Rhinelander volleyball fends off Prentice in five sets
The Hodags maximized their intake of volleyball and then some with an extra-point fourth set en route to a 14-25, 25-21, 25-23, 28-30, 15-10 victory over the Buccaneers.
RHS tennis vaults into GNC lead with wins at Newman, Merrill
The Rhinelander High School girls’ tennis team vaulted into first place in the Great Northern Conference race with a pair of road victories against Wausau Newman and Merrill on Thursday, Sept. 17.
RHS girls’ tennis finds groove with win over Pacelli
Key Lakeland match looming Sept. 24
The Rhinelander High School girls’ tennis team stayed undefeated in conference duals with a 5-2 victory over Stevens Point Pacelli on Tuesday at the RHS tennis courts.
RHS spikers drop home opener to Antigo
After a non-conference weekend battling in some close sets, the Rhinelander High School volleyball team was back in GNC action against Antigo. The Hodags fell three sets to one against the Red Robins at Jim Miazga Community Gymnasium in Rhinelander on Tuesday.
Hodag boys’ soccer downs Medford
The Rhinelander High School boys’ soccer team picked up its first Great Northern Conference of the season win over Medford on youth night at Mike Webster Stadium Thursday, Sept. 10. They bested the Red Raiders 2-1 and were less than two minutes away from a shutout.
In it to win it
Hodag volleyball downs Tomahawk in 5 sets, claims first GNC victory since 2024
After nearly a two-year hiatus, the Rhinelander High School volleyball squad earned a Great Northern Conference win over Tomahawk Tuesday night at Hatchet Fieldhouse in Tomahawk.
Deer archery and crossbow opens Saturday
The statewide archery and crossbow deer season begins tomorrow, Sept. 12 and concludes Jan. 3, 2027. On the Fall Hunting Forecast webpage distributed by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR), interim deer program specialist, Derek Johnson, said “the deer herd going into the fall looks to be strong and healthy” for the Northern District.
RHS boys’ soccer drops GNC opener 8-2 to Lakeland
The Rhinelander High School boys’ soccer team showed spurts of life against Lakeland in its Great Northern Conference opener, but ultimately fell 8-2 at IncredibleBank Field in Minocqua Sept. 3.
RNC mountain bike team races to season start
The Rhinelander Northwoods Composite Mountain Bike Team (RNC) welcomes another fall season with five scheduled competitions throughout the state, including one here in Rhinelander. The RNC is comprised of middle school and high school students from Rhinelander, Tomahawk, Lakeland, Northland Pines, Three Lakes, Crandon, and Phelps, the team’s Facebook page says.
Team Preview: RHS Cross country
Hodag harriers look to stride to the top with veteran experience
The Rhinelander High School cross country team looks to benefit from recent youthful years as it starts the 2026 season.
Hodag girls’ tennis wins 3 of 5 in Wausau
The Rhinelander High School girls’ tennis team concluded its opening non-conference slate with a two-day invite at Wausau West High School Aug. 24-25, winning three of its five matches.
Expressions on Boom Lake
The Rhinelander Area Chapter of Let’s Go Fishing is winding down on its summer outings, but a few of those who wanted to squeeze the last bit of summer out of its fishing fun and boating bonanzas did so on Aug. 17 on Boom Lake in Rhinelander.
Team Preview: RHS volleyball
Young Hodag squad preps at scrimmage
After a season filled with numerous types of adversity, the Rhinelander High School volleyball team looks to improve during its 2026 campaign. That process began with a four-match scrimmage at Northland Pines on Saturday.
PHOTOS: Packers continue with training camp prep
The Green Bay Packers continued preparations for the regular season with NFL training camp practice Sunday, Aug. 16 at Ray Nitschke Field in Ashwaubenon.
Girls’ tennis back in action
The Rhinelander High School girls’ tennis team held its first day of practice at the RHS tennis courts on Monday.
Hodag Challenge 2026 sees jump in shooters
The Hodag Sports Club pulled in shooters from across the midwest and beyond for the 2026 Hodag Challenge July 18 and 19. This years Hodag Challenge marked just the second time Rhinelander individually hosted the event. In the past, the club hosted it with the Wausau Skeet and Trap Club.
Otto reflects on community relationships as a warden in the Northwoods
At the intersection of conversation and dead end roads, there are connections. Connections are what can build trust, and some may say they’re what brings dawn to the duck blind. Long-time Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) warden, Tim Otto, has driven down countless roads in nearly 27 years with the department, but one sticky memory boiled to his attention as he underlined the importance of community relationships and connections.
