December 29, 2023 at 6:00 a.m.

WIAA D2 boys’ swim state meet top local game of 2023

In this Feb. 17, 2023 file photo Rhinelander’s Charlie Heck reacts after winning the 200-yard freestyle relay during the WIAA Division 2 state championship meet in Waukesha. (Jeremy Mayo/River News)
In this Feb. 17, 2023 file photo Rhinelander’s Charlie Heck reacts after winning the 200-yard freestyle relay during the WIAA Division 2 state championship meet in Waukesha. (Jeremy Mayo/River News)

By JEREMY MAYO
Sports Editor

As we close the book on 2023, it marks the 18th time I’ve sat down and reflected on the top stories and moments from the year gone by in Rhinelander area sports. 

In some ways, putting together these lists gets easier every year, and in other ways it gets harder. There were some slam-dunk choices this year for what went where in the rankings. State championships make life rather easy in that regard. But, as seems to happen every year, whittling the list down to 10, and then putting them in order becomes the difficult part.

Take this year’s list of top 10 games as an example. While I believe our top choice of the WIAA Division 2 boys’ swim state championship is rather cut and dried, I feel surely the remainder of our top five — and maybe as many as our top nine — could have contended for the top spot in a different year.

That’s a good problem to have as it means that, once again, there were many memorable moments in Rhinelander sports this year.

Here are the 10 that I considered to be the best, with a couple of honorable mentions thrown in at the end.

1. Boys’ swimming: WIAA  Division 2 state meet —  February 17

How could this not be No. 1? It checks off virtually everything I look for in a great game. There was a late comeback, the stakes of the event couldn’t have been any higher and it was capped off by an underdog champion and some state history. 

Simply put, the Hodags run to the 2023 D2 state boys’ swim title was not only the top game of this year, I’m comfortable saying it’s among the top five sports moments I’ve had the privilege of witnessing in person. 

Down 45 points with four events remaining, Rhinelander rallied to win the meet by 5 1/2 points. The Hodags scored eight top-six finishes on the night, set four school records but won only one event. That was the 200-yard freestyle relay that sparked the late rally down the stretch.

The title sent reverberations through the swimming community around the state. Prior to the Hodags’ triumph, no school north of State Highway 29 — the east-west running highway that roughly bisects the state — had ever won a team state title in boys’ swimming.

“The team that got it was the team that no one south of Highway 29 thought was going to win,” senior Jack Antonuk said. “Every article, every little snippet about who’s going to win D2 never mentioned the Rhinelander Hodags — and the team on top was the Rhinelander Hodags.”

2. Football: Rhinelander 22, Tomahawk 21 — August 18

    In this Aug. 18, 2023 file photo, Rhinelander’s Landon Bates kicks a go-ahead field goal late in the fourth quarter of a non-conference football game at Tomahawk. (Casey Mayo for the River News)
 
 


If not for the boys’ swim team’s success, it would have been hard to argue against this instant classic as the top game of the year. The Hodag football team rallied from a 21-0 deficit late in the first half to stun Tomahawk 22-21 in the 2023 season opener. 

Rhinelander led for exactly three seconds in the contest, after senior Landon Bates booted a 19-yard field goal to give the Hodags their first lead of the night. James Heck rushed for 121 yards and three touchdowns in the game, all of which came after the Hodags spotted the Hatchets three first-half touchdowns.

“That’s absolutely unbelievable, considering what happened in the first half,” Hodag coach Aaron Kraemer said. “I tell you what. This one’s too close for me, and I don’t like it one bit. I love that we won but my heart can’t take it.”

3. Boys’ hockey: Rhinelander 2, Antigo 1, OT — February 16

    In this Feb. 16, 2023 file photo, Rhinelander’s Leo Losch scores the winning goal in overtime of a WIAA Division 2 regional final playoff boys’ hockey game against Antigo at the Rhinelander Ice Arena. (Bob Mainhardt for the River News)
 
 


Exactly one day before our top game of the year, another instant classic took place on the ice. There’s no spectacle in sports quite like overtime playoff hockey, and it served as the stock on which the winningest class in Hodag hockey history penned its final chapter. 

Senior Leo Losch scored off an assist from fellow senior Sam Schneider as the Hodags defeated the Antigo Red Robins 2-1 in the first round of the WIAA Division 2 playoffs at the Rhinelander Ice Arena.

It was the team’s 18th win — tying a program record it had set a year earlier — and it served as the 63rd win for the Hodags’ senior class.

“We wanted to end on a good note and that was a really fun way to go out,” Losch said. “It speaks exactly of us. We didn’t have it right away. It wasn’t going to be easy to work for and we had to grind for it.”

4. Adult baseball: Rhinelander 1, Antigo 0 — August 4

    In this Aug. 4, 2023 file photo, Rhinelander’s Joe Schneider pitches to Antigo’s Isaac Bixby during a WBA/BABA interleague game at Stafford Field. (Bob Mainhardt for the River News)
 
 


In the context of the inaugural season for the Rhinelander River Monsters adult baseball team, an added non-league game against the Antigo Polar Bears at the end of the regular season perhaps carried the least weight, but it turned into a drama-filled game starring two former Hodag pitchers. 

