March 4, 2019 at 2:25 p.m.
Fab five: All five Lady Hodag starters named all-conference
Kenedy Van Zile wins POY
Fab five: All five Lady Hodag starters named all-conference
Kenedy Van Zile was voted the conference's player of the year and all five Lady Hodag starters were recognized by the conference coaches as the 2018-19 winter All-GNC teams were announced by the conference Saturday.
All-conference voting for girls' basketball, boys' basketball and girls' hockey took place Wednesday during a meeting of conference coaches in Tomahawk. The all-conference boys' hockey team was voted on earlier last month and all-conference teams in boys' swimming, gymnastics and wrestling were determined by the outcome of each sport's conference meet.
The Lady Hodags went a perfect 12-0 in conference play, winning every game by 11 points or more on their way to an undisputed GNC crown. Kenedy Van Zile was joined on the first team by junior teammate Cynthia Beavers. Senior Brooke Mork made the conference's second team. Sophomore Rebecca Lawrence and senior Payton Van Zile each received honorable mention.
"I think it's a testament to not only those five but our season in general," said RHS girls' basketball coach Ryan Clark, who was voted the confernece's coach of the year. "When you have a really good season, you just end up getting more people recognized."
Kenedy Van Zile was the GNC scoring champion this year, averaging 26.4 points per game in league play. Her 317 points were five points shy of the single-season conference scoring record set by Northland Pines' Lexi Smith during the 2016-17 season. Additionally, Van Zile led the lead in made 3-pointers (45), was second in steals (53) and tied for fourth in assists (33).
"Kenedy, I didn't really have a whole lot to say," Clark said. "(The conference coaches) all knew how valuable she was. She was like having two kids on the court. She was a shooter, scorer and such a great ball handler. I think she's bar none, the best player in the conference, no question. She was just fantastic."
Beavers, who transferred into the district from Three Lakes, made an immediate impact for the Hodags. She was ninth in the GNC at 9.2 points per game, second in total field goal percentage (.560), third in free throw percentage (.686), fourth in rebounding (92) and third in assists (34).
"I give her a lot of credit. She came here second week of the season, got acclimated pretty quickly and established herself as one of the top five players in the conference," Clark said. "I think she just gave us an element we didn't have. She's a great rebounder. She's strong inside. I think she was second in the conference in shooting percentage and third in rebounding, (averaged) just under 10 points a game. She had the ability to score a lot more than that."
Mork averaged 8.9 points per game in league play this year while finishing third in the league in made 3-pointers (24), Lawrence was eighth in the conference with 62 rebounds and averaged 8.3 points per game. Payton Van Zile averaged 2.9 points and 2.5 rebounds per game.
"She just embodied our whole team this year as far as toughness and grit," Clark said of Payton Van Zile.
Boys' basketball
For only the second time - and first since the 2010-11 season - the RHS boys' basketball team did not have a first-team selection on the All-GNC team.
Rhinelander wound up with a second teamer in senior Bryce Schickert, while senior Junior Howard and sophomore Ross Skeen both received honorable mention.
"I knew we didn't have a first-team player. We just didn't have guys that had that consistency and high level of play," coach Derek Lemmens said.
Schickert averaged 9.2 points per game in league play while pulling down the third-most rebounds in the conference (69). He also finished fifth in the league in field goal percentage (.530).
"Bryce, throughout the season, was probably the most consistent - especially in conference," Lemmens said.
Howard was Rhinelander's leading scorer in league play at 11.6 points per game while Skeen emerged into a starting role during the second half of the season and averaged 9.3 points per game in the league.
Mosinee's Luke Spink and Andy Bruess were the conference's player and coach of the year, respectively.
Girls' hockey
The Northern Edge had two unanimous first-team selections in goalie Alicia Turunen and defender Madi Losch.
Turunen did not have the best numbers in the league. Her .910 save percentage was third in the conference and her 3.89 goals against average was fourth, but Turunen saw the second most shots in the GNC behind Medford's Alex Nicks and kept the Edge in numerous games this season.
