May 15, 2020 at 11:16 a.m.
The lost season: RHS Track & Field
Kraemer felt positive about encore performance from RHS track
The lost season: RHS Track & Field
The Rhinelander High School track and field team had a storybook season in 2019. On the boys' side, the Hodags went from Great Northern Conference also-rans to conference champs for the first time in 52 years. They followed that up with a regional championship and two podium finishes at the WIAA D2 state track meet. While the Hodag girls finished down the ranks, they too had a podium finisher at state in high jumper Rebecca Lawrence, who found herself in a jump-off for the state title before settling for second place.
The Hodags had plenty of momentum heading into this season, too. Participation was up and there was excitement abounding with the team set to host this year's D2 regional.
We will never know exactly how the team's 2020 season would have panned out, as COVID-19 essentially ended the campaign less than two weeks into practice. But, coach Aaron Kraemer said the signs were pointing toward the Hodags proving 2019 was no fluke.
"If we didn't win it, I think we were in the top two or three," he said regarding the boys' conference title. "I don't think we were taking a step back very much because we had so many point scorers coming back from last year."
Building speed
The biggest question for the Hodag boys entering the season was going to be how it reloaded its record-breaking sprint relays. Both the Hodags' 4x100 and 4x200-meter squads set school records at last year's WIAA Division 2 state meet with the 4x200 taking fifth overall and the 4x100 finishing sixth.
Three of the five athletes who made up that squad - Anthony Kowalski, Josh Francisco and A.J. Kopplin - graduated. The two holdovers were senior Nick Kriesel, who raced in both events, and sophomore Caleb Olcikas, who competed in the 4x200.
"We had a group of about six to eight guys that were very close," Kraemer said. "Nick and Caleb kind of stood out, but there were some freshmen that were pushing the boundaries, too. That says to me, while I'm really, really sad Nick doesn't get an opportunity, the future's bright in our sprinting program."
Kraemer had reason to be optimistic. During the abbreviated practice the team had before the coronavirus shutdown, it had taken some baseline speed tests, and the times were in the ballpark of what the team posted last year.
"Last year's times were slightly faster in the top five and top six, but we have more depth in the top 10 of kids," he said. "Our top end speed of those first four, five guys were just a tick higher (last year) ... I think we would have been comparable, especially after working through the handoffs, working through the training and working through with the sprint work that we'll be building on."
The loss of Francisco and Kowalski also would have hurt in the individual sprinting events. Kowalski just missed a state berth in the 200-meter dash, taking fifth at sectionals, while Francisco qualified for sectionals and finished sixth in the 100. They also finished second and third in both the 100 and the 200 at last year's GNC meet. In addition to taking part in the 4x100, Kopplin was a sectional qualifier in the high jump.
The Hodag boys had plenty of returning talent, however. In addition to Kriesel and Olcikas, seniors Peyton Erikson and Drake Martin were expected to contribute a significant number of points this year. Martin qualified for sectionals in three events - shot put, long jump and triple jump - last year while Erikson finished sixth in the long jump at sectionals and was the GNC runner-up in both the long and triple jump.
"They were anxious to show everybody they had taken the last few steps," Kraemer said while nothing both Erikson and Martin were in the mix for a spot on the sprint relays. Martin was on the winning 4x200 relay at last year's conference meet and Erikson was an alternate on the 4x200 at sectionals.
Senior Calvin Schneider would have been back after taking sixth at sectionals a year ago, junior Alex Olson was back after making it to sectionals in discus and the Hodags were expecting big things out of sophomore Cole Worrall, who flashed in the hurdle events as a freshman, qualifying for sectionals in both the 110 and the 300.
"I look at Cole Worrall coming back. I've been telling people that's a guaranteed 10 (points, for winning an event)," Kraemer said. "I think he's going to grow and be a stud in our conference, I really do. I was counting on him to score a lot of points and I know he was counting on it too."
Put it all together, and Kraemer said the boys' side would have been just as competitive this season as it was last year.
"You had the jumps and the throws along with a growing distance program that coach (Melissa) Krueger had built through the cross country team," he said. "I don't think the point distribution would have been exactly the same. I think we would have scored more points from different events."
Girls' squad
Lawrence figured to be one of the headliners on the girls' squad this season, after a sophomore season that saw her finish literally an inch away from a state championship in the high jump.
She needed a special exemption to get into the state field after initially being told she finished fourth in the event and had earned an automatic berth to sectionals, only to lose that spot on appeal after it was determined that tie-breaking procedures were applied incorrectly. However, her 5-foot, 2-inch jump at sectionals was one of the eight best in the state, allowing her into the field for the state meet, and she matched that performance at state to get into a three-way jump off for the state title.
Kraemer said he expected Lawrence to fight head-to-head with GNC champ Jacqueline Smith of Northland Pines in the event and threaten Taylor Wissbroecker's school record in the event of 5-4.
