Hodag gridders earn 7 All-GNC nods

The Rhinelander High School football team ended up with seven all-conference awards among six different players on Monday when the All-GNC team was announced.

That was the most the Hodags could have gotten in the conference’s sliding scale that gives teams additional nominations the higher they place in the conference standings. Rhinelander was allowed seven nominations based on its seventh-place finish in the league this year. 

Senior Caden Sieker was the Hodags’ lone first-team honoree, given that accolade as a defensive lineman. Rowan Wiczek received second-team honors as a defensive back and honorable mention as a wide receiver. Cyrus Leisure was named a second-team running back. Landon Webster and Gage Anderson received honorable mention as offensive linemen and Ben Olson received honorable mention as a running back.

The all-conference honors were voted on by the GNC coaches during a meeting Oct. 22. All of the all-conference teams for the fall 2025 season were announced this week (see sidebar).

“What makes me happy is the guys that we were able to nominate, they all got conference awards,” Hodag coach Aaron Kraemer said. “I think that’s big for them, for what they’re able to accomplish, and what they meant to our team this season.”

Sieker, despite missing the final three games of the season due to a shoulder injury, still proved to be one of the most impactful defensive linemen in the GNC. Though not official statistics tracked by the conference, Sieker was tied for third in the league with 3 1/2 sacks in conference games, and his eight tackles for loss ranked tied for fifth in the GNC.

“I think he’s a guy that you gameplan around defensively. I think that you need to know where he is at all times, and he is somebody that made a lot of big plays for us, especially in the backfield,” Kraemer said. “Obviously, I wish I would have been able to see what you could do for the entire year. Unfortunately, he got hurt against Mosinee. But, obviously, he made enough of his statement during the season that the coaches believe that he was one of the top defensive linemen in the league.”

    In this Sept. 5, 2025 file photo, Rhinelander’s Rowan Wiczek catches a touchdown behind Lakeland’s Will Backhaus during the fourth quarter of a GNC football game a Mike Webster Stadium. Wiczek was the Hodags’ lone two-way all-conference recipient, earning second-team honors as a defensive back and honorable mention as a wide receiver. (Bob Mainhardt for the River News)
  

Defensively Wiczek, a junior, was 10th in the league — and third among defensive backs — in total tackles this season, with 56 in league play. He also recorded two interceptions, one of which he returned 99 yards for a touchdown in the Hodags’ Bell Game win over Antigo. On the offensive side of the ball, Wiczek ranked second in the league in receptions (27), third in receiving yards (318) and tied for fifth in touchdowns (3). 

“He’s just a instinctual player, a great player. He’s only getting better. And so for him to get second-team honors, I was a little disappointed by that. I was thinking to myself that he’s a first-team player on the defensive side of the ball for sure,” Kraemer said. “(As a receiver) I think he could have been a second teamer or even up on the first team, but there’s so many good receivers in the league that had touchdowns or maybe more stats than him. But as far as receptions are concerned and what those receptions meant to us, he’s a first teamer in my mind.”

Leisure earned second-team honors in the GNC this year after receiving honorable mention as a running back in the conference a season ago. Despite missing five quarters due to injury between the Antigo and Mosinee contests, Leisure still ranked fifth in the conference overall — and fourth among running backs — in rushing yards (580). His 8.7 yards per carry were second in the league behind only Mosinee quarterback Treve Stoffel and his five rushing touchdowns were tied for fifth-best in the league. 

“Cyrus, there was a couple games where he didn’t finish into the second half. He didn’t have any yards late in games,” Kraemer said. “And then when you look at what we do as an offense, we spread the rock around quite a bit. I think he’s well deserving of a first team designation too.

“To see his transformation from freshman year to now, not only as a football player, but as a young man, it’s unbelievable. And I’m really proud of what he has been able to accomplish. He’s turned into a heck of a football player.”

Olson, one of Leisure’s running mates in the backfield, rushed for 283 yards, averaged 5.4 yards per carry and had three touchdowns in league games. It was Olson’s first time receiving all-conference recognition in football.

“He is the type of captain you want,” Kraemer said. “Not only is he a vocal player, but he is a lead-by-example guy and he does everything we ask him to do. He got really, really, really good at blocking this year, and he was one of our best blockers as far as our wings are concerned.”

Two of the interior linemen who paved the way for Leisure and Olson received all-conference honors in Webster at center and Anderson at right guard. Rhinelander finished sixth in the league in rushing yards and sixth in total offense.

“As far as Webby’s concerned, he’s our senior captain up front and he leads by example. And that’s just who he’s been since he’s coming to the program,” Kraemer said. “Gage, I think, is our most improved lineman over the last two years. And I think that there are guys that look up to him and look up to his physicality. He’s one guy on our offensive line that will knock you in the mouth, and he’ll do it every single play. He’s a gritty, tough-nosed football player, and he’s the type of guard you want in this offense.”

Stoffel received offensive player of the year honors while Tomahawk’s Rex Reilly was named the conference’s defensive player of the year. Tomahawk’s Dewey Reilly was voted conference coach of the year after the Hatchets shared the conference title with Mosinee. 

Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].