Sam Schoppe wins Hodag golf MVP award again

For the second straight year, Sam Schoppe took home the Rhinelander High School golf team honor that bears his family’s name.

The junior earned the Schoppe Family most valuable player award, presented during the team’s banquet Thursday at Northwood Golf Club.

There was no nepotism involved, Schoppe went out and earned the award, which is determined through statistics, during the 2024 golf season. His scoring average of 78.15 strokes per 18 holes was not only the team’s best this year, but the second best all-time since the award was established in 1997 — surpassed only by Josh Willis’s average of 77.77 in 2012. 

In fact, Schoppe nearly swept all of the awards the golf team handed out, based on statistical performance during the year. He led the team in fairways hit (12.61), greens in regulation (10.61) and fewest penalty strokes (0.9) per round.

Schoppe was also Rhinelander’s top finisher in the Great Northern Conference this year, earning second team all-conference honors with a sixth-place finish in the final standings. 

“He had his teammates on his heels all years. He shot eight of his 13 rounds in the 70s, with a lowest round of 74. Sam played our No. 1 pretty much all year long,” Hodag golf coach Adam Schmidt remarked.

In presenting the award, Schoppe family matriarch — and Sam’s grandmother — Sharann Schoppe commended the golfers and their parents for the way the team represented Rhinelander this season. She also applauded the team’s ability to preserve through less than ideal weather conditions, which seemed to be a constant headache over the course of the season. 

“Our poor, young gentlemen here had to play in ridiculous, really worst weather we ever had,” she said. “This was really a tough year for our kids. But I enjoyed their stamina, how they kept going out there. You did you best. Thank you, guys.”

Sam Schoppe was also in the running for the Jim Johnson Award, given to the most improved golfer on the team, but that honor went to sophomore Blake Petroff, who improved his scoring average by 6.44 strokes from the 2023 season. Schoppe dropped 5.2 strokes this year. 

Additionally, the Hodags honored the team’s lone sectional qualifier and other all-conference honoree, Brody Kowieski, with the captain’s award. He finished 11th in the GNC standings and took 24th at sectionals with a round of 87 last Tuesday.

Schmidt also noted that the team was awaiting word on academic all-state honors from the Golf Coaches Association of Wisconsin. Brody Kowieski and Petroff are eligible for the award by being at least in their sophomore year, having completed in at least 75% of the team’s varsity matches this season and possessing a cumulative GPA of 3.25 or higher. 

Sam Schoppe, Brody Kowieski, Petroff, Hank Kowieski and Chase West earned varsity letters after participating in most, if not all, of the Hodags varsity competitions this spring.

In his remarks, Schmidt echoed Sharann Schoppe’s comments about how the team carried itself on and off the course this year. 

“The last couple of years we’ve been really blessed with kids that are very polite, very respectful. They’ve just been a good group of guys,” he said. “It’s been nice having them. When we go to tournaments people always comment that we look really nice, are always polite. It’s nice to have a really good group of guys.”

The Hodag golfers tied for third in the Great Northern Conference this season and were the No. 3 seed in their WIAA Division 1 regional, based on season-long scoring average. Rhinelander finished eighth in a water-logged regional meet in Marshfield that was suspended twice due to poor weather before being shortened to nine holes.  

The Hodags finished the season with a 339.6 scoring average, the team’s best since 2011 (329.20) and a nearly seven-stroke improvement from the 2023 season.

With a starting lineup that featured two juniors, a sophomore and a pair of freshmen, Schmidt said he’s eager to see the team take another leap next season.

“We’re improving and the cool thing is they’re all coming back for next year, so that number should go down,” he said.

Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].