Hodag harriers runners-up at Three Lakes Invite

THREE LAKES — The Rhinelander High School cross country team hopes to be in the mix for Great Northern Conference titles on both the boys’ and girls’ sides when the GNC meet rolls around in a few weeks’ time. On Thursday, however, two of their chief rivals revealed their hands and showed the Hodags there is still plenty of work to do in order to make that goal a reality. 

Rhinelander came home second in both divisions of Thursday’s Three Lakes Invite at Big Stone Golf Club. In each instance, the Hodags were beaten by defending GNC champion and the team who figures to be the favorite heading to conference later this month in Eagle River.

Rhinelander finished a mere five points behind Lakeland for the boys’ title on Thursday while Tomahawk put on a show in the girls’ race, with its top seven runners all in the top 17, to beat the Hodags by 17 markers. 

“Our goal is to just keep tightening that gap and find a way to win the conference,” Hodag coach M.J. Laggis said. “You’ve got to think that way right to the last day, right to the last mile of the conference race. That’s our goal.”

Rhinelander ended up with four individual medalists on the day. Senior Greyson Gremban and sophomore Avrom Barr finished third and fourth, respectively, in the boys’ race. Senior Brynn Teter came home sixth in the girls’ race while sophomore Macy Myers was ninth. 

Gremban and Barr were in the top five from the opening gun to the finish. While Three Lakes’s Ethan Waltz and Lakeland’s Ashton Bremer pulled away at the front of the field, the two Hodags eventually shook Three Lakes’s Ethan Potrykus from the chase group. Gremban crossed the line at 17 minutes, 18.8 seconds over the relatively flat track. Barr was just 4 1/2 seconds up the trail. 

“Greyson’s results are determined by how hard he works and Avrom has latched on to that,” Laggis said. “As a sophomore, he’s got such a high ceiling. He’s closing that gap and really, really performing. I was really happy with both of those guys. The greatest thing is they’re never satisfied.”

Brody Kowieski and Jackson Weinzatl just missed the podium for Rhinelander, finishing 11th and 12th, respectively in the boys’ race. Kowieski crossed in 18:37.0 while Weinzatl finished in 18:52.6.

“Brody Kowieski continues to take steps and I thought his race today compared to Lakeland’s No. 3 and 4, what it was a month a go, is completely different,” Laggis said. “Then I thought Jackson Weinzatl really looked good at the end of the race today. I told Jackson that’s the best I’ve seen him look late in a race. I think those two are just going to continue to improve.”

    Rhinelander’s Macy Myers heads toward the finish of the Three Lakes Invitational cross country race at Big Stone Golf Course in Three Lakes Thursday, Sept. 26. Myers finished ninth in the girls’ race, one of four Hodags to place in the top 10 as Rhinelander took second in both the boys’ and girls’ divisions. (Jeremy Mayo/River News)
  

Teter raced near the front of the field most of the way, and was edged by Tomahawk’s Lydia Shaney in a sprint over the final 200 meters for fifth place. Teter settled for sixth at 22:15.2. Myers again served as Rhinelander’s No. 2 runner behind Teter at 22:47.7.

“I thought Brynn got stronger as the race went and just ran a gritty race. Macy, I would say the same thing, gritty. She wasn’t feeling the best,” Laggis said.

Sophie Miljevich came home 12th for the Hodags at 23:16.9, followed by Kara Monk in 13th (23:24.4), Hayley Schiek in 18th (23:59.6), Luna Grage in 19th (24:24.6) and Gretchen Fiebke in 22nd (24:45.3). 

“Sophie Miljevich was another one today that mile 2 to the finish, that’s when she’s at her best,” Laggis said. “She passed some people and really put the hammer down. I thought she really had a great race today as well. The girls aren’t far away from the top of the conference. We just have to keep working. That’s a fine line, but we’re just trying to work hard without get people hurt and try to close the gap.”

Tomahawk’s Alli Palmer won the girls’ race at 20:49.4. Thursday marked the first time Rhinelander raced Tomahawk head-to-head since the season opening Hodag Invite in late August. On that day, Lakeland edged Tomahawk 61-69 with Rhinelander six points further back. The tables turned Thursday as Lakeland dropped to third, 15 points behind the Hodags. 

“They had a couple of girls not running earlier in the year,” Laggis said of the Hatchets. “They look really good. I thought from the way they started the race, we made a little hay up on them as the race went on but, still, that was a dominant performance by them today.”

The Hodags are back in action this coming Thursday in the Medford Invite, which should serve as another good measuring stick against a number of GNC and sectional opponents. 

“We’re going to go, have a good race there and really just see where we’re at on both sides,” Laggis said. “I’m anxious for next Thursday. I want to see how a couple of things play out.”

Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].