Team review: RHS wrestling

Comparing the 2025-26 season to the 2024-25 season, the end results were just about the same, if not slightly better, for the Rhinelander High School wrestling teams.

The Hodag boys finished fifth in the Great Northern Conference a season ago. Collectively, the Hodag boys’ and girls’ squads had six all-conference honorees last year, three sectional qualifiers and one state qualifier. 

This year, the Hodag boys were fifth once again at conference while the Hodag girls were 10th in the inaugural conference meet. Rhinelander had four wrestlers finish in the top eight at sectionals and once again, had one state qualifier. 

“If you look back at last year, we had really high-end seniors that did the place winning at the conference tournament and those types of things,” Hodag boys’ coach Scottie Arneson said. “And this year, our younger group, and inexperienced group, was able to fill those spots and keep us on the same track.” 

On the girls’ side, numbers increased as that part of the program continues to grow.

“This was the first year for girls’ wrestling that we split off the boys’ team and we started doing our own practices, and I think all of our girls would say that that was a positive,” coach Caleb Radtke said during the team’s banquet. “We doubled in team size from last year.”

Here are five storylines from the recently completed season.

Lindner’s run

By far the highlight of the season on either side was the run that junior Cassidy Lindner made all the way to the Kohl Center in Madison for the WIAA state tournament.

Lindner went 50-8 on the season, was the champion at 120 pounds in the inaugural Great Northern/Wisconsin Valley Conference tournament, won a WIAA regional title and finished second at sectionals to punch her ticket to Madison in just her second season in the sport. 

Though Lindner’s state run ended in a pair of defeats in the preliminary rounds, Radtke said her ascension from beginner to state qualifier has been remarkable.

“It’s just very impressive what she’s done over the past year and a half. I would say probably all these girls that are in this bracket have probably been wrestling for 10-plus years, and she was able to do it in a year and a half,” he said. “Kudos to her, I think it speaks to her hard work, and determination to get there.”

Girls’ team

Lindner led the charge for the Hodags, who in addition to placing 10th in the inaugural GNC/WVC meet, were fourth in their nine-team WIAA regional. 

The Hodags had five wrestlers who competed on a consistent basis. The lone senior of that group was Nevaeh Anderson, a first-year wrestler who went 10-18 on the year and finished fourth at regionals at 145 pounds. 

Junior Syklar Leitl and freshman Katie Hazelton both were one win away from advancing to the sectional round of the WIAA tournament. Leitl finished third at 152 pounds at regionals, going 17-34 on the year while Hazelton (19-22) was third at 132. Sophomore Miranda Daab (8-36) was fourth at 235. 

“Skylar put together a really nice day. She was in the wrestleback match to go and she at least put herself in a spot to sectionals. It was some of the best wrestling we’ve seen out of her, which was exciting,” Radtke said. “Obviously Nevaeh’s a senior, so we’re going to be sad to see her go. But I’m glad she came out. I think she had a lot of fun this season. She was a good part of the team,” Radtke said. “Katie had a good season. Unfortunately, just wasn’t able to wrestle on (to sectionals). Two pretty good girls in her bracket. And then Miranda, another good season out of her. Hopefully we can put a little bit of work in this off season with these girls and be ready to go again for next year and see some improvement.”

Battling in the GNC

The Hodag boys had to start their conference season against the teams that finished first and second in the standings — Merrill and Tomahawk. 

The Hodags had one fewer win in dual meet play this season, giving the Handrick Hammer back to Lakeland after defeating the T-Birds a season ago. The highlight of the regular season was a 46-24 win over Medford in a GNC dual Jan. 22 in Rhinelander. The Hodags won five of the nine contested bouts that night and were able to fill more spots in the lineup than the Raiders.

“I think that was as a whole was the best night that we’ve wrestled in probably years,” Arneson said afterward. “I don’t know if that was the level of competition, but sometimes, just being able to go out there and open up, makes it look like, we’re outmatching people. I think our kids went out there and fought really hard.”

Rhinelander finished fifth out of seven teams in the conference tournament after taking fifth out of six teams a year prior.

“It was about what I would have expected,” Arneson said. “Any other week we would have our full (lineup), so hopefully (at sectionals) we get the guys back in the lineup. We had a little bit of illness last week, which stunk because I think maybe we could have snuck up another (place), but, overall, I think it was a good day for us.”

Boys’ team

    In this Feb. 14, 2026 file photo, Rhinelander’s Ivan Loka, top, grapples with Tomahawk’s Dane Islo during a WIAA Division 2 sectional wrestling tournament in Antigo. Loka (27-16) had the most wins for the Hodag boys this season. (Brett LaBore/Lakeland Times)
  

Junior Ivan Loka had the most decorated season for the Hodags. He went 27-16 on the season and placed second in the GNC at 132 pounds in the WIAA’s new super-sectional format for the boys’ wrestling tournament, Loka was one of only three Hodags to make it out of the preliminary rounds and into the top eight — akin to qualifying for sectionals in the old regional-sectional format. 

“It was his most disciplined day for sure,” Arneson said after Loka took second at conference, falling to Merrill’s Brett Suchocki in the championship match. “There were moments where you could see that he was trying to go back to his old ways of just trying to force stuff instead of just wrestling and letting the match go as it should.”

Senior Anthony Boldt (21-14) was the only other Hodag to both earn all-conference honors and make it to the top eight at sectionals. He placed third at 150 at conference and scored Rhinelander’s best finish at sectionals, taking fifth. 

“Tony put together his best day in his high school career, and that’s what we shoot for,” Arneson said after the conference meet. “We’re not trying to be our best as a freshman or sophomore. Our goal is to be our best by our senior year, and he’s showing that this is his year, which is an awesome thing.”

Heavyweight Brock Sternitzky (12-10) was Rhinelander’s lone other top-eight finisher at sectionals, taking seventh while Hoyt Dantoin earned all-conference honors with a runner-up finish at 138.

What’s next

Neither team is slated to lose much to graduation. Boldt was the lone senior on the boys’ side while Anderson was the only senior on the girls’ side. 

With nine of the 10 wrestlers who competed at sectionals returning, Arneson said the Hodags could take a big jump after finishing 14th at sectionals. His goal is to jump into the top six at the individual sectional tournament, which would give the Hodags a spot in the team sectional tournament. 

“That is the grand goal, and looking at who we have returning and what we have coming up in middle school, I don’t necessarily think we’re too far off on the boys’ end,” he said. “The qualifiers for the team sectional are the top six at your sectional, and I really don’t think we’re too far off, with the group that we have coming back next year.”

Lindner will lead the Hodag girls and will start 2026-27 just 26 wins away from 100 for her career. At the team’s banquet, Radtke said girls’ wrestling will continue to expand next year, with the GNC/WVC looking to add a dual meet element to its conference format. 

“I think hopefully we can just keep this momentum going,” he said. “Like I said, I think there’s a lot of growth, and I think I think girls’ wrestling as a whole is going to keep moving forward, especially in Rhinelander here. So it’s exciting to see what can keep coming.”

Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].