RHS Sports recap: Friday, May 17

Boys’ tennis: Rhinelander 1st/6, GNC tournament

The Rhinelander High School boys’ tennis team made it 10 consecutive Great Northern Conference titles on Friday. The Hodags wrapped up the 2024 crown by winning five flights and taking first place in the conference tournament at the RHS tennis courts. 

For the second straight year the Hodags swept conference player of the year honors at singles and doubles. Senior Joey Belanger won his third straight conference title at No. 1 doubles, teaming with Dalton Fritz this time around as the two controlled Ashland’s Bodde Mikkonen and Austin Vyskocil 6-1, 6-2 in the finals.

Senior John Currie won singles player of the year honors as he downed Lakeland’s Dominic Gironella 7-6 (5), 6-2 in the championship match at No. 1 singles. The Hodags also won the titles at No. 4 singles with Zacha King, No. 2 doubles with Dawson Pontell and Michael Schiek and No. 3 doubles with Aiden Ostermann and Karter Massey. 

Nick Lesch and Payton McCue received honorable mention with third-place finishes at Nos. 2 and 3 singles, respectively.

Rhinelander beat Lakeland 36-29 on the day and beat the T-Birds by 13 points for the overall conference title.

Postseason play begins Monday for the Hodags as they host a WIAA Division 1 subsectional.

Baseball: Tomahawk 3, Rhinelander 2

The Rhinelander High School baseball team wrapped up its worst record in Great Northern Conference play Friday with a 3-2 loss at Tomahawk. 

Tomahawk took the lead in a two-run fifth inning, scoring what proved to be the winning run after an errant throw to first on a first-and-third situation with one out in the inning. 

Rhinelaner scored single runs in the first and fourth, with errors allowing both runs to cross. Seth Nofftz went 2 for 4 with a double for Rhinelander, as the Hdoags were outhit 8-7 in the contest. 

Max Ratty took the loss, allowing three runs on eight hits with a walk and six strikeouts over five innings. 

Rhinelander (1-18, 1-11 Great Northern) is scheduled to travel to Ashland in a WIAA playoff preview on Monday. The same two teams will open the WIAA tournament in Ashland next Thursday.

Softball: Merrill 11, Rhinelander 0

The Rhinelander High School softball team was eliminated from the WIAA tournament in an 11-0 loss at Merrill on Friday.

The Bluejays scored four times in the first, four more in the third and three in the fourth. The Hodags had only two hits in the game, singles by Kadyn Taylor and Laney Haenel.

Kelsey Winter took the loss for Rhinelander, allowing eight runs on six hits with five walks and a strikeout over three innings. Haenel gave up three runs over one inning of relief. 

Rhinelander finishes its season 1-16.

Golf: Rhinelander 1st/7, Hodag Invite

The Hodag golf team shot 347 as it closed out the regular season by winning its home invitational Friday at Northwood Golf Club. The Hodags placed three golfers in the top five as they edged Marathon by four strokes.

Sam Schoppe played his final 12 holes in even par and shot 77 for the day, taking medalist honors by two strokes over Marathon’s Alex Pawlowicz. Brody Kowieski and Blake Petroff tied for fifth with rounds of 87. Hank Kowieski shot 96 and Chase West shot 98.

The Hodags will open postseason play in a WIAA Division 1 regional Tuesday at RiverEdge Golf Course in Marshfield.

Full reports will be published in Tuesday’s River News.