December 31, 2019 at 1:00 p.m.
Top teams of the decade
River News looks back at the top team from each sport in 2010s
Top teams of the decade
Distilling a list down to the top stories, or the 10 best games, would be difficult to do and undoubtedly ignore some notable moments. Instead, I have gone back through the archives to highlight the best team of the decade in each sport the River News covers on a consistent basis.
This past year certainly has a number of entries, given the memorable performances turned in by several RHS sports teams. But state titles and tournament appearances dotted the landscape through the entirety of the 2010s. In fact, every year from the 2010s is represented on the list.
Here's a look back at my list of the top teams from each sport in the 2010s:
Football (2019)
The 2019 team is the slam-dunk choice when it comes to Hodag football. All this year's squad did was turn in the program's best record since 1994 (6-4), break a 12-year drought in the Bell Game and become only the third team in school history to qualify for the WIAA playoffs.
Led by senior tailback Drake Martin, who rushed for a career-high 1,253 yards and had 20 total touchdowns, and a vastly improved defense that was second in the GNC, allowing 17.8 points per game over all competitions, the Hodags won as many games in 2019 as they did in the previous three years put together.
Honorable mention: The 2012 team, which qualified for the WIAA playoffs thanks to a homecoming night upset of Merrill.
Boys' soccer (2017)
Led by the 1-2 scoring punch of Jonus Sabani and Matthew Von Oepen, the Hodags went undefeated in the Great Northern Conference in 2017. The Hodags had both the league's top-ranked offense (4.0 goals per game) and defense (0.7 goals allowed per game) that season. Rhinelander went 16-4-2 overall that season, which included a No. 1 seed for the WIAA Division 3 tournament, but the Hodags were upset by Amherst/Iola-Scandinavia 3-1 in the sectional semifinals.
Volleyball (2012)
Rhinelander's first and only conference championship in volleyball came courtesy of a star-studded lineup in 2011 that went 37-7 overall and 11-1 in the GNC. Rhinelander had the GNC's player of the year that season with senior Taylor Wissbroecker, who led the conference in kills (223), tied for first in blocks (57) and was second in attacking percentage (.404). Sisters Katie and Lindsey Berrell were also all-conference recipients that year. What underscored the conference title was the fact that the Hodags accomplished it during the height of Tomahawk's run of success and split the season series against a Hatchet squad that advanced to the Division 2 state semifinals that season.
Cross country (2011)
Though the team did not feature any state qualifiers, the 2011 RHS cross country squad had, collectively, the team's best performance in the Great Northern Conference, finishing second in the boys' division and third in the girls' division. Nate Schoone led Rhinelander with a fourth-place finish in the boys' race that year while Hillary Wall paced the Hodag girls, placing 10th.
Girls' tennis (2010)
When a team has won nine conference titles in 10 years, as the Hodag girls' tennis team has, picking the best team of the bunch is difficult. I chose the first of those conference championship teams. The Hodags went 5-0 in conference play that year and scored 30 points in the conference tournament. Other squads may have had more impressive statistics within the GNC, but the 2010 Hodags had the dynamic 1-2 senior punch of Priyanka Sikka and Alleigh Fralick, who were the Nos. 1 and 2 singles champs in the GNC that year and then teamed up in the WIAA tournament to advance all the way to the state semifinals in the Division 1 doubles draw - the furtherest any Hodag entry has advanced in the WIAA state tournament during coach Bob Heideman's tenure.
Honorable mention: The 2015 team was Rhinelander's most dominant in the GNC, though it went 9-1 in conference duals (in part due to a substitution error in the second match of a doubleheader against Medford), the team dropped only five individual matches in league play and earned 40 of a possible 42 points at the GNC meet.
