Team preview: RHS cross country

Coach M.J. Laggis and the Rhinelander High School cross country team are looking to throw things back to 2021 with their approach to this season. That’s a good year to reference, considering the Hodag boys won the Great Northern Conference title that year and made a Cinderella run to the WIAA state meet.

With a number of starters returning from last year’s squad, doing the same thing this year is not out of the realm of possibility should all the stars align by late October. Because of that, Laggis said the team’s trying to follow the same blueprint that worked three years ago.

“We did a really good job of two things, keeping kids healthy and watching their mileage, yet still pushing hard,” Laggis said. “Then we kept that loose, fun atmosphere where we said, ‘Hey, this is still a sport. We’re having fun. This isn’t all about pressure. This is about having fun and competing.’ We want to model that again because I just think we could be a really strong horse in that race.”

The Hodag boys appear to be in a good spot, returning five starters from the team that took second place in last year’s conference meet. The Hodag girls also return five of their starting seven, but face more of an uphill battle in a talented GNC after finishing fourth a season ago.

Senior Greyson Gremban leads the way for the Hodag boys as he looks to make his way back to the WIAA state meet after a couple of years of sectional heartbreak. After racing with the state qualifying team in 2021, he missed by one spot qualifying as an individual in 2022. Last year, he faded over the final mile at sectionals and missed by one spot again. 

Afterward Gremban vowed to work hard to make sure not only he, but his Hodag teammates, get to finish their season in Wisconsin Rapids this season. Laggis said he’s backed up those words with the miles he logged during the offseason. 

“I think he’s as hungry as he can possibly be,” Laggis said. “He’s super hungry. He’s worked very hard and, in true Greyson fashion, his goal is not just for him, it’s for the team. I love that attitude. He wants to get the team there. That’s tough to do, we both know that, but that’s the goal.”

Gremban is the second-fastest returning runner in the GNC after finishing fourth in last October’s conference meet. Only GNC runner-up Ashton Bremer of Lakeland was faster. The Hodags also return a pair of sophomores who earned all-conference honors last year. Avrom Barr had a breakout run at conference, finishing ninth and is the third-fastest returning runner in the GNC behind Gremban. Jackson Weinzatl finished 15th at conference a season ago.

In addition to those three, the Hodags get a shot in the arm with the return of senior Brody Kowieski. He started last year as the team’s No. 2 runner, behind Gremban, but suffered a knee injury a few weeks into the campaign and was lost for the remainder of the season. 

“We’ve talked a lot with Brody and the goal for him is to start slow and steady and not overdo it,” Laggis said. “He’s not going to win races for us right now in August. That’s not the goal. The goal is that he’s just rock solid and all-conference-type runner and feeling healthy in October. I think he will be but, with him, he’s a competitor and he can bring it. It’s just a matter of keeping him healthy.”

With those four returning, Laggis feels his boys’ team has a strong nucleus that can compete for a conference title come October.

“I really feel like, between Greyson, Brody, Avrom and Jackson you have a real solid four right there,” he said. “We’ve really got to five a five, six and seven. I think we have them, we’ve just got to see how it plays out.” 

How the rest of the lineup remains to be seen. The team graduated Gavin Denis off of last year’s team and Shawn Denis did not return to the squad this year as he trains for his senior boys’ swimming season this winter. The Hodags have some incumbents in senior Gus Porter and sophomores Hank Kowieski and Jonathan Campbell. Porter and Kowieski were 37th and 45th, respectively at conference last year while Campbell ran JV. They’ll be vying for the final spots in the varsity lineup along with incoming freshmen Michael Brunette, Wyatt Crowell, Chasin Wallmow and Grant Gremban — Greyson’s younger brother. 

“We have to wait and see how that shakes out,” Laggis said. “Then we have a host of young guys that are in there working. It will be intriguing to see who plays into the role of being our No. 5, 6 and 7.”

The Hodag girls graduated their top finisher in the conference from last year in Leah Jamison but return much of the starting group intact. 

    In this Sept. 16, 2023 file photo, Rhinelander’s Sophie Miljevich competes in the Bill Smiley Invitational cross country race in Wausau. Miljevich, a senior, is the top returning runner for the Hodag girls after placing 17th at last year’s GNC meet. (Jeremy Mayo/River News)
  

The group is led by a mix of seniors and sophomores. Sophie Miljevich is a two-time all-conference runner and took 17th in conference last year. A trio of sophomores —Ella Miljevich, Hayley Schiek and Kara Monk — narrowly missed all-conference honors last year placing 22nd, 23rd and 25th, respectively. Seniors Luna Grage and Brynn Teter has solid performances last season, but were slowed down the stretch by injury.

“To me I feel like, in watching them practice, there’s a pretty core group of girls between Brynn and Sophie and Ella,” Laggis said. “Luna’s been hurt, but she’ll be back and in the mix, and Hayley Schiek. Kara Monk, I’d say, right now, she’d be our No. 1, but I don’t know that exactly. 

“We have a big core of girls right there, but there are some dynamics. No. 1, the GNC brings back a lot of girl runners, and a lot of real strong ladies runners. That will be difficult. But we return a great majority of girls that have improved a lot and, I don’t feel comfortable saying here’s where we’ll finish or here’s what we’ll do, but I do know that the goal is to get a starting point and really improve upon where we were a year ago and settle for what we did last year and see how far those girls can go.”

Rounding out the girls’ roster are senior Wendy Fronk, junior Grace Cornelius, first-year sophomore Macy Myers and incoming freshmen Emily Schiek and Lainey Schuppler.

“I’m excited about the number of girls that we have and, so far, practice has been pretty darn good,” Laggis said. “We’ve got a couple of freshmen that are freshmen and/or new runners and I just want to see what they do and get their name on the finish sheet before we talk about them, but I’m excited about them.”

The Hodags began to figure out where they stack up yesterday as they opened the season with their home invitational that concluded after press time for today’s edition. Rhinelander will travel to Wausau Tuesday for the Mosinee Invite at Nine Mile Forest and, by then, Laggis figures he should have an early gauge on his team’s running order and where they fit in among the GNC ranks.

“Tuesday, we’ll get an idea. After Nine Mile, we will have seen enough GNC teams between those two meets where we will at least have an idea of where can go. Other teams will have several times in the books, we can see where we match up,” he said.

On paper, Laggis said Lakeland likely figures to be Rhinelander’s chief rival on the boys’ side. Lakeland dominated the conference meet last year, but graduated four of its top five runners, all of whom placed in the top 14. He said Tomahawk and Medford cannot be discounted either. Tomahawk figures to have the girls’ team to beat after winning last year’s ’ title, while Medford and Lakeland look to reload. 

“To me, Tomahawk is going to be a monster to beat,” he said. “Not only are they good, but they run hard together all summer. They’ve got a great work ethic. Medford and Lakeland always come up with teams. They’ve been powerful on the girls’ side. It will be interesting to see.”

Highlights on the Hodags’ schedule include the Stevens Point Invite Sept. 14 and the Bill Smiley Invitational in Wausau Sept. 21. Northland Pines will host the GNC meet Oct. 19 and WIAA Division 2 sectionals will be held in Colby Oct. 26.

Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].