September 23, 2020 at 1:19 p.m.
Medford tabbed by media to win GNC football title
Hodags picked to finish third
Medford tabbed by media to win GNC football title
In a prep football season that's sure to be unlike any other in the history of the Great Northern Conference, there remains one constant - Medford has a very strong program.
The Raiders were a near unanimous choice to repeat as conference champions, according to the annual Great Northern Conference Media Poll, announced today to coincide with Week 1 of the 2020 prep season.
This year's going to be a lot different from what everyone is used to. Because of a delayed start to the season due to lingering concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic, teams will be jumping right into Great Northern Conference play in what was to have been Week 5 of the regular season slate. That brings some interesting matchups right off the bat, including Rhinelander at Antigo in the 86th playing of the Bell Game rivalry.
The Raiders open at home against GNC-newcomer Hayward/Lac Courte Oreilles, which it routed 53-0 last year in the Level 1 playoffs, and are viewed as the team to beat in the GNC, according the media poll - a joint effort of the Northwoods River News and The Lakeland Times that canvasses those who cover the conference on a regular basis. Six of the seven voters who responded gave Medford the first-place nod, while the other gave Medford a second-place vote.
Medford simply has the fewest question marks of any of the GNC schools entering the season.
The Raiders made a deep run in the playoffs last year, advancing all the way to Level 3 before bowing out to Menomonie. Though Medford graduated 2,100-yard rusher Ean Wilson, the Raiders return a bevy of talent that represented eight spots on the All-GNC list from a season ago. That includes reigning conference defensive player of the year Blaine Seidl.
Mosinee finished second in the balloting and earned one first-place vote, followed by last year's surprise team in the conference, Rhinelander. Antigo, Merrill and Lakeland took up spots four through six while Ashland and GNC newcomer Hayward finished tied for seventh in the balloting.
This year's panel consisted of Northwoods River News sports editor Jeremy Mayo, Lakeland Times sports writer Brett LaBore, Antigo Daily Journal sports editor Scott Walbeck, Star News (Medford) sports editor Matt Frey, Great Northern Conference statistician Gregg Scott, Matt Mattano of WJMT-AM in Merrill and Terrell Boettcher of the Sawyer County Record.
Mosinee has the top receiving combo in the GNC in Drayton Lehman and Cyle Kowalski, but will have a new quarterback this year as do-it-all player Michal Dul moves from receiver to QB, replacing graduated GNC co-offensive player of the year Trey Fitzgerald.
Rhinelander posted its first winning season since 1994 last year, but graduated No. 2 all-time leading rusher Drake Martin along with its defensive MVP, safety Peyton Erikson. Antigo is looking to bounce back after a 3-6 campaign saw the Red Robins miss the WIAA playoffs for the first time since 2007.
Merrill spoiled Rhinelander's homecoming last year in overtime, the highlight in a 2-7 campaign, but the Bluejays hope to rebound with second-team all-conference player Caleb DeJong returning. Lakeland graduated its standout QB Michael Ouimette, who accounted for 26 touchdowns for the T-Birds last season.
Hayward, moved from the Heart O'North to the GNC in WIAA football conference realignment goes from one of the largest schools in its conference, based on enrollment, to one of the smallest. Hayward is 0-4 since 2017 against GNC schools. The Hurricanes' last wins in the conference came in 2016 when they defeated Lakeland and Ashland to start the season 2-0.
Speaking of Ashland, the question is which Oredocker team will show up this year - the one that was undefeated and won the conference in 2018 or the one that went winless in 2019.
Don't expect packed houses for football Friday nights this fall, as five of the eight Great Northern Conference schools have limited attendance to only four people per player through a voucher program, in order to reduce crowd sizes during the pandemic. As of Sept. 21, Hayward, Medford and Mosinee are the only schools not limiting attendance for football games.
Also, as the season starts, it remains unclear if or how the postseason will take place. The WIAA calendar allows two weeks following the conclusion of the regular season for a "culminating event" should conditions allow, but how that would be conducted or how many teams will be involved has yet to be announced by the WIAA.
But, for now, there is football. Lakeland at Mosinee and Ashland at Merrill round out the Week 1 slate. Other games of note in the conference include Mosinee at Rhinelander Oct. 2, Medford at Mosinee Oct. 9 and Medford at Rhinelander Nov. 6.
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected]
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