Girls' swimming (2019)
The RHS girls' swim team saved its best team of the decade for last as it won the GNC title this fall (the team's first since 2002). The Hodags won the sectional championship in a thriller by one point over Rice Lake and then went on to place fifth at the WIAA Division 2 state meet. Sophomore Malia Francis won state championships in the 100-yard butterfly and the 100 backstroke, junior Makenna Winnicki added a fourth-place finish in the 500 freestyle and the Hodags also got on the state podium with a school record-setting performance in the 200 medley relay by Lisa Kennedy, Francis, Winnicki and Noelle St. Pierre.
Boys' basketball (2013-14)
There were years that the Hodags had a better record, but their deepest tournament push in the 2010s came in the 2013-14 season. The Hodags actually started 0-3 that season but came on to win 20 of their next 22 and went undefeated in GNC play. Rhinelander made it all the way to the sectional finals that year, and trailed overwhelming favorite Rice Lake by only three at halftime. But the Warriors, led by future Marquette big man and NBA player Henry Ellenson, pulled away in the second half to a 72-49 win. Forward Mitch Reinthaler, who went on to have a successful four-year career at Division-III St. Norbert College, was GNC player of the year that season for the Hodags, averaging 18.8 points per game.
Honorable mentions: In 2012-13 the Hodags went 20-3 and were ranked as high as No. 3 in the AP poll, but lost to Hortonville in the sectional semifinals. Rhinelander was also 20-3 in the 2017-18 season, but was upset in the regional semifinals by Medford in overtime.
Girls' basketball (2018-19)
The RHS girls' basketball team finally climbed the mountain and became Great Northern Conference champions with its 2018-19 squad that amassed an 18-6 overall record. Thirteen of those wins came after the new year as the Hodags went on a winning streak that helped secure a perfect GNC record. Going into the year, Rhinelander knew it had a prolific scorer - and Kenedy Van Zile proved that averaging nearly 25 points per game - but contributions from senior Brooke Mork, junior transfer Cynthia Beavers and sophomore Rebecca Lawrence helped the Hodags reach new heights.
Honorable mention: While a 12-11 overall record seems somewhat pedestrian, what the 2010-11 team accomplished under coach Anita Mattek cannot be overlooked - in part because the Hodags had come off a winless 2009-10 season and in part because the team's 45-28 win over Mosinee was its first playoff victory in more than a decade. Since that year, the Lady Hodags have won at least one playoff game every year, with the exception of the 2015-16 season.
Boys' hockey (2017-18)
By the numbers, 2017-18 was the winningest season in program history. The Hodags went 16-10-0 overall and finished fourth in the Great Northern Conference, winning an overtime playoff thriller over Mosinee before falling to Northland Pines in the WIAA regional finals. Three additions to that year's squad provided a needed scoring spark - sophomore Abe Laggis (who missed his freshman season due to a knee injury) freshmen Conor Pequet and Harlan Wojtusik.
Honorable mention: The Hodags nearly matched that performance the following year (2018-19), going 15-9-0 and again advancing to the regional finals before bowing out to Stevens Point. Rhinelander defeated Antigo that season for the first time since winning a playoff game in 2009 and tied for third in the Great Northern Conference - the Hodags' best finish since joining the GNC.
Girls' hockey (2014-15)
The Rhinelander/Antigo Northern Edge never won a Great Northern Conference title, but the team came the closest during the 2014-15 season as they went 9-2-1 in league play and 19-5-2 overall. Led by future St. Cloud State University forward Katie Detert and UW-Stevens Point defender Lauren Smith, the Edge were ranked as high as No. 5 in the Wisconsin Prep Hockey poll that year. Detert, who finished her career as the Edge's all-time leading scorer, recorded 50 goals that year. Smith added 28 goals and Lindsey Steger added 14 for a three-pronged Northern Edge offensive attack.
