Team review: RHS boys’ tennis

Another year, another title for the Rhinelander High School boys’ tennis team. A decade of dominance for the Hodags was capped off by another solid individual effort at the WIAA state tournament.

The Hodags pretty much equaled their success from 2023. They won the Great Northern Conference title, winning five individual flights in the process. The team sent five of its seven flights through the sectionals and, for the second year in a row, had an entry advance to the second round of the WIAA state tournament. 

At the end of the day, it was another successful season for a team that’s had plenty of them over the last decade and a half.

“Just a fun season,” Hodag coach Matt Nichols said earlier this month during the team’s banquet. “Just beyond the tennis, you heard that a lot of the memories weren’t even tennis-related. It’s just the camaraderie, the enjoyment off the court, the practices. It’s the process. I’m looking forward to next year.”

Here are five storylines from the recently completed season.

Driving for 10

The last time the Hodags lost the GNC title was 2013, when the season was halved in length to due to a late thaw. Since 2014, the only thing that has keep the Hodags from winning conference is the COVID-19 pandemic, which canceled the 2020 season. 

Since Nichols took the baton from long-time head coach Bob Heideman in the spring of 2021 the team’s excellence has continued. Rhinelander rolled through the GNC dual meet schedule this spring, winning all five conference matches with scores of 5-2 or better. That put the Hodags in a solid position entering the GNC tournament. Rhinelander claimed the titles at Nos. 1 and 4 singles, and swept the three doubles championships as the ran away to the conference title over Lakeland. 

John Currie, Zacha King, Joey Belanger, Dalton Fritz, Michael Schiek, Dawson Pontell, Aiden Ostermann and Karter Massey were individual conference champs. Nichols credited the team’s success simply to the dedication and effort put forth by those in the program.

“You look at the scores and nothing was super tight,” he said during the banquet. “I don’t know it’s necessarily playing weaker teams. These teams all did pretty good in the postseason. I just want to really emphasize and give the guys props because I think we’re just that strong of a team. There’s a lot of guys putting in a lot of time in the offseason, a lot of guys putting in a lot of effort during the season and it shows up when you look at the scoreboard.” 

Pushed non-con

The Hodags ended up 17-8 overall on the season and seemed to be pushed the hardest when they ventured outside the GNC. Even then, Rhinelander was 12-8 in those matches. The Hodags faced virtually everyone in the Wisconsin Valley Conference, who they saw again in the postseason during the subsectional round of the WIAA tournament. The Hodags went 5-2 in those matches, splitting a pair of 4-3 decisions against eventual WVC champion D.C. Everest and losing a 4-3 match to conference runner-up Stevens Point. 

The team took part in multiple invites in Wausau, one in De Pere and one in Sheboygan during the course of the year, facing some Division 1 programs outside of its sectional. Nichols said in particular the team’s final non-conference tournament May 10 and 11 in Sheboygan was critical to its eventual postseason run.

“This is where a lot of players on the varsity roster gained their confidence to move on into the postseason,” he said. “It was a really big mental test and they proved to benefit from that.”

State run

Rhinelander hosted subsectional play and fared well, advancing five of its seven flights on to the sectional level. That included the No. 1 doubles pair of Belanger and Fritz, who didn’t even have to lift a racquet after earning the top seed and a bye into the sectionals. 

The two then cruised to state, winning their sectional quarterfinal match over Hudson’s Henry Mechelke and Noah Brueske 6-1, 6-1. Belanger and Fritz wound up third in the sectional. 

For Belanger, it was his second trip to state after advancing to the second round in 2023 with then teammate Layne Roeser. Fritz was making his first trip to state, sliding over from No. 1 singles to be Belanger’s playing partner to fill the void left by Roeser’s graduation. 

At state, the two replicated Belanger and Roeser’s performance from 2023. They survived pair of tiebreakers and in a marathon match against Wauwatosa West’s Connor Reynolds and Travis Wagy 7-6 (8), 3-6, 10-7 before falling to 13th-seeded Andrew Werner and Brady Hildreth of Neenah 6-2, 6-3.

“The overall thing I saw was just their mental game,” Nichols said of their state performance. “We talked about how every team down there was going to be competitive and most teams could beat each other. It really comes down to a shooting match. I think that really played into the first game. It was cool to see them play strong the whole time. Even, this morning, it was just a really strong game, great shots. I think it was the best volleying I’ve seen from Dalton. Great serves across the board.”

Currie advanced to sectionals and finished one win shy of the state tournament. Gavin Denis and Pontell took third at No. 2 doubles while Payton McCue and King finished fourth at Nos. 3 and 4 singles, respectively. 

Statbook

Belanger and Fritz posted the best record, going 23-6 together as a pair this year. That was part of an overall strong season for the team in doubles play. Rhinelander won nearly 73% of its doubles matches on the year (66-25). Denis and Pontell primarily played at No. 2 doubles, going 17-7 together, while Ostermann and Schiek were primarily the Hodags’ No. 3 doubles pair, going 13-7. 

The Hodags flexed some of that doubles depth at the GNCs when Schiek bumped up a flight and Massey stepped in at No. 3 doubles while Denis was absent for a prior commitment. The Hodags still swept the matches at conference in straight sets. 

“Our doubles have just been very strong this year,” Nichols said following the conference meet. “We have Dawson at No. 2 and he just kind of locks down the fort. Michael stepped up and played a great game. I’d say the same with Aiden at No. 3 and Karter coming in. It just goes to the depth. They’re very strong players. They’ve improved a lot over the season and to sweep the doubles with Gavin, unfortunately, gone it was fun to see.”

The singles side saw a bit more fluctuation during the year and did not have as strong of records, going 51-62 as a unit. Currie elevated from No. 2 to No. 1 singles this year with Fritz’s move to doubles and was able to claim the GNC title in straight-set victory over Lakeland’s Dominic Gironella. He finished 15-13 on the year and made it to the sectional round. The rest of the singles lineup saw a bit more flux. Nick Lesch settled in at No. 2 singles going 6-17 in the flight, though he did score a third-place finish at conference. McCue bounced between Nos. 2-4 singles before settling in at No. 3. He was 8-10 at No. 3 singles and 11-12 overall. King ended up 10-6 at No. 4 singles and 10-11 overall.

What’s next

Rhinelander’s continued success in the GNC does come with a few question marks entering 2025 if for no other reason than the team will have to replace seven prominent seniors from the starting lineup. That includes Currie, Lesch and King in singles and the team’s top two doubles teams of Belanger and Fritz, and Pontell and Denis. 

“They’ve just been kind of a staple in that varsity roster,” Nichols said. “It’s awesome to see all the growth and development and tough to see it all leave at once. It’s like a switch goes off, and they’re gone.” 

McCue will return as a senior and figures to have a more prominent role in the lineup while Ostermann and Schiek will also be seniors and will likely elevate up the doubles rankings. From there, the Hodags have a handful of players who played varsity matches this year, including freshman Calvin Loomis, who started the year on varsity before settling into JV later in the year. Other returning players who saw either limited varsity matches or played varsity reserve roles include Massey, Hart Hokens, Van Tulowitzky and Asher Rivord. 

Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].