December 27, 2013 at 3:16 p.m.
This year had it all
This year had it all
The RHS girls' snowboard team's state title trumps everything else when I look back at the year in sports. That's saying something, because there was plenty to talk about this year - from a laundry list of changes in the activities department at Rhinelander High School to a crazy winter that came late to the party and then did not want to leave.
A few Rhinelander teams reached unprecedented heights in 2013 while the RHS boys' basketball team returned to the days of winning conference titles and being considered a legitimate contender to reach the state tournament.
As I look back, here are my 10 top local sports stories of 2013.
1. RHS girls' snowboarders win it all
It had been 10 years since Rhinelander High School had been able to call one of its sports teams a state champion. That changed last February when the RHS girls' snowboard team went to La Crosse and crushed the competition at the Wisconsin High School Alpine Ski and Snowboard Championships.
As the two-day event progressed the question changed from if the Hodags would capture the title to how large would their margin of victory be?
The answer was 73 points over runner-up Verona. Of the top seven finishers in the overall standings, four were Hodags.
For seniors Katarina Kolpack and Kelsie Prahl, it was the culmination of a great high school career.
"Me and Kelsie have worked four years to get this and finally, our senior year, we got it," Kolpack said. "I couldn't ask for anything better. I love my team more than anything in the world."
While Prahl finished fourth in the final standings and Kolpack finished seventh, they couldn't have achieved team glory without the help of sophomore twin sisters Emily and Sarah Babcock, who both finished on the medal standing individually. Sarah finished third overall and Emily left La Crosse as an individual state champ.
Emily finished second at state as a freshman and was considered an underdog to win the title going into the 2013 event, but the door was opened up when defending champion and overwhelming favorite Olivia Wendt of D.C. Everest crashed during both of her runs of Boardercross during the first day of competition.
"I've always wanted to win a state title, but I never knew it was going to be this year," Emily Babcock said. "I knew I had a lot of great competition and I just went out there to do my best and wanted to win. I wanted first place."
Emily's older sister, Amy, won the individual state title four years earlier.
Freshman Claire Hjelle rounded out the championship-winning team.
Though the Hodags lost Prahl and Kolpack to graduation, they are gearing up for another title run in 2014.
2. Activities department changes
There was a major shake up within the Rhinelander High School activities department in May when activities director Charlie LaHam and the district decided to part ways by "mutual agreement."
Through interviews with LaHam and an open records request filed with the School District of Rhinelander, the River News learned the district had several issues with LaHam's job performance. At the same time, LaHam said the stress of the position was becoming overwhelming.
"(District Superintendent Dr.) Roger (Erdahl) and I and (incoming District Superintendent) Kelli (Jacobi) did meet and Roger said, 'Look, we've had issues, we've had concerns, but I also don't think you're happy,'" LaHam told the River News. "That's almost exactly what he said and I said, 'You're right, I'm not.' (Roger) said, 'If we're going to make a decision on this we should do it now because this is the time of year we get the applicants, are you agreeable?' I said yeah, I knew the day was coming."
The decision became official on May 20 when the school board voted 5-1 to approve the separation agreement. LaHam's final official day with the district was June 12.
In the interim, the district began the process of finding a new AD. Over 40 applicants applied for the position. That list was whittled down to a handful of finalists who had formal interviews with the district. Out of the search, Antigo native and former Marion School District athletic director Brain Paulson was tabbed as LaHam's replacement. He was hired by the district in July.
"We went with him because of his past experience. He seems to have a dynamic personality. I think he'll be able to move us along in both our athletics and activities programs," Board President Ron Counter said after Paulson was hired.
3. RHS coaching carousel
A challenge for both LaHam and Paulson in 2013 was filling head coaching vacancies.
There were eight new head coaches leading RHS programs in 2013. Some searches were pretty straightforward, others were more complicated.
The most complicated search proved to be for an RHS gymnastics coach. Though coach Jen Fondow turned in her letter of resignation in May, a coaching solution was not finalized until Nov. 13, two days after practice for the 2013-14 season was supposed to start.
After several potential candidates were not able to commit to the program full-time, George Allen was eventually named the head coach of the program. Two qualified individuals - gymnastics official and former collegiate gymnast Kersti Lamers and former WIAA state qualifier April Denis - were hired along with Allen to serve as part-time assistant coaches.
The RHS volleyball team also ended up with a new head coach this year. Kathy Wawrzynowicz was granted a temporary leave of absence from the program Aug. 5 to be with her husband Henry, who passed away later that month following what was described in his obituary as a "brief and intense battle with multiple myeloma."
The timing of the decision was challenging, coming only two weeks prior to the start of practice, but the district tabbed Paul Mildebrandt as the interim head coach Aug. 16, three days before the start of practice.
Other new RHS coaches in 2013:
- Amanda Jorata replaced Elmer Suess as head softball coach.
- Adam Schmidt replaced Dan Buckley as head golf coach.
- M.J. Laggis replaced Josh Jaeger as head cross country coach.
