One more roar in ’24

In a way, the hard work is already done for the Rhinelander High School boys’ cross country team. The Hodags have already achieved their stated goal for the 2024 season — qualifying for the WIAA Division 2 state meet. Yet, when the gun goes off one final time on Saturday afternoon, the Hodags want to put their best effort out on the course in Wisconsin Rapids and end the season strong.

“We’re definitely not going to take our foot off the gas. We’re going to run for each other, run for our community and run like its the ‘Roar of ’24,’” said Hodag senior Brody Kowieski, reciting the team’s motto for this year.

The Hodags certainly roared last Friday, overcoming a final mile setback a week earlier at the conference meet to beat GNC champion Lakeland and take the final team qualifying spot at state for themselves. 

Rhinelander is certainly not favored to walk out of Rapids with any hardware — projected to take 15th in the 16-team D2 field, based on top times turned in during the season. In a way, coach M.J. Laggis says that frees his squad to just cut loose on Saturday and run without any pressure. 

“We’re going to kind of taper into Friday and get ready to run Saturday. We’re going to stay focused and relaxed all week and get ready to run,” he said. “The pressure’s off, we’ve made it. Let’s just go and see how well we can compete.”

    In this Oct. 30, 2021 file photo, Rhinelander’s Greyson Gremban runs toward the finish line of the WIAA Division 2 state meet in Wisconsin Rapids. A freshman then, Gremban returns to the state meet Saturday as a senior, leading the Hodag cross country team into action. (Jeremy Mayo/River News)
  

It’s a full-circle moment for senior captain Greyson Gremban, who has been one of the Hodags’ top runners all year. He was Rhinelander’s No. 6 runner as a freshman in 2021, the last time the Hodags qualified for the state meet. After narrowly missing out on qualifying as an individual each of the last two years, Gremban will be back at The Ridges to run his final high school race. 

“It’s one last hurrah in terms of our team,” he said. “I’m really proud to be able to represent the Hodags at one last meet, especially being the state meet, and recognize all the people, community members, teachers, friends and family that allowed me to have this opportunity.”

It’s also a chance for Kowieski to finish his career on the big stage. He was part of the Hodags’ JV squad in 2021 and watched that race from the sidelines. 

“To have this opportunity is really big to me. It’s really meaningful,” he said. “Growing up in Rhinelander, it’s a community focused around what’s possible when you work with one another. I think that our team has exemplified that. We’ve been committed to each other all year and I’m excited to see how that culminates this Saturday in Rapids.”

It’s an opportunity that some questioned if the Hodags would have after losing to Lakeland at conference. Though the projections had Rhinelander two points ahead of the T-Birds going into sectionals, the biggest question was how the Hodags would respond from their disappointing run at conference. Sophomore Jackson Weinzatl said the Hodags were quick to put that run in the rearview mirror and focus on sectionals.

“We all took a step back and took a look at what happened and realized that it was out of our control,” he said. “There was nothing we could have done. It was just the conditions, we had a rough day in the office. We all decided we’re going to go to state, we’re going to beat Lakeland and that’s what we were going to do. We put in the work during the week, did the correct preparation and, on Friday, made it happen.”

While there will be plenty of celebration for the seniors this weekend, there’s certainly an eye toward the future for the Hodags as well, considering five of the seven runners who will toe the line Saturday are underclassmen.

“For these young guys, it’s to see what state looks like and see how exciting it really is and what a huge venue it is,” Laggis said. “One you go there, you want to go back. That’s just how it is. It’s great for our younger guys to witness that.” 

“We want to get in that mindset that we just reload every year and we’re a force to be reckoned with. That’s easier said than done, but that’s certainly the goal and we’ve got good, young guys that are in the ranks here coming. We’ve just got to keep working.”

One of those underclassmen has lofty individual goals. Sophomore Avrom Barr enters as Rhinelander’s fastest runner on paper. His best time of the season — a 16-minute, 37-second 5K at Tomahawk last month — ranks 40th overall in the 151-runner field. Greyson Gremban, isn’t far behind in 45th (16:41.8). Though the Rapids course has more challenging terrain, particularly in the last mile, if Barr were to break the 17-minute mark at state, he could be in line to work up the final order as only 34 runners cracked 17 minutes in last year’s D2 state meet.

“I’m super excited. I’ve been working toward it since track, all summer, all season and it comes down to this Saturday. For me, top 30 would be a good number,” he said.

Kowieski is seeded 109th, Weinzatl is 121st, freshman Michael Brunette is 132nd, junior Ayden Myers is 136th and freshman Grant Gremban is seeded 141st.

There’s a bit of symmetry for Grant Gremban. Like his brother Greyson in 2021, he finds himself rounding out the varsity as a freshman on a team full of older runners.

“It’s a really cool experience. I joined cross country for him,” Grant Gremban said. “Getting to see him close out this senior year with such a successful season, it’s really cool to be a part of. Him and Brody really leading us, it’s been fun.”

“He did not want to run cross country at the start. I told him he would be good. He had what it takes,” Greyson Gremban said. “Grant is incredibly mentally tough and, as you’ve seen, he’s a phenomenal teammate. I’m so proud, as an older brother and as a captain and a teammate, what he’s been able to accomplish. It’s been really beautiful to see.”

For much of the squad, Saturday’s race will be about finishing above where they are seeded as they try to move Rhinelander up the team order. Though the Hodags are projected 15th, they are only a point behind 14th and 26 points out of 11th. That’s not unusual territory for Rhinelander, which was projected 13th going into the state meet in 2021 but rose to ninth in the final standings. 

“Top 10 is the goal for our team,” Grant Gremban said. “These two, they’ve got their individual goals but, as a team we want to push ourselves, so top 10 is what we want to do.”

That’s a sentiment Kowieski echoed Monday at practice.

“The job’s not finished. We want to continue to work this week and be as competitive as we can be on Saturday,” he said.

The D2 boys’ state meet will start at 2:35 p.m. on Saturday at The Ridges in Wisconsin Rapids. Additional meet information can be found on the WIAA’s website, wiaawi.org. 

Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].