Hodag boys’ skiers take 4th in D2 at state

A season of crazy weather and snow conditions finally came to an end Monday for the Rhinelander/Northland Pines Alpine Ski and Snowboard team.

The Hodag boys placed fourth in Division 2 and 14th overall in the WIARA Ski and Snowboard Championships at Mt. La Crosse. The Hodags girls were last in both the D2 field and overall.

In a season full of canceled races, juggled training scheduled and a constant tug of war with Mother Nature for snow, coach Rod Olson said the best part of the year was reaching the finish line.

“This year has just been crazy. I think most of my happiness is that none of my athletes have a true injury coming out of this year,” he said. “It was just something. The coaches and officials did the best they could but it was really crazy conditions, fighting either ice or slush, or the combination of, all season.”

The state meet was no exception as the mercury steadily rose during the three-day event, topping out in the mid 40s during boys’ and girls’ Super G Monday afternoon. A coach who has typically encouraged aggressiveness, especially on the more challenging terrain, Olson said he was forced to change tactics due to the softening snow in order to get racers across the finish line.

“It was tough. Most of our skiers were a little apprehensive over the conditions,” he said. “It was real hard to coach at that point. You tell them to take the slow, safe line, to be off of a gate instead of on it, and that means you’ve got to pinch the next turn. It was tough.”

Northland Pines junior Jason Linn fared the best for the team in the boys’ skiing portion of the event, finishing in the top 51 in all three runs to place 37th overall in a field of 160 skiers. His best performance came in slalom where he finished 42nd, roughly six seconds off the pace of the leaders.

“The last couple of weeks of training he’s come back to form. He was sick in the middle of the season and kind of in a slump, wasn’t happy and not skiing like his normal self,” coach Olson said. “He was a little bit held back today, trying to guarantee we got the first one in. I enjoy putting him in the first seed so I know we get (a finish) under our belt. He’s very consistent. He had an overall good weekend.”

The lone senior in the Hodags’ starting lineup, Lukas Bishop, placed 55th overall, also faring the best in slalom (54th), while his two other runs placed outside the top 70.

“Lukas had a great weekend as a senior. Lukas was pretty solid. We’re going to miss him next year,” coach Olson said.

Sophomore Ben Olson, the team’s top finisher in the Northern Conference standings, had issues in all three of his runs. Slalom was his best finish, taking 47th, but he had to hike after missing a gate in Monday morning’s giant slalom and crashed after losing a ski Monday afternoon in Super G.

Holden Schmitz wound up 84th overall for the Hodags, Eli Repenshek finished 100th and Ben Olson finished 103rd overall. 

Robert Guolee was credited with 127th, competing in only slalom and GS for Rhinelander. Parker Schmidt took 98th in GS and 144th overall.

“Ben laid down on his shoulder in slalom and then he had to hike in giant slalom,” Olson said. “Eli had to hike, Holden had to hike. We really had to rely on the whole team, all six seeds. Parker had to come through for us in slalom and Robert too.”

Regardless, the Hodags fended off Muskego by 74 points for fourth in the D2 standings. While all Division 1 and 2 skiers competed together, their scores were filtered by enrollment in terms of the state championship. Wausau United was the top-placing Northern Conference school taking fifth in Division 1 and seventh overall. The Hodags placed ahead of Ashwabay, which came home seventh in D2 and 20th overall.

“I think a little bit of mental stuff got to us a little but, but it came out OK. We were just off of getting a trophy in D2 for third. That was good. We learned a lot,” coach Olson said.

The Hodag girls, who were the last of the three teams out of the Northern Conference to earn a state berth, knew they would face an uphill battle with an relatively green squad at state. Karlie Yunkers was the only team member to crack the top 100 overall, taking 87th. Yet, coach Olson said he was pleased with how the team handled the experience.

“We were optimistically surprised. We had very little fear,” he said. “I thought when we drove in to Mt. La Crosse, you see the steep pitch and the rocks and all that, the trees, I thought we’d have a little (apprehension), but they’re all good athletes in other sports and they were into it. I think the benefit of them going and experiencing it really helped them. Our training day, they actually skied better on our training day Friday that I’ve seen them ski all year. I think it was definitely educational for them and a great experience. They all had a blast.”

Maddie Ewan, one of two seniors on the squad, placed 107th overall in her first trip to the state championships. Her best run of the weekend was her last, as she took 107th in Super G.

“For Maddie this was a great sports to come out. She’s a good leader and a great captain,” coach Olson said. “We’re glad that this sport will be a part of her for a long time. It was good for her to end on no heartbreaks and no crashes.”

Lindsey Hoerchler finished 135th for Rhinelander, Aila Bergman was 143rd and Hayley Schiek finished 148th. Kelsey Yunkers, the team’s other senior came home 152nd after competing in slalom and Super G. Regan Moore finished 159th.

The skiers raced Sunday and Monday at Mt. La Crosse while the snowboarders owned the hill on Saturday. The Hodags did not have enough boarders to field a team score in either the boys’ or girls’ divisions, but had a number of solid individual performances. 

Sophomore Sydney Sarkauskas came home 13th in a field of 43 girls on Saturday. She placed inside the top 20 in all three of her runs, highlighted by a 12th-place finish in giant slalom and a 13th-place finish in boardercross.

“Sydney’s real consistent. We need to get to a point where she starts to take a little bit of risk. I think she’s ready for a carving board next year. That will be one big step,” Olson said.

Junior Owen Repenshek, despite sustaining an ankle injury in Friday’s training session, competed and scored the best for the Rhinelander/Northland Pines boys. He came home 14th in a field of 61. He recovered from a mishap in boardercross to start the day to take sixth in slalom and ninth in GS.

“With being in a (snowboarding) boot, it’s similar to being in a cast. He said he wanted to continue and try. We let him and he performed quite well,” coach Olson said. “He had a bobble in boardercross, but slalom turned out real well. GS he had a little bit of a bobble.”

Marshal Durkee scored a 10th-place run in GS, but slips in the other two events dropped him to 25th in the final standings. Isaiah Willoughby placed outside the top 20 in all three events, taking 28th overall.

With the fast majority of the squad returning, a number of eighth-graders set to join the high school ranks, Olson said he’s excited for the future — and a more typical winter next year.

“These younger boys, that group of sophomores and a freshman and some eighth-graders coming in, I think next year will be fun year as well,” he said.

Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].