- Ryan Clark replaced Mark Jacobson as head girls' basketball coach.
- Tanya Cook replaced her mother, Karen, as head Nordic ski coach.
In addition, the Rhinelander/
Antigo/Three Lakes girls' hockey team received a new coach. Corie Bottemiller replaced Nick English as Antigo's coach in the co-op after English's teaching contract in Antigo was not renewed.
The Hodags are slated to have at least one new head coach in 2014. Rod Olson has submitted his letter of resignation as head coach of the RHS track program. A search for his replacement is ongoing.
The coaching shake-up was not limited to head coaches. A stir was created this fall when the school board opted not to renew Tom Handrick as a volunteer wrestling coach. Handrick and first-year board member Dennis O'Brien were involved in a shoving match during a political rally in Minocqua back in July 2011. Both were cited for disorderly conduct, an ordinance violation. O'Brien was found guilty following a court trial in December 2011 and ordered to pay a fine. Handrick accepted a deferred prosecution agreement and the charge was eventually dismissed.
Handrick's name was taken off a list of proposed volunteer coaches during the board's September meeting, after O'Brien voiced concerns. Handrick was not reinstated in October after pleading his case before the board, but was given another chance to appeal in November due to a procedural error during the October vote. He was reinstated at that time on a 4-2 vote.
4. Weather creates wacky spring schedule
Old Man Winter took his sweet time departing the Northwoods in 2013. That created a major headache for spring sports teams.
The Great Northern Conference was scheduled to start playing baseball, softball and girls' soccer contests in early April. At that time there was still well over a foot of snow on the ground and the Upper Midwest was stuck in a prolonged cold snap.
The snow finally melted away toward the end of April, creating a one-month free-for-all for most spring sports teams.
The GNC wiped out the first half of its schedule. It resorted to doubleheaders to complete 12-game conference baseball and softball seasons. The girls' soccer and boys' tennis seasons were cut in half - to six and five games, respectively. The first three legs of the seven-leg GNC golf tournament were also nixed.
"None of us really see this (season) coming to fruition before the 25th of April, which is the start of the second round (for baseball and tennis)," LaHam said in early April. "Even that is in doubt. That's why we left those open dates so if we have to play, that's what we'll do ... We think the snow will get out, but we've got a lot of frost to get rid of."
Games finally were played toward the end of April, but they generally required long road trips. The RHS girls' soccer team played its first games in Middleton April 19 and 20. The RHS boys' tennis team played in below freezing temps the same weekend in Stevens Point.
The RHS softball team was the first to hold a home game, hosting Hurley April 26. Man and machine had removed the majority of the snow from the softball field at Pioneer Park, but large banks of snow remained beyond the outfield fence. RHS girls' soccer hosted Medford April 30 and the RHS baseball team did not host a game at Stafford Field until May 11.
When games finally started, they came in bunches. The Hodag softball team played 12 games in an eight-day span, going 11-1. The RHS baseball team played 11 games in 11 days.
5. Boys' hoops rolls through regular season
It took nine years, but the Rhinelander High School boys' basketball team added another conference championship to the trophy case. The Hodags rolled through the GNC with an 11-1 mark as part of a 20-3 season. Rhinelander unseated Antigo, who had won the first four GNC championships, thanks in part to a 54-43 win over the Red Robins Feb. 1 a the Jim Miazga Community Gymnasium.
RHS, started the season 12-1 and rose as high as third in the Associated Press Division 2 poll before a 56-32 loss at Medford Jan. 25, which proved to be the lone conference loss of the season for the Hodags.
Rhinelander exacted some revenge on the Raiders a month later with a 44-34 victory in a WIAA regional final at the Miazga Gym, but the Hodags' run to Madison and a spot in the WIAA state tournament was stopped by Hortonville as the Hodags fell in the sectional semifinals for a second consecutive year.
6. Northern Edge has record-setting season
The Rhinelander/Antigo/Three Lakes girls' hockey team reached new heights in the 2012-13 season, posting a program-record 14 victories on its way to a third-place finish in the Great Northern Conference.
The Northern Edge had some key victories during the season, including a 3-1 victory at eventual GNC-champion Northland Pines, but the game of the season was a 2-1 victory over the Stevens Point/Wisconsin Rapids Red Panthers in the first home playoff game in Northern Edge history. Taylor Trachte's power play goal with 5:44 to play in the third period proved to be the difference.
It was only the second playoff victory in team history.
"It truthfully feels like the best chocolate cake I've ever eaten in my life," goalie Sophie Schmidt said, describing the victory. "It's just so sweet and it's perfect right now. I want to go home and celebrate this because it is just awesome right now."
Schmidt was a finalist for the Jessie Vetter Award, given to the state's top goalie. Freshman Katie Detert had the second-best offensive season in team history, scoring 24 goals.
"Overall, I'm just so proud of how we came together and how we progressed as a team throughout the season. I could not be any happier with what we've done this year," co-coach Nick English said at the team's banquet.
