November 21, 2017 at 1:04 p.m.
Team preview: RHS wrestling
Senior-laden Hodags look to regain GNC stronghold
Team preview: RHS wrestling
With an experienced senior class, and a number of freshmen who could make an immediate impact, Hodag coach Paul Ellenbecker is optimistic that his team will be right back in the conference hunt this year.
"I'm excited to see what happens this year come February, how we'll compete and what we'll be able to accomplish this year," he said. "We've got big goals and we want to get the title back here in Rhinelander and we've just got to take care of it one week at a time," he said.
Depth will be an issue for the team as only 18 wrestlers came out for the sport, leaving the Hodags thin in a number of spots. Ellenbecker went so far as to post on Facebook encouraging more grapplers to come out, especially those in the 130-to-140 pound range.
What the Hodags lack in quantity, they more than make up for in quality, returning three state qualifiers and three more sectional qualifiers.
Jacob DeMeyer, who made it to the Division 1 state semifinals at 145 pounds before settling for a fourth-place finish, leads a talented senior class for the Hodags. Reuben Guzik (113) and Alec Kurtz (182) are also back after trips to Madison last February.
Colton Krueger barely missed the state meet at 195, with close losses to the top two finishers at sectionals, and 120-pounder Tyler Olson returns following a fourth-place finish at sectionals last year.
"We're definitely led by our seniors," Ellenbecker said. "It's a good group. We have a talented class and everybody's known about them for a while. The best part about them guys is they stuck together. You don't always see that any more. These guys are a close-knit group and it's kind of cool they're all still out. You can tell if you put four years into it, you're going to get a lot out of it."
Junior Eric Grulke, a sectional qualifier at 138 last year, is back along with Trevor Knapp, Scott Fox, Jeremiah Bellow, Chase Redmond, Isabella Anderson, Hunter Greyhair, Connor Lund and Alex Monk.
Ellenbecker added that a five-person freshman class could make an immediate impact, most notably Tim Fox, who's penciled in as the opening day starter at 106.
"Timmy's a worker," he said. "He's got the swagger already, the confidence. He's going to win a lot of matches at 106 and be something we haven't had since a few years back when Tyler wrestled 106."
Another experienced youth and middle school wrestler, Walker Hartman, could be in the mix at the middleweights. Autumn Pond, Will Swanson and Ben Sinclair round out the incoming ninth graders.
"It's a very nice group of freshmen and they'll help carry on the tradition," Ellenbecker said.
The Hodags will certainly know where they stand and what they need to work on by the time the calendar flips to January. A brutal non-conference schedule includes trips to Pulaski, Bay Port, Fond du Lac ad River Falls for invitationals in the month of December.
"We really loaded up our schedule," Ellenbecker said. "We've got the individuals and we've got the team to do it this year. We're probably not going to win these tournaments but, I'll tell you, it's going to be fun to see what we can do. We have kids that can win these individual titles and for them to get the opportunity to win these prestigious tournaments, that's what we're looking for.
"We're not afraid to wrestle anyone in the state. We'll go to all these big dog tournaments and get that experience along the way. We have to get our guys ready by February, so we're going to run the gauntlet during the season and by February, hopefully we're clicking."
The Hodags will open the GNC schedule at rival Tomahawk Dec. 14, but the majority of the conference matches will take place in January leading up to a potential showdown at Medford Jan. 25 in the final dual of the conference season.
Because of some potential holes in the lineup due to a lack of depth, Ellenbecker sees the Hodags as a better tournament team than a dual team this year. Even so, he expects his team to be right in the mix in the GNC.
"We can hang with anyone in our conference even though we're not going to have the numbers," Ellenbecker said. "We've got that Spartan mentality this year. We're going to go in an wrestle anyone. They might have 30 or 40 guys (on the roster), but we're going to bet our 14 (starters) are better than theirs. They're going to have to be."
After the conference season, the Hodags will jump into WIAA tournament competition in a Division 1 regional that includes all seven Wisconsin Valley Conference schools. Again, depth may be an issue from a team standpoint, but Ellenbecker expects the Hodags to make some noise in the tournament.
"As far as the regional goes, I feel like we have a good setup considering our top-level kids and all the state qualifiers we return and having a big senior class, which could help us," he said, noting that Marshfield is the season favorite to take the WVC and compete for the regional title. "But if we forfeit a weight class or two at the end of the year, we don't have much of a chance because Marshfield's going to take a lot of seconds, thirds and fourths."
The Hodags will open the season Nov. 30 with a non-conference dual against Crandon at the Jim Miazga Community Gymnasium.
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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