RHS Sports recap: Friday, Feb. 21

Boys’ swimming: Rhinelander 2nd/27, WIAA D2 State Meet

The Rhinelander High School boys’ swim team is leaving Waukesha for a third straight year and, for the second year in a row, it’s silver. The Hodags wound up with eight podium finishes as the finished as state runners-up once again. 

The Hodags finished 48 points behind McFarland, which defending its D2 state title by winning eight events on Friday. Whitefish Bay was third, 12 points behind Rhinelander. 

Individually, seniors Mathias Fugle and Dolan O’Malley reached the podium in both of their individual events. Fugle took third in the 100-yard freestyle and fourth in the 50 freestyle while O’Malley was fourth in the 100 backstroke and sixth in the 200 individual medley. Senior Samson Shinners also made the podium individually, taking sixth in the 200 freestyle.

All three Rhinelander relays made the podium. The Hodags were the runners up in the 200 freestyle relay with Shawn Denis, Dean Gillingham, Shinners and Fugle, finished fourth in the 200 medley relay with Dolan O’Malley, Denis, Charlie Antonuk and Judson O’Malley, and were fourth in the 400 freestyle relay with Shinners, the O’Malley brothers and Fugle. 

It was Rhinelander sixth runner-up finish all-time at state.

Boys’ basketball: Rhinelander 64, Mosinee 61

The Rhinelander High School boys’ basketball team held on down the stretch to defeat Mosinee 64-61 in a pivotal GNC matchup at the Jim Miazga Community Gymnasium.

The Indians missed a tying 3-pointer in the final seconds and though Rhinelander committed a turnover on the final inbound play, Mosinee could not get a shot off before time expired. 

Devon Feck led the Hodags with 17 points, but was slowed in the second half due to a knee issue. Abe Gretzinger scored 15 off the bench and Evan Shoeder added 10 points for the Hodags.

The win sets up a winner-take-all GNC championship game between Rhinelander and Medford at Raider Hall next Thursday but first, Rhinelander (16-5, 9-2 Great Northern) hosts Merrill Monday in non-conference play. 

Girls’ basketball: Mosinee 75, Rhinelander 32

The Rhinelander High School girls’ basketball team ended its regular season with a 75-32 loss at Mosinee on Friday night. 

Mosinee pulled away to a 43-14 lead at halftime and never looked back. Vivian Lamers led Rhinelander with 16 points and Kelsey Winter added nine. Taelyn Jirschele led four Indians in double figures with 15. 

Rhinelander (13-11, 7-5 Great Northern) opens the WIAA playoffs next Friday at Menomonie.

Wrestling: RHS girls 21st/30, WIAA sectionals

Sophomore Cassidy Lindner came within one match of qualifying for the WIAA girls’ state wrestling tournament Friday at a sectional meet in Shawano. 

Lindner, wrestling at 120 pounds, went 2-2 on the night and used a second-period pin over Seymour’s Willow Gorecki in the third-place match to give herself a chance at state, but lost to Marinette’s Jazleen Fong-Bakke via the pin in the second period in the second-place match with a trip to the Kohl Center on the line. 

Mya Swanson, the Hodags’ other representative at sectionals, was one and done in the 126-pound class, losing her opening match to Bonduel’s Hailey Berg.

Lindner finished the year 24-14 while Swanson ended 22-10.

Full reports will be published in Tuesday’s River News