7. Four-peat for RHS girls' tennis
It is said the only things certain in life are death and taxes. The way the last few years have gone, the RHS girls' tennis team winning the Great Northern Conference could soon join that list.
The Hodags earned their fourth straight conference title, romping through the GNC in 2013. For the second straight year, the Hodags had the title sewn up before the first match of the GNC tournament was played.
The Hodags are 34-1 in conference dual meets since joining the GNC in 2010 and currently have a 25-match conference winning streak.
Some thought the Hodags might be challenged this past season, after losing several key players from the 2012 championship squad, but it didn't happened. Freshmen Ivy Packard, Kristina Jacobson and Kianna Meyers shored up Nos. 2, 3 and 4 singles, junior Eileen Emond won conference player of the year and the team of Eva O'Melia and Molly Willging led a solid doubles lineup as the Hodags cruised to another conference title.
"It was surely one of the best seasons that we've had," coach Bob Heideman said at the team's banquet. "It's kind of got a momentum of its own. I can see it in the young kids that they just want to keep it going."
The Hodag netters became the first RHS team to win four straight conference titles since the Hodag girls' swimmers took the Wisconsin Valley Conference crown from 1992-1995. In 2014 the RHS girls' tennis team has a chance to match the school record for most consecutive conference titles, held by the boys' basketball team, which won five straight WVC crowns from 1936-1940.
8. Lemmens vs. Lemmens epic
In what might go down as the game of the year in RHS sports, Mitch Reinthaler hit two free throws with 0.6 seconds left as the RHS boys' basketball team defeated Wausau West 38-37 Dec. 20 in front of a packed house at the Miazga Gym.
While the game itself was a thriller, there was an even greater backstory as 2005 RHS grad and former Hodag hoops standout Nate Lemmens, the younger brother of RHS head coach Derek Lemmens, led the Warriors into action.
Nate Lemmens got a warm reception from the hometown crowd, but that proved to be little consolation to him.
"It was a great day, but I'm a Wausau West Warrior now and I'm worried about this program and how I'm going to get it better. That's what we're going to get, better," he said.
9. Rhinelander hosts state Nordic ski championship
For the second time in six years, the Northwoods Nordic Ski Club and the Rhinelander High School Nordic ski team held the Wisconsin Nordic Ski League Championships at the Northwood Ski trails.
Nineteen high school teams and 255 high school skiers flocked to Rhinelander Feb. 9-10 for the state championships.
On the boys' side, Madison edged out Ashwaubenon and Lakeland for the team title while Ashwaubenon's Kyler Berg took the individual crown. Lakeland took the girls' title led by senior Delaney FitzPatrick, who rallied on the final day to take the individual girls' title.
Rhinelander took ninth out of 12 complete teams in the girls' division, led by Claire Tracy, who placed 25th overall. The Hodag boys tied for 13th out of 16 teams paced by Lou Bassette, who finished 39th.
Despite a lack of snow during the month of January, which made preparing the championship course more challenging, then RHS head coach Karen Cook said the race venue received rave reviews, just like it did in 2007.
"We got nothing but great reviews for the whole event," she said. "We have such a strong supportive Nordic skiing community that all turned out to help make our event one of the best ever. It was great to see so many past members of the Nordic team volunteering and helping the event run smoothly."
10. Ten-year old Little Leaguers make it to state
A year after the Rhinelander Little League program sent its 12-Year old All-Star team to state, the program made another run to state, this time with its 10-year-old All-Stars.
The Hodags routed Wausau American 12-1 in five innings in a winner-take-all championship game to take the District 5 title and advance to state.
"It is a great accomplishment for the kids," coach Paul Johnson said. "There are a lot of good qualities (about this team). They like being around each other. They pick each other up when things go down."
The Hodags went 1-4 in pool play at the state tournament, held in Rice Lake. Their lone victory came against Eau Claire National.
Honorable Mentions
There were a few other noteworthy stories on the local sports scene that did not make the top-10 cut.
- The RHS track team sent two athletes to state last May. Vince Berry finished eighth in Division 1 in the pole vault, clearing 13 feet, 6 inches at the WIAA state meet in La Crosse. Ryan Nehls finished 14th in the 100-meter dash, with a time of 11.85 seconds into a strong headwind in the preliminary heats.
- The RHS tennis courts received a major facelift during the summer. The $80,000-plus project involved resurfacing 14 tennis courts in total - a set of eight adjacent to the RHS soccer fields and a set of six behind RHS. Most of the funding for the project, in excess of $65,000, was raised through private contributions. The renovated courts held the GNC girls' tennis tournament for the first time Sept. 28.
- Connor Johnson earned a place on the medal stand last February with a fifth-place finish in the Division 1, 195-pound weight class at the WIAA state individual wrestling meet in Madison. He became the first Hodag since Eddie Stefonek in 2007 to place at state. Johnson is currently ranked No. 1 at 195 by Wisconsin Wrestling Online becoming. The last Hodag to achieve that ranking was Stefonek in 2007.
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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