Wrestling (2017-18)
Paul Ellenbecker saved his best team (at least in his first stint as head coach of the Hodag wrestlers) for last, guiding a dominant squad in the 2017-18 season. Led by a strong senior class, the Hodags had five wrestlers qualify for the WIAA Division 1 state tournament, three of whom finished on the podium in their respective weight classes. Jacob DeMeyer and Reuben Guzik reached the semifinals in their weight classes before finishing third and fifth, respectively. Alec Kurtz overcame an early loss to finish fifth in his weight class. DeMeyer ended his career as the Hodags' all-time wins leader and Kurtz finished his career as the team's all-time pins leader.
Boys' swimming (2018-19)
The RHS boys' swim team captured conference titles under three different head coaches (Amber Laggis, Lindsay Byrka and Jenny Heck) in the 2010s, but by far its most successful squad was last year's team. Led by seniors Nolan Francis and Russell Benoy, the team dominated the GNC, won the sectional team title and tied for third at the WIAA D2 state meet. Francis and Benoy, along with junior Devon Gaber and sophomore Joseph Heck, helped break a 25-year state title drought for the Hodags by winning the D2 title in the 200-yard freestyle relay. Francis added a second state title in the 100 backstroke and Rhinelander had six podium finishes overall.
Gymnastics (2011-12)
The Hodags have won the GNC Small division title four times in the last eight years, but none of those titles was quite like the first. The Hodags won all of their conference triangulars that year, and won the conference meet going away with a score of 123.375 points -the best score of any of the program's four championship teams this decade. Elle Spiegelhoff and Jackie Guth scored a 1-2 finish in the individual all-around that year and Spiegelhoff was only 0.05 points away on vault from finishing first in all four events. Megan Thornton and Sara Krueger also secured all-conference finishes for the Hodags during the meet.
Alpine skiing (2015)
There were plenty of options to choose from for the Hodag skiers, highlighted by state championship seasons for the RHS girls' snowboard team in 2013, 2014 and 2015. The latter of the three gets the not because of the performances by the Hodags in other divisions at state that year, placing fifth in boys' snowboard and 12th in boys' downhill skiing. Claire Hjelle won the individual state title for the Hodags as a junior that year in girls' snowboard, edging out senior teammates Emily and Sarah Babcock, both of whom had previously won individual state titles.
Nordic skiing (2012)
The RHS Nordic ski team did not have a ton of strong results in the 2010s. Statistically, the team's best season was 2012 when it placed sixth out of 15 teams in the girls' division and 12th of 14 teams in the boys' ranks. The Hodags were led by the 1-2 punch of Hillary Wall and Claire Tracy on the girls' side, finishing 17th and 21st overall, respectively. Lou Bassette had a 37th-place finish for the Hodags, which was Rhinelander's best showing by a male athlete at state in the last eight years - a feat matched by Zach Goodrich last February.
Baseball (2011)
The Hodag baseball team made its first season in the Great Northern Conference a successful one, going undefeated in league play and 21-3 overall in 2011. Kyle Comer hit .500 in league play that year while the tandem of Dan Kellen and Troy White allowed a total of two runs in 51 innings of work. Unfortunately for Rhinelander, the season ended on a sour note with a 13-0 loss at home to Wausau East in the WIAA regional finals.
Softball (2014)
Rhinelander's best season, record-wise, was a 21-6 campaign during the 2014 season. The team had three of the top hitters in the conference that year with Megan Haug, Katie Detert and Lexi Haug, while Brianna Gilbert was second in the conference in strikeouts and ERA. Because of a late spring, Rhinelander played 16 games in a 14-day stretch during that season. Getting swept in a doubleheader by Medford near the start of that stretch cost the Hodags a shot at the conference title, but Rhinelander swept a twinbill from Mosinee a couple of weeks later - the only two losses Mosinee had in a state-championship season.
Honorable mention: The 2012 RHS softball team was the only team other than Mosinee to claim a GNC championship in the 2010s, splitting the conference title with the Indians that season. The Hodags used a 2-1, eight-inning win in the first game of a doubleheader at Mosinee to help earn the conference split.
