Team Preview: RHS Wrestling

The Rhinelander High School wrestling team is trying to get back to the form it displayed in its heyday, the mid-to-late 2010s, when it was vying for Great Northern Conference titles on a yearly basis.

The Hodags don’t figure to be quite back to that level this year, but with several experienced wrestlers, coach Scottie Arneson said his squad has some bigger goals for the season, which gets underway this weekend with the John Roberts Scramble in Antigo. 

“We want to be a family and obviously getting better at wrestling,” he said. “The seniors kind of took a leadership role in coming up with their goals. They said they want to be top three in the conference this year, which hasn’t happened in a couple of years.”

Additionally, Arneson said the team wants to at least match the number of individual conference champions it had last year. The Hodags return two of those three champions. Though Owen Kurtz, the reigning conference 220-pound champion, graduated the Hodags bring back the two champions in the weight classes around him. 

Senior Logan Schwinger returns after posting a 36-13 record last season. He won the GNC title last year at 190 pounds and advanced to the sectional tournament. 

“Logan has wrestled in the offseason each of the last three years,” Arneson said. “He went from winning four matches as a freshman to having a really good opportunity to make it back to the sectional tournament this year, win another conference title this year and possibly even punch his way to the state tournament. When you put in time in the offseason, you can catch people really, really quickly.”

Senior Reid Schultz also returns after winning the GNC title at 285 pounds last year and posting a 16-4 record overall. Schultz was primed for a deep run in the WIAA tournament, but suffered a knee injury in the days between conference and regionals and was unable to compete in the postseason.  

“Reid, obviously a disappointing end of the season last year … not too much you can do there but he’s been a lot of the energy in the practice room,” Arneson said. “That’s his personality and his leadership style is ‘We’re going to have fun, but we’re going to work hard.’” 

Senior Aiden Ostermann went 21-15 last year, qualifying for sectionals at 144 pounds. He returns though Arneson noted he is likely to miss a few matches at the start of the season due to injury. Beyond that, the Hodags bring back four other wrestlers who competed in the postseason last year — senior Dresden Klaver and juniors Anthony Boldt, Cyrus Leisure and Dominic Hakala. 

“Our high-end guys are really high end. Our junior class and our senior class are very talented. All we’ve got to do is keep working hard and good things will happen,” Arneson noted. “Each one of our seniors definitely has an awesome opportunity in front of them this year. Our senior class is really willing to work. They’re seeking out hard work right now.” 

The rest of the squad is relatively young and inexperienced, though Arneson said he hopes some sophomores who saw limited matches last year will be able to take a step forward. He pointed to Avrom Barr and Gage Anderson as examples in the middleweights of guys who could be primed for a breakout year. 

“Avrom obviously had an awesome cross country season this year. Being on the state-qualifying team maybe just gave him that edge of wanting to compete and wanting to be successful. When you taste a little bit of success it’s a lot easier to taste it in other areas. 

“(Gage) is more explosive, bigger, faster, stronger. The technique is there from last year. It’s not learning all new technique. It’s fine-tuning, getting faster, being more crisp with the finishes. I’ve noticed that a lot.” 

Additionally, the Hodags welcome in six freshmen. That should get the Hodags closer to filling all 14 weight classes this year, even if that means throwing out some relatively new wrestlers on the mat from time to time. 

“We’ll be definitely closer than two years ago but I’d imagine we’ll be around the same as last year (filling) 12-13 weight classes,” Arneson said. “Obviously, you wish you had a little more experience at each one of the weights but where we’re at in the building of the program after being down for a couple of years, I think we’re in a good spot.” 

As for the conference, Medford and Tomahawk still figure to be the top programs in the conference, given the sheer depth of their programs, but there’s plenty of parity behind those two. The Hodags will travel to Antigo Dec. 19. Rhinelander defeated the Red Robins 42-36 last January for their first conference dual meet in since 2022. The Hodags will face Mosinee at Tomahawk in a double dual in Mosinee Jan. 16 and host Lakeland and Medford in a double dual Jan. 23 — which will be one of only two home meets for Rhinelander this year. The other will be the annual Hodag Scramble in the Hodag Dome Friday, Dec. 20. 

The Hodags remain in Division 2 for the WIAA tournament this year. Regional competition will take place Feb. 15 in Hayward and sectionals will be the following week in Amery. Rhinelander is looking for its first state qualifier since Gavin Ostermann in 2022.

“Obviously, the big goal is punching someone through for the boys’ program to the state tournament,” Arneson said. “I think if we just continue getting better at wrestling and creating that family culture … it will definitely be a win for us.”  

Girls’ squad

    In this Jan. 18, 2024 file photo, Rhinelander’s Mya Swanson looks to pin Wausau East’s Alyvia Steinke during a exhibition bout at the Jim Miazga Community Gymnasium. Swanson is the most-experienced returning wrestler for the Hodag girls, posting a 14-11 record last season. (Bob Mainhardt for the River News)
  

The Hodags have four girls on the team this year and a new lead coach. Caleb Radtke takes over that position while Eric Gobin devotes more of his time to the middle school program. 

There is not a lot of experience on the girls’ side. The lone returning wrestler from last year is junior Mya Swanson. She went 14-11 and was knocked out in the opening round of sectionals. 

Despite an ever-expanding field for the girls’ postseason — a regional round of competition has been added for the first time this season — Radtke said Swanson has big goals for the upcoming year.

“She’s been wrestling for a number of years now. She’s been in the program long enough where she really knows what’s going on,” he said. “She knows how to take care of business and what has to be done. She wrote on her goal sheet to qualify for the state tournament, which I think’s a very achievable one. The expectations are high for her this season.” 

Otherwise, the Hodags have a young squad. Sophomore Cassidy Lindner and freshmen Miranda Daab and Ahna Zeske round out the roster. All three are in either their first or second year of wrestling.

“My biggest goal of the season is for them to enjoy wrestling enough to come back next year and to also recruit other girls to come out,” Radtke said. 

The Hodag girls begin their season tonight in Antigo and will take part in girls’ only invites at home Dec. 20, at Merrill Jan. 11 and Marshfield Feb. 1. Regionals on the girls’ side will take place at Wausau West Feb. 14 with sectionals the following Friday in Shawano.

Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].