Rhinelander edged Antigo 1-0 at Stafford Field. Joe Zuiker gave Rhinelander a 1-0 lead on an RBI single in the fourth. 

Antigo thought it took the lead on a contentious play in the sixth inning. With the bases loaded and one out, Cole Shepherd hit a ground ball to second baseman Cody Everson. Jed Weix stopped while running to second and went back to first. Everson threw to first to force out Shepherd while Weix got into a rundown. Both Eli Fleischman and Kirsch crossed home plate before the rundown ended with Weix running over Kurt Zuiker covering second. 

Following a lengthy discussion, and a heated plea from the Antigo dugout, Weix was called out for retreating on the base paths before Shepherd was forced out. The force double play negated any runs scoring and the inning ended. 

The moment overshadowed a bit what was a brilliantly pitched game against former teammates turned rivals. Joe Schneider struck out nine over eight scoreless innings for Rhinelander. Bixby, who lived within the eligibility boundaries for both Antigo and Rhinelander, had already committed to Antigo’s squad before Rhinelander formed its team last winter. The UW-Platteville product fanned 12 over eight innings and took the loss. 

“The pitching tonight, both sides, were fantastic,” River Monsters assistant coach Ken Zuiker said afterward. “Obviously, a little extra amp from Isaac early on. You could tell that but then two excellent pitchers settled in and did what you expect them to do.”

5. Girls’ soccer: Rhinelander 1, Lakeland 0 — June 3

    In this June 3, 2023 file photo, Rhinelander’s Ava Lamers reacts after scoring a goal during the second half of a WIAA Division 3 regional final girls’ soccer game against Lakeland in Minocqua. (Jeremy Mayo/River News)
 
 


Lakeland beat Rhinelander twice during the Great Northern Conference season and cost the Hodag girls’ soccer team a conference title for a second year in a row. The teams met one final time in Minocqua in the WIAA regional finals and the Hodags got the last laugh. 

Rhinelander’s Ava Lamers took advantage of a defensive miscue, scoring on a breakaway in the 65th minute as the Hodags knocked off the rival T-Birds 1-0 for the regional title at IncredibleBank Field.

It was a role reversal after Lakeland won a pair of 1-0 results during the regular season again the Hodags. 

“It feels absolutely incredible. That was a team win, for sure,” Lamers said.

It marked the Rhinelander second regional championship in three years. 

6. Little League baseball: Rhinelander 5, Superior 4 — July 29

There were plenty of magical moments for the Rhinelander Little League 10U All-Stars as they made it all the way to the state championship series against Kenosha. Perhaps the most magical of all came in Game 1 of their sectional championship series against Superior.

Trailing 4-2 with the bases loaded and two out in the bottom of the sixth inning, Eli Bauer’s shallow fly went off the glove of the Superior centerfielder, clearing the bases and giving the Hodags a dramatic walkoff win.

“I don’t know if the kid couldn’t see it in the sun, misread it or what, but he was kind of hesitant to go for it and it went off the tip of his glove, and fell to the ground. We scored the two runs to tie it and then, when Jaxon (Eades) got to third, both of the players were back at the fence (getting the ball), so I sent him home,” coach Dan Bauer said. 

The Hodags beat Superior 9-2 the following day to advance to the state championship series.

7. Girls’ tennis: WIAA Division 1 sectionals — October 4

    In this Oct. 4, 2023 file photo, Rhinelander’s Tori Riopel talks with coaches Matt Nichols, right, and Wil Losch, left after defeating Eau Claire North’s Miah Nelson during a WIAA Division 1 girls’ tennis sectional tournament in Eau Claire. (Brett LaBore/Lakeland Times)
 
 


To be specific, this listing refers to the sectionals quarterfinal match at No. 1 singles between Rhinelander’s Tori Riopel and Eau Claire North’s Miah Nelson. 

With an automatic berth at state going to the winner, and Riopel trailing 9-5 in a 10-point match tiebreaker, the Hodag senior rallied for six straight points and a dramatic 11-9 victory. 

“The whole time I was getting upset knowing that I was down and I was about to lose,” Riopel said, when asked of her thought process after Nelson earned a quadruple match point opportunity. “Then I just kept getting the point and when it was 9-9, I was like, ‘OK, I have a chance now.’”

Riopel ended up finishing third at sectionals and became the first Rhinelander player to earn her way to state through sectionals since 2015. Though she lost in the opening round at state, finished the season with a 24-13 record.

8. Football: Rhinelander 7, Merrill 0 — October 7

    In this Oct. 7, 2023 file photo, Rhinelander’s Sam’s Schoppe reacts to a deflected ball after teammate Owen Ives, prone, knocks a pass away from Merrill’s Aiden Lonsdorf during the fourth quarter of a GNC football game at Merrill. Schoppe made an interception on the play, sealing the Hodags’ 7-0 victory. (Bob Mainhardt for the River News)
 
 


Seven games in and we still have not touched on the game that, ultimately, completed a bounce back season for the Hodag football team, and got them back into the WIAA playoffs after going 1-8 in 2022. 

