Notebook: Hodag Hoops up bright and early to begin GNC title repeat

The alarm clocks went off well before dawn once again this week for the Rhinelander High School boys’ basketball team, even if they were a few minutes later than normal.

Two-a-day practices once again greeted the Hodags for the opening week of their preparations in search of a third-straight Great Northern Conference championship. Players and coaches alike got slightly more shut eye than in the past — with practice starting at 5:45 as opposed to 5:30. 

Derek Lemmens, starting his 16th season as head coach at his alma mater, quipped that his coaching staff appreciated the later wake-up call, but said it’s more a matter of his team working smarter, not harder. 

“These guys put in plenty of work in this time, so we figure 5:45 to 7 is adequate time to get in what we want to get in. We respect their time. We respect their bodies enough to give them that extra 15 minutes. So if we can get it done in an hour 15, we’ll get it done an hour 15,” he said.

Despite the later start, there was still a fast pace. The morning sessions, especially, cover skills and conditioning, things the Hodags will need once again this season.

“It’s like, can we wake our bodies up? Can we get shots up, handle the ball — things that a lot of people haven’t been doing for a while they’re out of season. And then can we get our legs ready? Because basketball is a fast-paced sport, and the last thing we want to worry about is being fatigued,” Lemmens said.

Like last year, though the Hodags enter as defending conference champions, they aren’t viewed as the favorites by some outside publications, which have Mosinee picked to win the conference after tying for second a year ago. Lemmens said his team doesn’t mind the added motivation but knows, within the GNC, the target will still be on Rhinelander’s back.

“We’ve gotten two in a row. We’re going for three. Teams are going to be hungry to come after us, and I like that. And these guys are hungry, too, to prove that they’re ready,” he said.

The Hodags don’t have a lot of time to get ready. The team will travel to Wausau West this coming Monday to scrimmage the Warriors led by Derek Lemmens’s younger brother, Nate. Rhinelander will tip it up for real the following night at home against Crandon to start the season. 

“We’re not going to get all of our stuff in, but we’re going to have our foundational pieces in. And I like the skill level that we have,” Lemmens said. “If we can get the skill that we have just doing the foundational things correctly, we’ll be fine for game one.”

The Hodags have plenty of expectations after going 19-6 last year and advancing to the regional finals, where they lost at home to New Richmond. With three starters, and five members of the rotation back from that squad, Lemmens said consistency game in and game out will be key for the team.

“We had some slip-ups last year and we had a lot of moments, especially early on, where we just were not being who we are capable of being,” he said. “Their goal this year is to come out of the gates, just ready to be an excellent team right from the start.”

Quick turnaround, new faces for RHS swim team

    Members of the Rhinelander High School boys’ swim team listen to coaches Brent Olson and Jenny Heck during practice at the Heck Family Community Pool Monday, Nov. 17. (Bob Mainhardt for the River News)
  

Less than 72 hours after putting a bow on another successful season for the Rhinelander High School girls’ swim team, coach Jenny Heck was back in the pool Monday, getting the Hodag boys’ squad ready for its season. 

The Hodag boys come in off a runner-up finish at state this past February, but may be in the midst of a bit of a rebuilding phase after graduating five seniors off that squad — four of whom competed at the state meet. 

While the team has three returning state qualifiers from last year, the make-up of the team will definitely be different this year without a single senior on the roster. 

“It looks like a good group, and a mix of experienced and new swimmers. The challenge is there, and everyone knows I like a challenge. So this should be a good season. I’m looking forward to it,” coach Heck said. “I told the guys (there’s) nothing I enjoy more than seeing athletes reach their full potential, and that’s what (assistant coach) Brent (Olson) and I will hope to do again this season.”

The Hodags have 14 swimmers out for the team, but that group includes five freshmen plus a couple of first-year swimmers. While most of them swam either during the summer or the fall in preparation for the season, Heck admitted that it will take a little while longer to get acquainted with her roster than in seasons past. 

“It’s going to be a little bit of time, building a relationship with them. They’re getting to know me,” she said. “They look like they’re — already from the first five minutes in the water — go-getters, though, and they look like they’re going to be enjoying swimming and enjoying the new challenge.”

The Hodags don’t have much time to prepare. They will travel to D.C. Everest this coming Tuesday, Nov. 25, for a non-conference pentathlon meet and will start the Great Northern Conference dual meet season one week later at Shawano/Seymour.

“We’ll just have to kind of whip these guys into shape, but at the same time work on a lot of technical skills,” she said. “It’s really important to get that technique down before we build any further. So we’ll work on a lot of technique, get familiar with the weight room as a team and build our new team up once again.”  

RHS wrestlers gear up for season 

    Rhinelander High School wrestling coach Scottie Arneson, right, demonstrates a move with girls’ wrestling coach Caleb Radtke during practice at James Williams Middle School Monday, Nov. 17. (Bob Mainhardt for the River News)
  

There were solid numbers in the wrestling room up in the James Williams Middle School balcony Monday afternoon as the Rhinelander High School wrestling team began practice for the upcoming season. 

Roughly 18 boys and six girls were on hand for the start of practice. While coach Scottie Arneson said he’d always like more numbers, he was happy with the energy up in the room on day one. 

“A lot of energy, lots of positive attitudes from our leaders, which just trickles down to the underclassmen,” he said. “We have a lot of experience and a lot of inexperience, which is going to be fun for a coaching staff to try and figure out where we need to eventually get everybody to. Obviously, the main importance is just getting better at the sport of wrestling, but also becoming better people. 

“All the coaches are really excited. We put in a lot of time this off season to get to the point of where we are. We’re missing a few bodies, and that’s going to hurt us, but we’re going to roll with the group that we have and we’re going to try and get better every day.”

Both squads will be looking to improve from last season. The Hodag boys went 3-2 in conference duals and wound up fourth in the GNC standings, led by senior state qualifier Logan Schwinger. 

The girls had only three wrestlers by had a sectional qualifier in returning junior Cassidy Lindner. She’s now part of a roster that’s doubled in size as the GNC prepare to hold its first ever girls’ wrestling conference championship this coming February. 

The season will get underway in a couple of weeks with the Dale Peterson Invite in Antigo. The girls will compete Dec. 4 with the boys the following day on Dec. 5. While there will be plenty of training and development in the days leading up to the opener, Arneson said the biggest thing will be building team camaraderie.

“Building that team camaraderie and eventually, getting better at wrestling, is the most important,” he said. “If we develop that team bonding, and that team experience, we’re going to go as high as the group will take us.”

Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].