RHS Sports recap: Friday, Oct. 24

Football: Madison Edgewood 35, Rhinelander 7

The Rhinelander High School football team could not keep up with the the top-seeded Madison Edgewood Crusaders, falling 35-7 Friday night in a WIAA Division 3 Level 1 playoff game in Madison.

Edgewood led 7-0 after a quarter, 21-0 at the half and 35-0 after three quarters as quarterback Gannon Bagstad rushed for 137 yards, passed for 88 and had four total touchdowns. 

Rhinelander’s score came in the fourth quarter as Evan Shoeder caught a 17-yard pass from Abe Gretzinger. Gretzinger was 14 of 22 passing on the night for 128 yards, but was sacked six times in the contest. Ben Olson led the Hodags with 43 yards rushing on 10 carries while Rowan Wiczek caught nine passes for 90 yards.

Senior Austin Sparling left the game in the second quarter with what coach Aaron Kraemer described as a wrist injury and did not return to the contest.

Rhinelander finished the season with a 3-7 record.

Cross country: RHS boys 3rd/15, girls 8th/12, WIAA sectionals

While the Rhinelander High School cross country team was unable to sent a squad to state, three athletes punched tickets to Wisconsin Rapids Friday in a WIAA Division 2 sectional in Merrill.

Avrom Barr won the boys’ sectional race, clocking in at 16:45.7 while junior teammate Jackson Weinzatl finished seventh (17:31.1) as both qualified individually. They’ll be joined at state by junior Macy Myers, who took fourth in the girls’ race (19:29.98). 

The Hodag boys wound up third in the sectional, missing the top two and a team berth to state by seven points against runner-up Shawano. Michael Brunette finished 16th, Jonathan Campbell was 21st and Ayden Myers finished 32nd. 

On the girls’ side, Kara Monk came home 12th, Noelle Mayo was 46th, Gabby Wanta finished 54th and Morgan Cahee was 79th. The Hodags placed eighth as a team.

The state meet takes place Nov. 1 in Wisconsin Rapids.

Girls’ swimming: Rhinelander 1st/9, GNC Meet

The Rhinelander High School girls’ swim team put a bow on a seventh straight Great Northern Conference title on Friday, winning nine of 11 events as it won the conference meet hosted by Ladysmith in Rice Lake.

Ella Heck, Emma Houg, Vivian Lamers and Ryley Mickevicius were all three-event conference champs for Rhinelander. Houg won the 200 individual medley, the 100 backstroke was was on the winning 200 freestyle relay; Mickevicius took both the 200 and the 500 freestyle and was on the winning 400 freestyle relay; Lamers claimed the 50 freestyle, Heck won the 100 breaststroke and both were on two winning relays.

Others who claimed conference titles as part of relays included Kiley Pooch, Millie Gruett and June Chiamulera.

In total, the Hodags had 17 top-three finishes, which made the all-conference team, and nine different swimmers receive all-conference recognition.

The Hodags will be back in Rice Lake Nov. 8 for WIAA Division 2 sectionals.

Full reports will be published in Tuesday’s River News.