"A lot of it had to with Rebecca to start, how competitive she was in her jumping events. Her and Jacqueline Smith (of Northland Pines), it was a 1-2 every week, so you were guaranteeing about eight points from her," Kraemer said.
Though the Hodags finished last in the girls' conference standings last year, they have several standout pieces due back including sophomore Sage Flory, who made it to sectionals in the 200-meter dash and was part of the girls' 4x100 team that made it to sectionals. Also returning from that 4x100 squad were sophomore Megan Brown, senior Isabella Anderson and sophomore Lily Sneller, who was an alternate at sectionals.
Senior Aryssa Zasada was also back after earning all-conference honors with a third-place finish in the 100-meter hurdles at the GNC meet.
"You talk about kids like Sage Flory and Megan Brown coming back to be a part of that 4x1 and 4x2 team, kids that are extremely fast and are going to continue to be extremely fast," Kraemer said. "You pair them with the senior combination of Aryssa (Zasada) and Morgan (Johnson) in the hurdles, two people that, I think, since the beginning of their careers have continually gotten better year after year."
The intriguing wild card on the girls' squad was to have been senior Kenedy Van Zile, who was out for track for the first time after coming over from the RHS girls' soccer team.
"I was interested to see what Kenedy could do for us this year," Kraemer said.
Emma Germain was back after placing in the top eight at conference last year in both the triple jump and 400-meter dash.
Kraemer noted that she was looking to add at least one throwing event to her repertoire this year. Junior Delaney Chillemi finished sixth at conference in the 300 hurdles last year while Johnson was seventh in the 100 hurdles.
Though the team results did not show last year, Kraemer said the Hodag girls were catching the wake of the boys' team and beginning to ride that momentum.
"The girls' team, because of what they saw last year and how much fun those girls were having, there was momentum there," he said. "This one's kind of extra bitter because they don't get to defend their title for the boys and to work toward that title for the girls."
Saluting the seniors
Several seniors who received all-conference recognition or made it to the sectional level last year will not get the opportunity to better themselves this year.
That's the most disappointing thing for Kraemer.
"For some kids, this was the spotlight of their athletic careers," he said. "They had an opportunity to make the trip back to La Crosse (for the state meet). You look at kids like Calvin Schneider, who was within a step of state last year, getting to the sectional competition. He's been working very hard at his technique and just growing as a high jumper.
"You look at Nick Kriesel. This was an opportunity for him to say, 'OK, now Josh is gone. Now Anthony's gone. I'm the guy,' and the opportunity to show who he is. I know for Nick it obviously hurts not to compete, but he's such a good brother and a good person that I know, although it hurts, he's going to do whatever he plans on doing with the rest of his life. It just sucks that we don't get the chance to see his final progression in his senior year."
Staying connected
The Hodag track team had high numbers this year, more than 80 strong before the coronavirus lockdown hit, according to Kraemer. Many of those athletes are still training in a virtual manner.
Kraemer provides weekly workout plans and videos on the team's Facebook page so the athletes can stay in shape for their next sports season.
High school sports are often billed as an extension of the school classroom, and Kraemer said that analogy carries over in today's current virtual format.
"It's similar to virtual learning. The motivation has to be intrinsic," he said. "It's not, you're coming to practice and I'm helping you get better by coaching you through it. This is, you have this out in front of you, you have to motivate yourself to do it and then you have to do it at a high level."
The WIAA is currently allowing teams up to 30 contact days this summer. Rhinelander plans to practice in the first two weeks of July culminating with a track meet to be held at Three Lakes on July 15.
What's next
The makeup of next year's team will be different, especially with the graduation of a number of key seniors - including Kriesel, Erikson, Martin and Schneider on the boys' side. Kraemer said the team will look to reload.
"As long as we do our best as coaches to maintain and grow our program, and we get the information out there for our athletes to be prepared for the springtime next year ... I think that the momentum continues to go forward. I'm excited about the future," he said.
Another reason for the Hodags to be excited is the construction of the Hodag Sports Complex, which will feature an air-supported dome that will give the Hodag track team a significant upgrade in training facilities, especially early in the season when snow still covers its outdoor track.
"Guess what, you don't have to run in the hallway anymore. You don't have to throw in the gym anymore. You don't have to dodge equipment in the gym that's there from the winter season. It's just another opportunity for kids to utilize a facility that will make them better," Kraemer said. "I think about our pole vault. We've never had a place to pole vault inside. This is going to be huge for that event. To be able to sprint and time on a track, and for kids to be able to use their spikes and their blocks inside before they get outside, it's a complete blessing and something nobody has around us. We need to make sure we utilize it to the best of our ability to honor those who put this in place for us.
"It's an awesome thing for our community and an even better thing for our school. I think it's going to be used every day, multiple times a day for multiple people for multiple things. I'm so thankful that we're able to have that. I think it just motivates more kids to want to be the part of something that is going to be happening in that new space."
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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