RHS student council recognizes River News sports editor with grand marshal honor

He didn’t walk the halls of Rhinelander High School as a student, or don kelly green and white on the playing field, but River News sports editor Jeremy Mayo is inarguably a Hodag and on Friday afternoon he will serve as grand marshal of the 2023 Homecoming Parade.

“The RHS student council tries each year to pick a grand marshal that has positively impacted students, the school district and the community,” student council advisor Amber Laggis explained when asked how the group came to choose Mayo as this year’s parade grand marshal. “It is rare to find a student or staff member at Rhinelander High School who doesn’t know who Jeremy Mayo is. If they do not recognize his name they do recognize his face, his written word and, of course, his voice.”

In her statement, Laggis went on to call Mayo “the heart of Hodag athletics.”

“Jeremy is more than just a sports reporter, he is Rhinelander’s sports authority and Rhinelander athletics biggest fan. Jeremy knows the coaches, each player, stats about each player, stats on the team, stats on the coach, stats on the opponents, the team history, rivalries and so much more,” she said. “We recognize Jeremy not only for his contributions to RHS athletics, but for his dedication to all Rhinelander area sports at all levels.”

As anyone who has ever shared a newsroom with Mayo can certainly attest, Laggis got it exactly right.

Mayo is a veritable encyclopedia of Hodag sports history but the stories he publishes in this newspaper every week are far more than an assortment of facts and statistics. From youth traveling teams to their final touchdown, field goal, at-bat, serve or race in a Rhinelander uniform, Mayo follows local athletes from their tentative beginnings at the elementary level to their final fleeting moments as high school seniors about to leave childhood behind. In between, he chronicles all sorts of indelible moments — new records, personal bests, devastating injuries, painful losing streaks, personal breakthroughs, comebacks, nail-biters, heartbreakers, near misses and everything in between.

 “While reporting on a game or interviewing a coach or athlete, Jeremy gets all the important details,” Laggis, who formerly served as head coach for the RHS boys’ and girls’ swim teams, observed. “However, he also takes the time to understand the emotion of the athlete/coach, to celebrate the success or empathize with the loss. He cares deeply about each individual, each team he covers. He is an advocate for our local athletes, coaches and teams.”

“Jeremy Mayo is a big part of what makes Hodag athletics great,” Laggis concluded. “Jeremy is a sports lover, a dedicated reporter and a wonderful person. Rhinelander is lucky to have him in our community. I think it is most fitting and he is most deserving to be the 2023 Homecoming parade grand marshal.”

Mayo has served as sports editor at the River News since November 2011.

In addition to his work as a print reporter, he has also served as the broadcast voice of Hodag sports for two decades. As anyone who has followed the local prep sports scene over the years knows, the community has been blessed with some tremendous broadcasters — most notably the legendary Todd McEldowney — and Mayo more than ably fills those very big shoes. He will be on the mic for the Homecoming Game this evening — on 101.3 The Game — bringing the sights and sounds of the game to life for all those who cannot attend in person. Naturally, the Hodag partisans who tune in will hope to hear his signature line “Good night, Lakeland,” as he narrates the latest installment of the Axe rivalry. 

Mayo admitted to feeling a bit awkward about this newspaper producing a story about this honor, but he stressed that he is “beyond humbled” to be selected.

“There’s certainly a tinge of irony there, since my diploma does not say ‘Rhinelander High School’ on it, but Rhinelander has certainly welcomed me as my adopted home for the last two decades,” he said. “I wouldn’t say that I possess any special talents, just a passion for sports and for the youth of the community and I’ve been fortunate enough to have found outlets that allow me to express those passions simultaneously. I want to thank Ms. Laggis, homecoming parade co-chairpersons Brianna Young and Cassie Burke, and the entire RHS student council for considering me. I’d also like to thank the staff at the Northwoods River News, New Radio Group/101-3 The Game, and all those who I’ve been associated with in the past who have provided me a platform to put our student-athletes in the limelight they deserve. That includes the scores of coaches and thousands of student-athletes who have allowed me to chronicle their stories over the years. I’m far from the only one who’s been lucky enough to do this — via print, radio, photography or television — and I consider this honor a nod to all of my colleagues who have served in this role, past and present. I don’t know what’s going to happen tonight, but I do know that Rhinelander has been filled with Hodag Pride all week — and that will carry on regardless of what the scoreboard says. To that end, I’m reminded of what Todd McEldowney, famously said, ‘Win or lose, it’s always a good idea to back your Rhinelander Hodags.’ Now, let’s go beat Lakeland!”

Heather Schaefer may be reached at [email protected].