 44 points and 15 rebounds. In the girls game, Matilde Motta had a total of 22 points and 7 rebounds.  The first quarter of the West Marshall boys game was not as great as what the boys had hoped for with the score being 13-10. However, the Norsemen had the lead. At halftime, the Norsemen still had the lead with the score being 29-23. Lead players from Friday night were three seniors: Jonovan Wilkinson, Boaz Clark, and Tristan Anderson. Jonovan Wilkinson had 28 points throughout the game. Tristan Anderson had a total of 6 rebounds.  Boaz Clark had 4 assists in the West Marshall game. The final score at t...

By Braylen L. Tuesday, November 28, was a big night for the Norsemen basketball team. The varsity boys game went into triple overtime with the Norsemen ending up victorious. Also, a school record fell as senior guard Jonovan Wilkinson scored 44 points, the most points scored in a single game, and snagged 15 rebounds. Senior Boaz Clark had a great night, breaking a school record with ten steals in a single game.  The varsity boys game was a thriller. On opening night, the Roland-Story Norsemen faced the Gilbert Tigers at Gilbert. All the fans and players were excited because it is opening night. After a bunch of ups and downs for both teams, when the final buzzer sounded, the game was tied 60-60. The first overtime ended with a score of 70-70, and the second overtime ended with a score of 77-77.  Third overtime starting… Roland Story wins the tipoff. The Norse and the Tigers fight out another eight-minute overtime. Wilkinson put the game away for good with some of his big-time ...