caption: <PERSON>, <PERSON>, <PERSON> and <PERSON> were all key pieces on Newark's team last year that took fourth place in Class 1A. <PERSON> thought that teams was perhaps ahead of schedule, and she may be right. Losing just one player off that group, and adding a talented freshman outside in <PERSON>, Newark has only lost to Class 2A's Pleasant Plains and <PERSON> -- the latter, the defending 2A champ. ``We're markedly better,'' <PERSON> said. ``And coming off the weekend, we're battle-tested.''