Notebook: Hodag tennis team sweating out late-week forecast

It’s not every year that the Rhinelander High School tennis courts are virtually clear of snow by the time the first practice rolls around for the Hodag boys’ tennis team.

That was the case on Monday, and the team is hoping that will still be the case once the second of two storms systems forecasted to hit the Northwoods with a wintry mix of precipitation works its way through this weekend. 

“We are very blessed with this spring. There’s not much snow compared to many other years,” coach Matt Nichols said. “So, yeah, hopeful that like the last storm, we get way less than they predict, and we can melt that off quick and get outside.”

Of course, the Hodags have the luxury of the Hodag Dome, where they opened practice earlier this week and will likely scrimmage Wausau West this coming Tuesday and likely open the season against D.C. Everest in non-conference play April 9. 

“Really thankful for the dome that we could truly be on courts. Really solid group of guys, a lot of people have put in time in the offseason, so it made it easier to hit the ground running,” Nichols said. “A lot of hitting from the returners, already some competitive play and starting to think about where the team is at and what is going to make the best lineup for the team. 

The Hodags don’t have much time to prepare for the season. Nichols said the technical aspects of the game have been a big point of emphasis for the squad this week.

“We don’t have matches, so we’re afforded a little bit more time to break down strokes, make some minor tweaks. Then, of course, especially later in the week, getting into the strategy and some gameplay, because we do need to get a lineup put together here pretty soon,” he said.

Another emphasis, Nichols said, was making sure the team gets acquainted and starts to build a rapport. 

“It is a pretty individual sport, but whether you’re competing by yourself or not, the team and the team atmosphere can really dictate how you pull through in some of those tight matches,” he said. “And we’ve seen that pan out, as recently as last year, in some crazy tiebreaks. So just getting the team closer together, building that camaraderie.”

The Hodags are looking to make history this year as they vie for their 12th consecutive Great Northern Conference title, which would be the longest championship streak for any team in any sport since the GNC’s inception in 2008. Mosinee softball won 11 straight conference titles between 2009 and 2019. 

The Hodags will need to reload for that to happen, however, with only four starters back from last year’s team. 

“It’s a pretty young team,” Nichols said. “We have one senior, but it’s really cool to see the spread of younger players coming up. They can learn and we also have the returners for some of those top flights.”

Golfers make use of dome to start season

    Rhinelander freshman CJ Sparks chips while Hodag golf coach Adam Schmidt watches during practice in the Hodag Dome Monday, March 30. (Bob Mainhardt for the River News)
  

It will likely take a couple of more weeks for the Rhinelander High School golf team to get outdoors, compared to their tennis counterparts. Luckily, the Hodags have plenty of room to spread out in the dome in the meantime. 

The team was able to practice putting, and use foam balls to work on their short game. Thanks to the dome’s two golf simulators, they were able to work on their full swings as well.

“Really, we’ve got a great opportunity here to have this practice facility,” coach Adam Schmidt said. “Today we just picked our 150-yard club. Just want to see some of the kids’ swings, worked on some of their swings, let them hit range balls, and then worked on indoor chipping. Pretty much what we all we can do in here, but that’s nice because there’s a lot of schools that are up north that can’t do a whole lot else.”

Schmidt has a couple of extra helpers this season to work with the squad of 13 golfers. Todd Anderson, who assisted Schmidt with the girls’ golf program last fall, has come on board as a volunteer assistant and Bryce Dresen, a student-teacher in the district, is helping the team as well.

“It’s always good to have just more guys looking around and extra help,” Schmidt said.

The Hodags bring back four players with varsity experience from a season ago and are relatively young overall with only two seniors on the roster. Rhinelander’s season opener earlier than it has in the past, with the team traveling to Wisconsin Dells for a two-day invite April 13-14. That will likely be a busy week for the Hodags in the Dells, who will play the GNC Open there April 16-17. 

While it will likely be a stretch to see courses in the Northwoods open by then, Schmidt said a few of his players have already gone south to play, which is good considering the short run-up into the season.

“It’s coming up quick. I feel like it’s earlier. I feel like in past years, we had more time to practice before our first match. This year, I feel like that’s like two weeks,” he said. “That’s enough time. And especially with bringing back four guys and having a bunch of guys that have played golf before.”

Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].