July 1, 2021 at 7:31 a.m.
Awards Roundup
Arneson takes home RHS girls' soccer MVP honors
Awards Roundup
Arneson was voted the team's overall most valuable player, headlining the list of award winners. Fellow senior Ella Schiek was voted the team's offensive MVP, her younger sister, Audrey, was the defensive MVP. Aubrey Younker took home rookie of the year honors and McKenna Brown won the team's Hodag Award.
Arneson went 6-7-2 in goal for the Hodags this year with a .832 save percentage and a 2.27 goals against average. She made 163 saves over the course of the season - and that's not counting stops she made in a pair of penalty kick shootouts Rhinelander won during the course of the year.
"Kahlie, in my eyes as well, she definitely was our overall MVP," coach Nathan Bates said. "She saved a lot of games over the years and she saved a lot of games this season for the team. She definitely deserved that award."
The Schiek sisters were anchors on opposite ends of the field for the Hodags. Ella Schiek led the team with 32 points overall this season (14 goals, 4 assists) while Audrey Schiek anchored a Hodag back line that improved throughout course of the season.
"Ella Schiek, she put a lot of goals in the back of the net this year and she did a great, great job," Bates said. "Audrey was a force to be reckoned with back there. She saves a lot of games for us and made a lot of big plays. She really deserved that award 100%."
With the 2020 season canceled due to COVID, the team had two classes to choose from for its rookie of the year award. Younker, a sophomore, was one of six players who scored multiple times for the Hodags this year, finishing with a pair of goals.
"From the first day of soccer to the end of the season, her improvement was 100%," Bates said. "She worked her butt off all season - at practice, off practice time - always asking questions of how she can improve, what she's doing right, what she's doing wrong, what she needs to be doing. She really dove into soccer this year 100% and she deserved that award."
Despite missing a number of games due to injury, Brown finished third on the team with 12 points (4 goals, 4 assists), and provided plenty of speed in the Hodags' attack. The junior provided just as much off the pitch, Bates noted.
"McKenna, there are a couple of girls on the team that are dedicated, but McKenna gives 100% at practice. She gives 100% every game. She's always boosting the team up with morale, let's get better, let's do this, let's do that," he said. "McKenna is just driven and she's a great asset to the team for how well of a soccer player that she is and just the good vibes hat she brings to the whole entire girls' team. That award fits McKenna very much so."
Additionally, the team announced its 2022 captains on Sunday, with this year's captains passing down their arm bands. The 2022 captains will be Brown, Younker, Audrey Schiek and Ava Lamers.
Rhinelander went 6-7-2 on the season and finished third in the GNC with a 4-4-1-0 league mark. The team used a dramatic penalty kick victory over Marshfield to advance to the sectional round of the WIAA tournament for the sixth time in the last eight seasons before falling to eventual state qualifier Sauk Prairie in the sectional semifinals.
Track: Brown, Flory share girls' track MVP award
The Rhinelander High School track team celebrated a strong season Tuesday, June 22 with an awards banquet at Hodag Park. The team has four awards, but they ended up going to five athletes.
Junior sprinters Megan Brown and Sage Flory shared the team's girls' track MVP award. Cole Worrall won the track MVP award on the boys' side while Rebecca Lawrence and Brock Snyder were the MVPs in the field events.
Brown and Flory rivaled each other all season in the 100 and 200 meters and were two legs of the Hodag girls' GNC-champion 4x100 relay. Both finished in the top six at conference in the 100 and 200.
"I chose two because I can, also because it was really difficult to make that decision," coach Aaron Kraemer noted. "Sage and Megan just had too close of a season and too great of a bond to choose one over the other."
Worrall and Lawrence were recognized for their efforts, which saw both advance to the WIAA Division 1 state track meet. Worrall was a conference and regional champion in both the 110 and 300 hurdles while Lawrence finished second at conference and at sectionals in the girls' high jump. Lawrence, and junior Emma Germain rounded out the conference-winning 4x100 relay with Brown and Flory.
Snyder was the conference runner-up in the shot put this year.
The Hodags also honored their two captains this season - Lawrence and Daniel Goldsworthy.
"I'm just really, really grateful for our two captains and our seniors who came out - some of them first year seniors that made a difference for us. I'm just really, really proud of what we were able to accomplish," Kraemer said.
In addition to advancing to the WIAA D1 state meet in four events, the Hodags were the runners up in the boys' division of the GNC meet and had 17 all-conference performances overall between the boys' and girls' divisions.
"I just thought it was a great family atmosphere this year," Kraemer said. "I thought that our athletes responded to difficulties all season long. You look at the long trips to Ashland early in the season. You look at some cold meets we had to deal with, COVID and going through the summer. We stayed together as a family all year long. Even though difficult times at the conference meet and not being able to win, after that we came together as a family and responded the way that we needed to."
Softball: Hodags honor seniors at banquet
The Rhinelander High School softball team used the night to honor its seniors - Emily Gregesich, Alexis Hekrdle, Kylee White and Hannah Worachek - all of whom were presented custom bats and recognized for their time and dedication to the Hodag softball program.
"We always honor the seniors and thank them for their time and dedication to softball," coach D.J. DeMeyer said.
In sticking with tradition, the team did not hand out a most valuable player award, though it did pass out some awards that were voted on by the players.
Worachek earned the team's Gold Glove award as the best defensive player, White took home the Silver Slugger award for best offensive player, Addi DeMeyer won the team leader award, Hekrdle won the Ms. Hustle Award and the team's most improved award was shared by Sam Sundby and Lily Treder.
In addition to handing out varsity letters, the team also recognized its three All-Great Northern Conference recipients. White and Worachek each took home second-team honors while sophomore Addi DeMeyer was named to the all-conference first team.
Rhinelander went 6-15 overall this year, tying for fifth in the Great Northern Conference with a relatively young squad. By the end of the season, Rhinelander's starting nine featured four sophomores and two freshmen.
"I know we put a lot of you girls in tough spots during games, but you really came through and you really hustled," coach DeMeyer said.
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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