March 3, 2017 at 1:11 p.m.
DeMeyer named wrestling MVP
DeMeyer named wrestling MVP
Jacob DeMeyer, a junior who finished fourth in the Division 1, 145-pound weight class last Saturday at the WIAA state tournament, was named the team's most valuable wrestler and one of the team's three Ironman award recipients, along with fellow state qualifiers Alec Kurtz and Reuben Guzik.
DeMeyer went 43-2 on the season and was undefeated before a loss in the state semifinals to eventual state champion Jaden Van Maanen of La Crosse Central. DeMeyer lost the third-place match to Arrowhead's Joshua Otto 4-3 on a takedown late in the third period.
"I don't believe he missed a practice all year," RHS head wrestling coach Paul Ellenbecker said of DeMeyer. "He cut a lot of weight, did some crazy things to his body and, obviously, his effort all year long was amazing and his attitude was good."
That work ethic helped DeMeyer earn a share of the Ironman award with his junior teammates, Kurtz and Guzik. Kurtz went 38-7 on the season and finished one win away from qualifying for the placement rounds in the 182-pound bracket at state. Guzik was 30-12 and qualified for state at 113 pounds.
"This year was a tough call because everything was really close," Ellenbecker said of the Ironman award. "It was hard to pick winners. We had five guys who we were like, 'He could be it. He could be it.' So we decided to give it to three guys this year."
Another junior who barely missed the state tournament, Colton Krueger, won the team's most improved award. Krueger went 33-3 on the season and finished one win away from a trip to Madison. That's a stark improvement from two years ago, when Krueger posted a 9-9 record as a freshman.
"To make that adjustment from your freshman year to your junior year and all the awesome things you're doing in the offseason with your weightlifting, it's paying off for you," assistant coach Tyler Rupert told Krueger during the banquet.
Alec Bess, the team's fourth state qualifier, was honored with his senior classmates - Alec Modrow and Payton Hartman. Hartman additionally received the Hodag award for her dedication to the program.
"We had a small group of seniors this year, but we had a good group and a tight group," Ellenbecker said.
Three underclassmen - freshman Trevor Knapp, sophomore Kyle Kuester and junior Scott Fox received the team's Next Level award.
"The work ethic's there, the desire is there and we think they're ripe for making a big jump," Ellenbecker said of the Next Level recipients.
Rhinelander's run of three straight Great Northern Conference championships came to an end this year, finishing second in the conference to Medford. Despite that setback, the Hodags had a strong run in the postseason. They finished second in the WIAA regional tournament to Marshfield and second in the sectional tournament to Hudson and is set to return most of its starting lineup next season.
"We were all kind of disappointed with not winning conference, but you look at the big picture and there were a lot of good things that were accomplished this year and we're going to continue to move forward," Ellenbecker said. "We've got a lot of good kids coming back. We've got a lot of promise coming up with the eighth-grade class. The future's bright in Rhinelander."
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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