November 24, 2020 at 11:21 a.m.
Team review: RHS boys' soccer
Hodags ride quick turnaround to GNC title
Team review: RHS boys' soccer
Overall, Rhinelander went 12-3-0 on the season, won the Great Northern Conference for the first time since 2017 and advanced to the sectional round of the WIAA state tournament for the first time since 2017.
Though Rhinelander bowed out at home to eventual state semifinalist Medford, second-year head coach Nathan Bates said this year's Hodag squad accomplished plenty in a season where a premature ending due to COVID-19 was always a possibility.
"We didn't think we were going to have a postseason, let alone get this far," he said. "All I can say is I'm extremely proud of these kids for everything they've overcome this year and to have gotten this far in the season."
Here are five key storylines from the season.
Condensed schedule
Due to concerns over the virus, the WIAA pushed back the first day of practice until Labor Day, essentially turning the regular season into a five-week sprint.
Not only did Rhinelander get a full 10-game conference schedule in during that time, it squeezed in three non-conference games. But that meant 13 games of a 31-day span for the Hodags, which took its toll, especially toward the end of the season.
"We got a lot of kids with some injuries that they've been healing. It's been a short season with a lot of games in it," Bates said following a 7-0 loss at Medford Oct. 15 in which the Hodags rested a number of their starters.
Conference crusade
Rhinelander had the luxury of resting its starters in the regular season finale because of what it had accomplished up until that point, clinching the conference title with one game to spare.
Close games were Rhinelander's mantra during the season. Half of Rhinelander's GNC contests were decided by a goal, with the Hodags going 4-1-0 in those contests. In all four victories, Rhinelander scored what proved to be the game-winning goal in the final 14 minutes of regulation.
The first heroic act came on a Hugh Wiese strike in the 80th minute with Medford down a player in a 1-0 result over the Raiders Sept. 17. Sophomore Andrew Henrichs recorded his lone goal of the season in the 77th minute Sept. 29 at Lakeland, propelling the Hodags to a 2-1 victory.
Then came a pair of back-and-forth contests against Mosinee, which factored into the conference race until the very end.
The first meeting took place Oct. 6 in Mosinee. Down 1-0 at the half, the Hodags scored twice in the final 45 minutes, including Hugh Wiese's game winner in the 84th minute, to come out on top 2-1. The two teams met again a week later in Rhinelander, with the Hodags needing any result but an outright loss to wrap up the conference crown. Tied 2-2 in the 87th minute, freshman Matthew King scored his second goal of the season to give Rhinelander a 3-2 win and the conference title.
Postseason push
The conference title gave Rhinelander the No. 1 seed in its six-team WIAA regional. After a first round bye, the Hodags cruised by Antigo 3-0 for the team's first regional title since 2017.
That set up a rematch with Medford, whose untimely three-game losing streak in GNC play early in the season ultimately cost it the conference title.
At full strength for the rematch, the Raiders scored twice in the second half and, despite being outshot 28-18 by the Hodags, earned a 2-0 victory.
Medford parlayed the victory to a state tournament berth, after defeating Rice Lake on penalty kicks in the sectional final. The Raiders lost 3-2 in the state semifinals to eventual D2 state champion Two Rivers/Roncalli.
"Hat's off to Medford, they played a tough game and so did we," Bates said afterward. "They came out on top this time. We came out on top, first time, in conference and we'll see them again next year.
Statbook
Hugh Wiese was the Hodags' top offensive threat this season. The midfielder ended with 15 goals and five assists on the year and was voted the conference co-offensive player of the year.
Speedy forward Beau Howard developed into Rhinelander's second scoring option, with 13 goals overall on the season, including a hat trick in the playoff win over Antigo. Overall nine players scored for Rhinelander.
Sophomore Shane Petrick scored his first two career varsity goals in the season opener against Antigo and finished with five goals and a team-high nine assists on the season. Fellow sophomore Braden Mork added four goals and six assists.
Defensively, Rhinelander finished second in the GNC, allowing 1.5 goals per game, but seven of the 15 goals the team conceded came with the backups in the conference finale against Medford. Senior Joseph Heck, junior Alexx Huff and sophomore Charlie Heck anchored the back line for the Hodags and all received all-conference recognition for their efforts, as did goalkeeper Gavin Ostermann. The junior went 12-2 on the season with a 0.92 goals against average as he earned first-team all-conference honors.
What's next
The Hodags will have a couple of key pieces to fill with the loss of Hugh Wiese in the middle and Joseph Heck defensively, but otherwise, the team figures to have the majority of its prominent players back for 2021.
Couple that with a JV squad that recorded only one loss in 2020 and Bates said the future of the Hodag soccer program looks bright.
"I've got a lot of key returning players and I have a ton of freshmen that have a ton of talent," he said. "I anticipate us, next year, to have a great season again."
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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