December 30, 2022 at 8:51 a.m.
Team Preview: RHS/Northland Pines Alpine skiing
Hodag ski team looking to maintain conference success
Team Preview: RHS/Northland Pines Alpine skiing
With strong numbers on both sides, the Hodags could be in line for another repeat performance this year.
"I've been looking forward to this squad for a number of years" Hodag coach Rod Olson said. "I like the numbers. I like the fact that (in boys' skiing) we have 11 boys competing for six spots between everybody. It's going to help and we've needed that for a while to get our numbers up to that point."
There are a few more question marks with lower numbers on the girls' side as the team gets set to open the season Thursday in an invite at the Trollhaugen Outdoor Recreation Area near St. Croix Falls.
In boys' skiing the Hodags return most of there Northern Conference championship squad from last year, though top skier AJ Gillespie graduated.
Senior Riley Zarm leads the list of returning skiers after taking fifth in the conference standings last season. Brandon Bacon finished sixth and Jason Linn was 10th.
Olson said he anticipates Zarm to step up and fill Gillespie's role as team leader. Just like last year, Olson said superior depth may be what carries the Hodags to a conference title.
"I still think that we're going to have to rely on our depth," he said. "If we can put four guys inside of third through 10th and push some others out then we can do well as a team."
The Hodags have 11 boys' skiers overall, including five freshmen. Ben Olson, Rod's son, leads that group. He did not race in 2022 while recovering from an injury, but showed plenty of speed within the Northern Conference as a seventh-grader in 2021.
"He was placing in the top five against the varsity boys most of the time. I think as long as we finish and get him some good training, that we'll be fine in there," coach Olson noted.
The Hodags figure to dominate boys' snowboarding in the Northern Conference again, with most everyone back from a squad that won the conference title and took sixth at the WIARA state meet.
Rhinelander senior Max Durkee won three meets and placed second in another as he won the individual conference title. Northland Pines sophomore Owen Repenchek was third, Northland Pines senior Reese Frisque finished fourth and Rhinelander junior Isiah Willoughby was fifth to give the Hodags four finishers in the top five overall.
"Max will lead the way," Olson said. "We'll look for him to improve on his results. Then Isaiah Willoughby is coming on. He's doing good and has been pretty serious in the weight room. He went nine days to Oregon this summer for a snowboard camp. He's diving into it with more seriousness, which is awesome."
The team's depth has taken a bit of a hit in preseason training. Olson said he was hopeful that freshman Soren Dumar would make an immediate impact this season, but Dumar sustained a foot injury last month that will likely sideline him for most, if not all, of the season.
There is also a big injury question mark on the girls' skiing side where, at the start of the practice, the team was hopeful that it could have Northland Pines senior Tommie Jo Springer back - at least on a limited basis. Springer was the state runner-up as a freshman and won the Super G race at state in 2021. She did not compete last season after as she was recovering from an off-season knee injury and then pursued an opportunity within the U.S. Ski Team's development program.
Olson said Springer suffered a minor setback with that knee recently and it is unclear how much she will race this winter - either in the high school ranks or on the NorAm Cup circuit.
For Springer to be eligible to compete at state, she would have to either take part in a minimum of three Northern Conference races and place well enough in those races to qualify as an individual, or have the Hodags make it to state as a team.
As for the rest of the squad, the team graduated McKenna Nash, who finished ninth in the final Northern Conference standings. Sophie Miljevich is the top returning skier for the team, placing 13th last year. Sophomore Callie Hoerchler placed 17th overall last year despite suffering a knee injury that cost her the last two races of the season. Junior Maddie Ewan was 22nd.
Additionally, Olson said Northland Pines freshman Lydia Fritz has shown potential in early on-snow training.
"She's got a lot of potential. She doesn't have fear. She's very comfortable at speed, which you can't coach. That's good," Olson noted.
The Hodags will not have enough girls' snowboarders to field a team score this year. The team returns junior Nicole Long, who placed second in the Northern Conference last year and was 21st in a field of 39 riders at last year's WIARA state meet.
Unlike last year, Long will have a teammate this year as Northland Pines freshman Sydney Sarkauskas joins the squad.
"Hopefully we can build that, but it will be nice for her (to have a teammate)," coach Olson said. "And Sydney, she's decent. She looks like she'll be a scrapper. We'll refine technique things with her but she has some competitive nature to her."
The five-race Northern Conference season begins Jan. 10 at Snow River (previously known as Indianhead Mountain) in Wakefield, Mich. The Hodags will host the conference finale at Ski Brule in Iron River, Mich. Feb. 11.
Prior to conference, the team will head to Trollhaugen near the Wisconsin-Minnesota border. It marks the first time the team has headed west for its non-conference tune-up race.
"There's a lot of Wisconsin kids that ski race, but they ski in the Minnesota area, just because of geography - and they're good," coach Olson said. "We want to get out there and experience some tougher competition. I think that will be fun."
Also new this season, if and when the Hodag ski teams qualify for state, they will compete under a slightly different format. Olson noted that the WIARA has approved a two-division model for the first time.
Programs will be split into two divisions, based on enrollment, for the team championships in both boys' and girls' skiing. The individual championships in skiing, as well as the team and individual snowboard championships, will remain a single-division affair.
"We'll see how it ends up. We're probably right in the middle of bouncing back between Division 1 and 2 depending on what teams qualify," Olson said. "We're hoping it breeds more competition. For the crowd, they're going to be able to cheer for a number of different teams all at the same time. It's just going to be a better situation."
The state championship will be held Feb. 18-20 at Mt. La Crosse.
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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