May 1, 2020 at 9:33 a.m.
Top moments of prep sports season, part I
Top moments of prep sports season, part I
Who knows what the spring sports season would have brought in terms of Hodag athletics. Late last month the WIAA canceled all spring competitions and state tournaments due to the COVID-19 pandemic, while affording spring teams 30 contact days this July for possible practices and games, assuming it is safe to do so at that time.
If the fall and winter sports seasons were any indication, we would have been in for an exciting spring campaign full of memorable moments.
With the 2019-20 season in the books, for all intents and purposes, I have gone back and selected the 10 most memorable moments for the year in Hodag Sports. Today, we unveil moments 6-10. The top five moments, and moments that received honorable mention, will be revealed in a future edition.
10. Third time's the charm for Edge vs. Eagles
The first two meetings for the Northern Edge against Northland Pines had disappointing endings - six-goal losses both times around for the Rhinelander/Antigo/Lakeland co-op. The third time around proved to be the charm for the Edge. After allowing the game's opening goal, the Edge came back to score four unanswered against the Eagles to pull off a 4-1 upset Jan. 27 at the Eagle River Sports Arena. Izzy Boyer scored twice for the Edge. Wyndi Saari and Kate Vizanko also scored to support a 29-save effort by goalie Alicia Turunen.
9. Hodag hoops downs Ashland in basket bonanza
The last game to be played in the Jim Miazga Community Gymnasium during the 2019-20 school year was certainly a memorable one. The Hodags boys' basketball team went basket for basket with Ashland. By the time the dust settled, Rhinelander had one of its highest-scoring game in the last two decades, edging the Oredockers 95-91. Some of the eye-popping offensive numbers from the contest:
• The teams combined to shoot 57.4% from 3-point range, making a combined 31 of 54 attempts from beyond the arc.
• The game set records for most points scored and most points allowed by a Hodag team in coach Derek Lemmens 10-year tenure at his alma mater.
8. One is enough for RHS girls swim
As the Rhinelander High School girls' swim team went after its first sectional title in a quarter century, one ended up being the most important number. That was Rhinelander's margin of victory over Rice Lake in a D2 sectional in Wisconsin Rapids. The Hodags led by nine points entering the final event, the 400-yard freestyle relay. Seeded seventh in the event, the Hodags held serve, finished seventh, and got a little help to hold on to the title by a single point. The Hodags won five events at sectionals and qualified seven entries for the WIAA state meet. The Hodags finished fifth at state. Their margin of over sixth-place Greendale was one point.
7. Hodag hockey ices Lakeland in playoff upset
A No. 7 seed in the inaugural WIAA Division 2 state boys' hockey tournament following an up-and-down regular season, the Hodags hit the road Feb. 20 and upset second-seeded Lakeland 3-1 in Minocqua. Jake Losch scored twice for Rhinelander in the game and Seth Stafford made 30 saves in the victory.
The Hodags nearly trumped that moment five days later in the sectional semifinals, rallying from down 2-0 at third-seeded Mosinee to send the game to overtime, before ultimately falling 3-2.
6. Van Zile reaches RHS scoring summit
Kenedy Van Zile's name stands alone in the Rhinelander High School basketball annals, following a remarkable four-year run with the Lady Hodags. On Feb. 20, the same night the RHS boys' hockey team scored its memorable playoff upset, Van Zile cemented herself as the leading scorer in RHS basketball history. She recorded her 1,567th point - a 3-pointer in the game's opening minutes - to surpass Mike Flory as No. 1 on the school's all-time career list.
"I can't say enough about what a career she's had. She's set the standard pretty high for young girls coming up in our program," RHS girls' basketball coach Ryan Clark said afterward. Van Zile, who has committed to UW-Oshkosh, averaged 21.3 points per game this past season and finished her career with 1,670 points overall.
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