Train locally, compete (inter)nationally
Saoirse Cichy represents the Northwoods on many stages
Earlier this summer, Saoirse Cichy traveled to Lithuania as the youngest member on Team USA Federation of Pankration Athlima (FPA). After she returned to the United States, Cichy went to South Carolina to compete in the Global Association of Mixed Martial Arts (GAMMA) Youth National Tournament.
Snowhawks edged by Chicago All-Stars
The Lake Tomahawk Snowhawks were defeated 16-9 by the Chicago All-Stars Saturday during their annual Independence Day showdown at Snowshoe Park.
High Gun awards sent downrange for RHS trap team
The Rhinelander High School trap team capped off its season after 14 athletes competed at the state trap singles event at the Wisconsin Trapshooting Association Homegrounds in Nekoosa on June 19. The team awarded “High Gun” honors to five Hodags at the end of the season, and coach Phil Kriesel highlighted some other bullseyes from the season.
State approves zero doe quota for DMU 116
Youth antlerless harvest still authorized
The Natural Resources Board (NRB) approved the final quotas and season structure for the 2026 deer season on June 24 during a meeting in Black River Falls.
team review: rhs girls’ soccer
Chemistry crosses the field throughout ‘a heck of a year’
The Rhinelander High School girls’ soccer team finished the year with a deep WIAA Division 3 tournament run, finding itself in the sectional final game for the first time since 2018.
Rebels drop a pair of games in Merrill
The Rhinelander Post 7 Rebels lost back-to-back games at Athletic Park in Merrill last Saturday, June 27. The Rebels fell 17-1 in five innings to Northwoods in game one, and 14-5 to host Merrill in game two of the Merrill Legion Post 46 Baseball Tournament.
Team review: RHS baseball
Hodags strike conference title, learn lesson in playoffs
Just over two weeks after securing the outright Great Northern Conference championship for the first time since 2012, the Rhinelander High School baseball team lost their opening playoff contest as 9-seed Bloomer came to town and sneaked past the Hodags, 5-4.
Team Review: RHS softball
Hodag fastpitch finishes another year heading in the right direct
The Rhinelander High School softball team ended the season with an improved record from the two seasons prior, going 10-15 on the year and 4-9 in the Great Northern Conference. Last season, the Hodags went 2-10 in conference and 5-16 overall, while 2024 produced a 1-11 GNC record (1-16 overall).
Early boot not enough for Hodags in sectional final
RICE LAKE — The Rhinelander High School girls’ soccer team came up short of a state tournament birth in a 3-1 WIAA Division 3 sectional final loss to Rice Lake at Pug Lund Field and Dairy State Bank Stadium in Rice Lake on Saturday.
Third time the charm for Hodag girls vs. Lakeland
MINOCQUA — To reach Saturday’s sectional final, the Rhinelander High School girls’ soccer team had to vanquish a very familiar foe.
River News sports editor Mayo, cameraman Mainhardt into Hodag Hall of Fame
With more than half a century of combined sports coverage, longtime Rhinelander community members and River News contributors, Bob Mainhardt and Jeremy Mayo, were inducted into the Rhinelander Athletic Booster Club (ABC) Hodag Hall of Fame at the annual banquet on May 20.
RHS girls’ soccer wins regional championship
Lamers returns in Hodags’ PK win over Ashland
The Rhinelander High School girls’ soccer team won its first WIAA regional championship since 2023 at Mike Webster Stadium on Saturday. The Hodags outlasted Ashland in penalty kicks 4-3 to advance to the sectional semifinal against Lakeland on Thursday.
Bloomer blues
Top-seeded Hodag baseball upset in regional semis
The Rhinelander High School baseball team lost 5-4 in the WIAA regional semifinal to the Bloomer Blackhawks at Stafford Field on June 2. The top-seeded Hodags got off to a shaky start against 9-seed Bloomer and weren’t able to get over the hump after a four-run Bloomer fourth inning.
Top-seeded Hodag baseball to play Bloomer in playoff opener
Postseason run begins with regional rounds today and tomorrow
After finishing 16-2 on the regular season, the Rhinelander High School baseball team got the top seed in the WIAA regional bracket and will play Bloomer at Stafford Field today at 5 p.m.
RHS girls’ soccer starts playoffs with Antigo Thursday night
The Rhinelander High School girls’ soccer team rides a 12-4-0 (10-2-0-0 GNC) regular season record into the postseason that begins on June 4. The Hodags earned the two seed, and will play 7-seed Antigo (2-12-2, 0-10-0-2 GNC) at Mike Webster Stadium on Thursday.
11 late runs spell demise for RHS fastpitch in playoffs
Paulson homers in 12-10 loss to Antigo
The losses in the latter half of the season for the Rhinelander High School softball team nearly all had the same storyline — one inning with errors allowed the opposition to come back or gave them enough of a buffer to hold the Hodags off the rest of the game.