In a defensive slugfest, the Hodags forced four turnovers — including a Sam Schoppe interception with 1:04 to play — to seal a 7-0 victory over Merrill and earn playoff eligibility.

It wasn’t easy as Merrill outgained Rhinelander 178-135 in the contest, but Landon Bates’s two-yard score with 1:14 left in the first half proved to be the difference. 

“I think it was our heart,” senior defensive lineman Owen Kurtz said afterward. “We knew going into this if we wanted to make it to the playoffs, we had to treat it as a playoff game. It was kind of our heart. We knew we wanted to flip the script from last year, get in there and beat them up on their homecoming.”

Though Rhinelander fell to Lakeland in the final game of the regular season to guarantee a playoff spot, it made it into the field of 224 through a series of tiebreakers among teams that finished 3-4 in conference play throughout the state. 

9. Girls’ swimming: WIAA Division 2 state meet — November 10

    In this Nov. 10, 2023 file photo, Rhinelander’s Vivian Lamers congratulates teammate Abi Winnicki after the Hodags won the 200-yard freestyle relay during the WIAA Division 2 state championship in Waukesha. (Jeremy Mayo/River News)
 
 


Ninth on this list certainly does not downplay the success of the Hodag girls’ swim team. It simply means, unlike the boys, the Hodag girls ended up with a relatively stress-free path to their second D2 state title in four years. 

The Hodags came in as 87 1/2-point favorites and won by almost exactly that total — 87 points. The large buffer meant that the Hodags mathematically had the title sewn up with two events remaining, and the only question remaining was how many races was the team going to win.

The answer ended up being six, and that’s where the drama of the meet was found. The Hodags had run-away wins in the 200 medley and 400 freestyle relays, but won its other four races by a combined 0.64 seconds. 

Karis Francis had the closest race of them all, winning by 0.01 seconds in the 100 breaststroke and had a 0.40-second win in the 100 butterfly. Celia Francis won by 0.05 seconds in the 200 individual medley and the Hodags eked out the 200 freestyle relay by 0.18 seconds. 

“When you’re talking that close, it just could be anyone’s race,” coach Jenny Heck said. “We were working a lot on finishes all season, but especially the last couple of weeks. Hopefully some of that helped. That’s what it comes down to when you get down to the state meet. It’s all in the finish. I was real happy we ended up with that many wins.”

10. Boys’ basketball: Rhinelander 57, Lakeland 53 — February 10

    In this Feb. 10, 2023 file photo, Rhinelander’s Jordan LeGere drives through three Lakeland defenders to the basket during the second half a GNC boys’ basketball game in Minocqua. (Bob Mainhardt for the River News)
 
 


Not only was this game close — the Hodags saw a 13-point lead dwindle to one with 1:50 remaining before holding on — the contest carried plenty of significance. 

With Lakeland coach Rich Fortier announcing his retirement following the season, it marked the final time that Fortier, who guided the Hodags to three WIAA state tournament appearances and two Wisconsin Valley Conference titles, coached against his former team and former player, Derek Lemmens.

“He’s been such a huge part of my entire life — as a player, as a coach. It’s always bittersweet, but it’s obviously enjoyable getting the win,” Lemmens said afterward. “We’ll talk some smack sometime down the road, but I really admire him and he’s done so much for me, and continues to do so much for me. He’s just an amazing person in my eyes and I’m just proud to share these opportunities.”

Honorable Mentions

Two tight playoff losses narrowly missed our top 10, but deserve mention. The Northern Edge girls’ hockey co-op fell in double overtime 4-3 to Wisconsin Valley Union Feb. 16 and the Hodag girls’ softball team fell to Medford, which was ranked No. 1 in Division 2 much of the year, 3-2 in nine innings May 23. Both losses marked the end of an era. The Northern Edge disbanded following the 2022-23 season, with the remaining players for the Rhinelander/Lakeland/Antigo co-op joining the Northland Pines co-op. The loss to Medford marked D.J. DeMeyer’s final game as Hodag head coach … DeMeyer’s team had another memorable game May 11 in which it defeated Lakeland with an odd line score — one run on no hits. Laney Haenel walked and scored on a throwing error in the third for the game’s lone run while the Hodags’ Addi DeMeyer tossed a three-hit shutout with 12 strikeouts … Feb. 17 not only delivered the top game of the year, but two others that nearly made our list. Hosting a doubleheader at the Jim Miazga Community Gymnasium, the Hodag basketball teams snuck out close wins over Antigo. The Lady Hodags won in overtime, 50-47, while the Hodag boys edged the Robins 32-31 on a game-winning free throw by Will Gretzinger with 2.5 seconds remaining in regulation.

Jeremy Mayo may be reached at jeremy@rivernewsonline.com


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