Hodag boys’ bowlers claim both matches

The Rhinelander/Tomahawk boys’ high school club bowling team showed on Sunday that it is starting to get comfortable in tight matches.

Tied 4-4 against Wausau/Mosinee the Hodags bowled their best game of the year, shooting a 238 to earn a 5-4 victory in the third round of Wisconsin High School Bowling Club District 9 play at Dale’s Weston Lanes. 

The victory capped off an undefeated day for the Hodags, who knocked off Wisconsin Rapids 8-1 earlier on Sunday. It also served as a bit of redemption for Rhinelander, which had been 0-2 in decisive ninth games this season. That included a 155-131 loss that decided the match the first time the Hodags played Wausau/Mosinee back on Nov. 6.

“It was nice to get out of there this week with both wins,” Rhinelander club assistant coach Kevin Litzen said. “The boys did really well. They fought through it. We had a couple guys that would struggle a little bit and then get back on course.”

The Hodags would not have needed a decider if Wausau hadn’t pulled off a couple of close games earlier in the match. After Rhinelander took the first three games, Wausau claimed Game 5 202-201 to get within 3-2 and tied it with a 178-177 win in Game 8 to force a decisive ninth game. 

Rhinelander answered resoundingly in the ninth game, throwing strikes in seven of the final eight frames to pull away to a 238-146 victory. 

“We’ve had a couple in the past where it’s been 4-4 and the boys just faltered, if you want to call it that way. Today they stuck with it and they all threw good shots, which was really good,” Litzen said.

The Hodags won despite not having as much consistency as they did earlier in the day. Though Rhinelander had three 200-plus games in the second match, it also had four games below 160 as they averaged 176.9 pins per game and filled 68.9% of their frames. All nine of Rhinelander’s games against Rapids ranged between 194 and 163 and, ironically, their only loss came in their high game as they fell 221-194 in Game 3 to the Raiders. The Hodags averaged 177.8 pins and filled 66.7% of their frames in the first match. 

“That second match there, the lanes played tougher than normal. The first set, they had it pretty dialed in,” Litzen said. “They re-oil for the second match and they put the same shot out, but it played differently.”

The two seniors on the team, both from Tomahawk, led the way for the Hodags on Sunday. Keagyn Schoone filled 28 of his 36 frames on the day with 16 strikes while Noah Pearson went 27 of 36 with 20 strikes. Dominic Hakala was 26 of 36 with 14 strikes, Blake Klingen went 24 of 36 with 10 strikes and Jackson Fuss was 17 of 36 with 13 strikes. 

The Hodag boys currently sit 3-3 on the season.

Hodag girls drop both matches

The Rhinelander/Elcho girls’ team lost both of its matches on Sunday, falling to D.C. Everest/Wittenberg 7-2 and Merrill/Tomahawk 8-1. 

The Hodags were consistent in the opener, as their first seven games all ranged between 160 and 141 pins. Rhinelander pulled out a 157-147 win in Game 3, and a 160-132 win in Game 5, and may have had a chance at the match if not for a couple of close losses. The Hodags opened with a 155-149 loss and Everest clinched the dual with a 157-146 win in Game 7. 

“I was very happy with the consistency the girls showed in the first match. Unlike the previous meet when it was so up and down,” Hodag girls’ coach Cory Dellenbach said. “It was a lot of teamwork in this match for the girls and they all contributed. It’s still a loss, but the girls stayed consistent, they were cheering each other on, they were having fun.”

The Hodags edged Merrill 179-173 in Game 2 of their match, but seemed to run out of gas from there, failing to break 140 in any of their final seven games. 

“The second match happened and the girls were tired and all out of energy and it showed,” coach Dellenbach said. “We need to find a way to keep the energy level up and not get tired. Most of the girls came out flat and couldn’t get much going except for that second game. I think that took everything out of them and it was a gradual slide down from there.” 

Natalie Dellenbach led the way for the Hodags, filling 23 of her 26 frames with 11 strikes. Unofficially, that result moved her to sixth in the individual D9 girls’ standings with a season-long .7143 fill percentage. The top handful of girls in the district at season’s end will advance to the WiHSBC state tournament in Green Bay. The exact number has not yet been announced by the WiHSBC, but last year the top four bowlers in D9 advanced. 

Alyssa Doppke finished the day 19 of 36 with nine strikes, Alyssa Habeck was 18 of 36 with five strikes, Addison Habeck went 15 of 36 with eight strikes, Emily Koniar was 10 of 24 with five strikes and Katrina Roof went 6 of 22 with a pair of strikes. 

The Hodag girls fell to 0-6 in the year. 

Middle schoolers pick up win

The Rhinelander middle school team picked up its first win of the season Sunday afternoon, edging D.C. Everest No. 2 6-3. The Hodags broke 100 in seven of their nine games and cliched the dual with a 114-65 win in Game 6. 

Eli Miller paced the team, going 11 of 16 with five strikes, Natalie Dellenbach was 7 of 16 with two strikes. Newcomer Brighton Walkwoski was 6 of 13 with a strike, Charlotte Pruess was 6 of 17, Silas Johnson was 4 of 14 and Logan Campbell went 3 of 13. 

“The middle schoolers are learning and improving every meet. You can see Charlotte, Logan and Silas all getting more marks and learning where to move and how to adjust at the meets.”

The win moved Rhinelander to 1-2 on the year.

Up next

The Hodag teams are off until Sunday, Jan. 14. The Hodag boys will face Marshfield and Stevens Point, the Hodag girls with take on Antigo and Amherst/Stevens Point and the Hodag middle schoolers will take on Merrill No. 1. The matches will again be held at Dale’s Weston Lanes. 

Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].