Rhinelander native Wittock last surviving member of historic Wayne State basketball team
To this day, Wayne State University has only won a single National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I men’s basketball tournament game, which came in historic fashion in 1956. Rhinelander’s Mark Wittock, 91, witnessed the game first hand as a player on the team.
RHS girls’ soccer strikes four times against Mosinee
With an eventual start to parents night moved in the Hodag Dome, the Rhinelander High School girls’ soccer team was able to win its final regular season game as they defeated Mosinee 4-0 on Tuesday.
Sweeter by the dozen
RHS boys’ tennis seals the deal on record-setting 12th straight GNC title
In terms of dominating its peers in a single sport, the Rhinelander High School boys’ tennis team stands alone in the annals of the Great Northern Conference.
RHS girls’ soccer beats Medford 2-0
The Rhinelander High School girls’ soccer team raided Medford’s net for a 2-0 win on Thursday, May 21 at Mike Webster Stadium in Rhinelander. The Hodags outshot Medford 18-2 in the shutout victory.
RHS baseball wins GNC outright
Waksmonski collects 200th career win
The Rhinelander High School baseball team claimed the Great Northern title outright with a 3-2 walk-off win over Lakeland on May 18 at Stafford Field in Rhinelander. A sacrifice fly from Vince White allowed Jackson Waydick to tag from third base and score the outright conference championship clinching run. Head coach Joe Waksmonski also secured his 200th career win with the victory.
Girls’ soccer dominates at Antigo
The Rhinelander High School girls’ soccer team dominated Antigo 14-0 at Antigo High School on May 19. They scored early and often to outlast the Red Robins.
RHS trap team shoots at Northwoods Invitational
HARSHAW — The Rhinelander High School trap team shot in the 17-team Northwoods Invitational May 15-17 in Harshaw and Minocqua. An event that offered opportunities for athletes to shoot trap singles, trap doubles, skeet, and sporting clays, the competition was split between the Harshaw Sports Club and the Minocqua Gun Club to accommodate all athletes from 17 teams.
Hodag softball looks toward regionals
Rhinelander to play Antigo May 26
After a lopsided loss to Mosinee at Haug Diamond Thursday, May 14, the Rhinelander High School softball team will now look to their first playoff game against Antigo on May 26.
Midges emerge in Northwoods
Joining the warmer weather, insects have started to emerge, and among them are various species of midges. The short-lived midges swarm along our lakes and provide an important food source for the rest of the environment.
RHS baseball clinches share of first GNC title since 2012
White homers, Ks 11 in 3-1 win over Merrill
For the first time since 2012, the Rhinelander High School baseball team has clinched a share of the Great North Conference title. The Hodags locked up the crown with three games to spare on Monday, securing a 3-1 win over the Merrill Bluejays at Athletic Park in Merrill.
RHS softball drops two GNC games
Hodags no-hit by Medford’s Hraby
The Rhinelander High School softball team dropped a pair of conference games early this week. On Monday they traveled to Medford and lost to the Red Raiders 11-0. At home on Haug Diamond on Tuesday, the Hodags committed six errors in their 8-4 loss to Merrill.
Early and late scoring enough to keep No. 2 Hodag baseball undefeated
The Rhinelander High School baseball team continued its undefeated season with a pair of road wins early this week. The first came over non-conference Wausau East at Wausau East High School on Monday by a score of 9-2. On Tuesday, GNC opponent Antigo fell to the Hodags 4-1 at Kretz Brothers Park in Antigo.
RHS softball falls to Antigo
The Rhinelander High School softball team was defeated by Antigo 10-0 at Al Remington Ball Field on May 5.
RHS baseball sweeps Tomahawk
Rappley throws no-hitter one day, Hodags win in nine the next
The offense of the Rhinelander High School baseball team proved two runs too many for the Tomahawk Hatchets in each game of their back-to-back series Thursday, April 30 and Friday, May 1.
One inning spoils late-game comeback from Hodag softball
The Rhinelander High School softball team was again plagued by one inning of breakaway scoring by the opposition, this time coming from the Tomahawk Hatchets at Tomahawk High School on April 30. Even after a late rally by the Hodags, the Hatchets had enough of a buffer early in the game to walk away with a 9-6 win.
Hodag girls’ soccer takes down Medford to get back in win column
After traveling to Menomonee Falls to gain experience against the talents of Cedarburg and Menomonee Falls, the Rhinelander High School girls’ soccer team found the win column again when they traveled to Medford to take on the Red Raiders in a GNC matchup on April 28. Up 1-0 at half, the Hodags scored three times in the second and cruised to a 4-1 win.
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