Girls' soccer (2014 & 2015)
It would be difficult to choose one over the other, so I'm picking both. The Hodags made back-to-back state tournament appearances during these years, keyed by midfielder Gabbe Millot, defeating River Falls each time in the sectional finals to make it to state. Overall, the Hodags went 38-8-4 in those two seasons, including a 23-0-1 mark in the GNC. Tough luck befell the Hodags at state both years. In 2014, Rhinelander was overpowered by a Waunakee team that included defensive midfield Jana Dayne, the daughter of Heisman Trophy-winning running back Ron Dayne. In 2015 the Hodags lost 1-0 to Green Bay Southwest in a game that included a pair of dubious officiating decisions - a red card issued to Millot in the second half following what referees deemed to be a hard foul, and a potential handball in the box by Green Bay Southwest in the final minutes that was not called.
Boys' track & field (2019)
Winning a conference title for the first time in 52 years and setting a couple of school records in the process is an easy way to get a spot on this list. That's exactly what the Hodag boys' track team did this past spring. The Hodags had never finished higher than fifth in the GNC prior to 2019, when it won two events, scored 13 other all-conference finishes and claimed the conference title by 17 points over Medford. Sprinters and jumpers led the way for Rhinelander. The Hodags broke school records in the 4x100 and 4x200 meter relays at the Otto Bacher Invite in early May, and then broke those records at the WIAA state track meet, where they placed fifth overall in the 4x200 and sixth in the 4x100.
Girls' track & field (2016)
The RHS girls' track team got a little bit of a boost in 2016 when Alayna Franson decided to run a few meets in addition to playing full-time for the RHS girls' soccer team. Franson joined an talented distance crew that cleaned up when the Hodags hosted the GNC outdoor meet in 2016. The Hodags won the girls' 800, 1,600 and 3,200-meter runs as well as the 4x800-meter relay. Franson had a hand in three of those wins as she was named the GNC runner of the year. Additionally, Eva O'Melia won the 800-meter run and the Hodags got third-place finishes from Susanna Roberts in the 100 and Lexie Rick in the shot put as the team scored its best finish (fifth) in the GNC .
Golf (2011)
Much like the RHS baseball team, the RHS golf team made a splash in its first season in the Great Northern Conference, winning all seven conference meets en route to the conference title. The trio of A.J. Berrell, Bobby Montgomery and Josh Willis finished second, fourth and fifth, respectively in the final conference standings and all five of Rhinelander's starters earned all-conference honors. It took until 2018 and 2019, when Lakeland accomplished the feat, for another GNC school to sweep all seven legs of the conference tournament.
Boys' tennis (2019)
Similar to the Hodag girls' squad, it's hard to choose a best time for RHS boys' tennis, which has won nine of the last 10 GNC boys' tennis titles. I'm going with this past year's team because of the manner in which it won the crown. The Hodags were a perfect 10-0 in conference duals, scored 40 of a possible 42 points in the conference tournament and amassed a conference-record 162 points in the process. Additionally, Rhinelander had a WIAA state qualifier as the No. 1 doubles team of Connor Young and Logan Oestreich earned a special exemption into the tournament.
Miscellaneous sports (2010 Rhinelander Post 7 American Legion baseball)
It's Rhinelander's only state title in a team-only sport this decade at the prep level, and deserves special mention. The Post 7 Rebels had an up-and-down regular season in 2010, but put it together during a magical five-day run in late July and early August to capture the Class AA crown. The Rebels avenged a loss in the regional championship game by beating Merrill 14-0 in the first game of the tournament and kept it going from there. Wins the next two days over River Falls and Holmen earned the Hodags an automatic berth in the championship. Rhinelander lost 19-10 to Kimberly setting up a winner-take all battle against Kimberly the next night. The Rebels jumped ahead early, withstood a lightning delay and won the championship game 9-1 with Lucas Michlig catching a pop-fly to shallow right field to end it. Rhinelander's Sam Huebner was named tournament MVP.
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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