RHS Sports recap: Saturday, Oct. 14

Football: WIAA playoff reveal

The Rhinelander High School football team has qualified for the WIAA playoffs for the fourth time in the last five years. 

Despite losing its regular season finale Friday night to Lakeland to fall onto the playoff bubble, the Hodags were one of several teams with a 3-4 conference record to make the WIAA tournament. Rhinelander received a 6-seed in the Division 3 playoffs and will face third-seeded Onalaska (6-3, 6-1 Mississippi Valley) this coming Friday night. 

Rhinelander was one of six GNC schools to make the tournament, four of which were paired in the same D3 grouping. Medford received the No. 2 seed and will take on seventh-seeded Hayward. The winner of that game will face the winner of the Rhinelander-Onalaska game in Level 2. Lakeland took a 5-seed and will play at Sparta. 

Antigo was sent into the northeastern quadrant of D3 and, as a 6-seed, will square off with third-seeded Fox Valley Lutheran. GNC champion Mosinee ended up as the second-largest school in Division 4, drew a No. 2 seed and will open the playoffs at home against Bloomer. 

Cross country: RHS boys 2nd/5, girls 4th/5, GNC Meet

The Rhinelander High School boys’ cross country team turned in some blistering times on Saturday and took second in the Great Northern Conference meet hosted by Mosinee at Nine Mile Forest in Wausau. 

Junior Greyson Gremban broke the 17-minute barrier in a big way, clocking in at 16:36.6 and taking fourth in the race to earn GNC first-team honors. Freshman Avrom Barr (ninth) and Jackson Weinzatl (15th) also took home all-conference honors. Gavin Denis missed all-conference by a spot, finishing 22nd and Shawn Denis rounded out the Hodags’ top five in 36th.

The Hodag girls also set some fast times, but took fourth in a competitive field. Leah Jamison (15th, 20:53.8) and Sophie Miljevich (17th) earned all-conference honors for Rhinelander. Freshmen Ella Miljevich (22nd), Hayley Schiek (23rd) and Kara Monk (25th) just missed making the all-conference team.

Rhinelander is back in action next Saturday at a WIAA Division 2 sectional in Colby.

Full reports will be published in Tuesday’s River News.