SWEET REDEMPTION

CORRECTION: In the original version of this article, we incorrectly stated the finishing time for RHS sophomore Avrom Barr at a WIAA Division 2 sectional meet in Colby. His time was 16:58.8, not 18:58.8. The story has been corrected below. We regret the error.

COLBY — To truly savor a moment in the sun, one must endure many long miles fighting through the rain. 

Greyson Gremban and the Rhinelander High School boys’ cross country team have certainly dealt with more than their share of gloomy days since their last WIAA state meet appearance. Near misses on the individual and team level have haunted the Hodags over the last two years. The heartbreaks were as recent as six days prior to sectionals when a shot at a conference championship slipped through the team’s hands. 

On Friday the sun, setting as it was on a late afternoon run, finally shined down on the Hodags. 

Rhinelander placed four runners in the top 25 and came home second to claim a spot in the WIAA state meet during a WIAA Division 2 sectional in Colby.

The Hodags finished only 10 points behind sectional champion New London and finished 15 markers ahead of GNC rival Lakeland to claim their second team appearance at state in the last four years. 

“I can’t believe our guys. Our team just worked their butts off and we did it,” said sophomore Avrom Barr, who placed fourth overall for Rhinelander.

The feeling for the Hodag boys was a complete 180 from six days earlier at the conference meet when they appeared to be in position to dethrone Lakeland for the conference title, only to see a number of their runners hit a wall in the final mile. As a result, Rhinelander barely held on to second. 

Though dejected at the time, coach M.J. Laggis defended a training plan that worked in 2021 and he hoped would work again. On a much cooler afternoon and with the team’s legs primed after tapering training in the days leading up to the sectional, the Hodags held strong down the stretch and Laggis was proven right.

“Especially with the emotions of a week ago, wow, it was good to see that turnaround,” he said. “To see the resilience of our boys and how they practiced Monday, everybody was just in a complete good mindset. I couldn’t believe it. They had a great week and there was a lot of confidence today that they were going to come out and have a great race. That’s just what they did.”

    Rhinelander’s Greyson Gremban sprints toward the finish of a WIAA Division 2 boys’ cross country sectional in Colby Friday, Oct. 25. Gremban led the Hodag boys, placing third on Friday with a time of 16 minutes, 55.9 seconds. (Bob Mainhardt for the River News)
  

For the two seniors on the squad, Greyson Gremban and Brody Kowieski, Friday’s race brought redemption on a personal level. Gremban was on the 2021 state squad only to barely miss the individual cutline each of the last two years — including last year at Colby when he faded down the stretch while battling illness. 

One way or another, this time around Gremban wasn’t going to be denied. 

He ran with the lead pack the whole way, and though Lakeland’s Ashton Bremer passed him for the runner-up spot over the final 200 meters, his third-place finish in a time of 16 minutes, 55.9 seconds was  fast enough to get him to Rapids, regardless of what happened behind him. Barr was right on his coattails in fourth at 16:58.0.

Only minutes after last year’s sectional disappointment, Gremban vowed to work hard to not only get himself, but his team back to the state meet. That expectation was realized on Friday. 

“I’m so proud of my team and what we were able to accomplish,” he said. “We had a goal and we set out and accomplished it. I’m so proud of all seven of my guys and my coaches that we were able to accomplish this today.”

    Rhinelander’s Brody Kowieski races between Oconto Falls runners during a WIAA Division 2 boys’ cross country sectional in Colby Friday, Oct. 25. Kowieski, back after failing to finish the GNC meet the week prior in Eagle River, finished 15th for the Hodags, helping Rhinelander secure a runner-up spot in the team standings. (Bob Mainhardt for the River News)
  

Then there was Kowieski, who was running fourth in the final half mile a week earlier at conference before being overcome by exhaustion. He staggered to the finish line, where he was eventually helped across by a teammate and disqualified. After a trip to the hospital and some treatment, Kowieski was cleared to return to practice on Monday and held steady during Friday’s race as the team’s No. 3 runner, coming home 15th at 18:00.1. 

“I definitely had some nerves and I wasn’t super confident in my body, but I wouldn’t say I had any doubts,” Kowieski said. “I knew if I stuck with the guys and continued to work this week, that we’d be right where we needed to be today.” 

The only lights and sirens Kowieski experienced Friday were the ones that greeted the state-qualifying Hodags back to town via an escort from local police and firefighters. 

“It felt great. We’ve worked hard all year. To kind of realize that as you cross the line, it’s a great feeling,” he said.

Sophomore Jackson Weinzatl was 24th (18:19.5) followed by two of the team’s unsung heroes — junior Ayden Myers in 40th (18:50.2) and freshman Michael Brunette in 44th (18:59.5). They stepped up and helped the Hodags find the key fifth scorer Laggis said he knew they would need to have a chance to reach their goals this year. 

“Mikey Brunette came out of nowhere and not only was he our No. 5 for basically all year, but just the way he did it to have that kind of character and attitude as a freshman and kind of be the life of the party in the huddle just being Mikey,” Laggis said. “Ayden joined us late and has just been a rock for us. I’m really happy. Without what Mikey did, without the work that Jackson Weinzatl did, we don’t get there as a team. It takes all of them.”

Freshman Grant Gremban, Greyson’s younger brother, rounded out the Hodag contingent in 70th.  

That was good enough to beat out Lakeland’s contingent. Though Bremer came home second, the T-Birds didn’t have another runner cross until Atilla Gyuro hit the tape in 17th. By that time three Rhinelander runners had come home. Lakeland got a 22nd from Parker McKinney, a 27th from Barrett Eggen and a 33rd from Erik Anderson, but it was not enough for last year’s sectional champions to make a return appearance to state. 

Instead Rhinelander will prepare to head to The Ridges in Wisconsin Rapids this Saturday. The Hodags weren’t represented last year following Greyson Gremban’s near miss. The last time a Hodag made it to state was 2022, when Cody Ruetz qualified individually. 

“There’s nothing like running there,” Laggis said. “I lay in bed some times, thinking about cross country, and can hear the roar of that meet — how it roars down one fairway and up the other … It’s something you don’t forget. I’m so excited for our boys that they’re getting the opportunity.”

Meanwhile, for Greyson Gremban and Kowieski, this coming Saturday will provide a chance to write an epilogue to the exhilarating final chapter of their high school careers. 

“We get another week of practice. We’ll work hard this week and look to be competitive next weekend and do the best we can,” Kowieski said.  

Added Gremban, “My teammates, my coaches, my teachers, my neighbors, I raced for them today. I’m so proud that I’m able to represent them all and Rhinelander High School at the state meet.”

Bob Mainhardt contributed to this report from Colby.

Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].