"She faced a lot of shots and she learned a lot," Edge coach Tom Roeser said. "She had a lot of coaching in practice and she just gobbles up every bit of information she gets. That's why she's at where she's at. She's so coachable and she hates to lose. That's a great quality for a goaltender."
Losch was only seventh in the conference in scoring (7 goals, 6 assists in nine conference games), but stood out on the ice.
"Madi Losch, that was pretty much a no-brainer for everyone too," Roeser said. "You watch her skill level. She tries to do a lot on her own and she still successful. She's our (top) defenseman and also we expect her to score goals too. She does it all."
Junior Jade Forster and sophomore Emily Kassler received honorable mention for the Edge. Forster had seven goals and three assists in league play while Kassler had five goals and four helpers.
Conference champion Northland Pines took home the league's highest honors with Allison Kieffer winning player of the year and Patrick Schmidt taking coach of the year.
Boys' hockey
The Great Northern Conference boys' hockey coaches voted and announced their all-conference team during the final round of the GNC tournament in Antigo Feb. 2.
Two Hodags were recognized by the conference - junior Abe Laggis received first-team honors as a forward and senior Sam Tjugum received honorable mention as a defenseman.
Laggis led the team with 33 points (11 goals, 22 assists) during the regular season. Tjugum had three goals and six helpers as one of Rhinelander's top defensemen.
"I'm happy for both those guys," coach M.J. Laggis said following the Feb. 2 vote of conference coaches. "I would have loved to have seen the seniors, like Freddy Wisner, get more mention, but I think people are confused by how all-conference (voting) works. You don't vote on your own players. Other coaches make that decision. That's just the way it is."
Northland Pines' David Cox was the conference's coach of the year. Tomahawk defenseman Max Bembinster took home player of the year honors.
Boys' swimming
The Hodags earned a whopping 14 all-conference honors, including six spots on the all-GNC first team based on their performance at the GNC meet in Medford Feb. 1.
GNC champions Nolan Francis (200-yard individual medley and 100 backstroke), Russell Benoy (100 freestyle) and Thaddeus Heck (100 breaststroke) are on the first time along with the Hodags' GNC-champion 200 medley and 200 freestyle relays. Francis, Thaddeus Heck, David King and Martin Hoger were the winner quartet in the medley. Joseph Heck, Devon Gaber, Hoger and Benoy won the freestyle relay.
Benoy earned second-team honors as the runner up in the 50 freestyle, as did King for his runner-up finish in the 100 butterfly. Benoy, Gaber, Joseph Heck and Francis were second-team members in the 400 freestyle relay.
Joseph Heck earned honorable mention by finishing third in both the 50 freestyle and 100 breaststroke. Jacob Schoppe (200 IM), Gaber (50 freestyle) and Hoger (100 backstroke) also received honorable mention.
Francis, who set conference records in the IM, backstroke and as part of the 200 medley relay, was voted the conference's swimmer of the year. Rhinelander coach Jenny Heck shared conference coach of the year honors with Lakeland's Chris Garcia and Tomahawk Marion Kohl.
Wrestling
Eight Hodags received all-conference honors for placing in the top three in their respective weight classes during the GNC meet Feb. 2 in Medford.
Tim Fox, the GNC champion at 106 pounds, was Rhinelander's only first-team honoree. Walker Hartman (152), Ben Sinclair (182), Connor Lund (195) and Alex Olson (285) earned second-team honors as conference runners-up. Eric Grulke (160), Gavin Ostermann (170) and Trevor Knapp (220) finished third in their brackets and received honorable mention.
Gymnastics
Senior Raven Sturtevant was the only Hodag to earn all-conference honors by virtue of her performance at the GNC meet Feb. 16 in Ashland.
Sturtevant earned first-team honors as the GNC Small champion on the balance beam. She also received honorable mention thanks to a third-place finish in the all-around.
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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