Rapids’ hot shooting dooms Hodags
Rhinelander fell to 0-5 against the WVC on Tuesday night as Wisconsin Rapids hit 14 3-pointers and used a 23-4 run midway through the second half to pull away for a 74-66 victory at the Jim Miazga Community Gymnasium.
Hodag Hoops edges away from Antigo
Devon Feck scored 18 points off the bench and Will Gretzinger added 16 as the Hodags defeated Antigo 60-45 in a Great Northern Conference contest at Sheldon Fieldhouse in Antigo.
Hodag swimmers pick up wins over Ashwaubenon, Tomahawk, Medford
The Hodags defeated Tomahawk 112-30 and Medford 111-41 in a Great Northern Conference double dual at Tomahawk on Thursday and returned home Friday to defeat Ashwaubenon 99-70 in non-conference competition at the Heck Family Community Pool.
Hodag hockey falls in OT to East/Merrill
Zach Pagel scored four times, including the game-winner on the power play 1:58 into overtime, as Wausau East/Merrill up ended the Hodags 6-5 in Merrill.
Hodag Nordic skiers compete in Iola
The Hodags had seven racers take to the trails of Iola Winter Sports Club for the freestyle portion of the Iola Invite on Saturday.
Rhinelander’s Kurtz reaches 100-win plateau
Hodags drop home duals, take 17th in Wausau
Owen Kurtz, wrestling in his final home meet, reached the 100-win milestone on Thursday as the Hodags dropped a pair of dual meets, first to Tomahawk 54-30 and then to Wausau East 48-24, at the Jim Miazga Community Gymnasium.
Hodags gymnasts drop GNC Small dual to Antigo 117.4-106.2
The Rhinelander High School gymnastics team has closed the gap on perennial Great Northern Conference front runner Antigo, but it wasn’t quite enough to pull off a dual meet victory on Tuesday.
Hodag boys’ bowlers fall to Marshfield in rolloff
The Rhinelander/Tomahawk boys’ club bowling team lost a five-frame rolloff with Marshfield 134-94 after rallying to what it thought was a 4 1/2-4 1/2 tie during rounds 7 and 8 of the D9 dual meet season at Dale’s Weston Lanes.
100 for the record books
Hodags’ Belanger notches milestone goal in 3-2 loss to Kingsford
Rhinelander's Joey Belanger scored his 100th career goal, but it was not quite enough as the Hodags fell to the Kingsford Flivvers 3-2 on the road in a non-conference contest.
Hodag hockey fades late against Mosinee
Belanger scores 99th goal in defeat
Despite being heavily outshot, the Rhinelander High School boys’ hockey team nearly played even with Mosinee through two periods on Thursday night. Mosinee’s constant pressure, however, was too much for the Hodags to withstand.
Hodag swimmers mix things up in Antigo win
Rhinelander mixed up the lineup and swam some events unconventionally as they earned a 104-52 victory on the road at Antigo.
Race season finally begins for Hodag Nordic
The Hodag Nordic ski team had its first race of the season, competing in the Seeley Hills Classic held at the American Birkebeiner Trailhead in Cable.
RHS wrestlers back in GNC win column
After a winless dual meet season in 2022-23, the Rhinelander High School wrestling team got back on the good side of the win-loss column in GNC play on Thursday night, and was not far away from repeating the feat twice over.
Everest uses late first surge to down Hodag hockey 4-3
Four shaky minutes of hockey for Rhinelander late in the first period ultimately proved to be the difference in a home loss on Tuesday night. The Hodags surrendered three goals in the final 4:20 of the opening stanza and fell to D.C. Everest 4-3 at the Rhinelander Ice Arena.
Hodag Hoops falls to Mosinee 70-58 in first-place battle
Landen Thomer had 17 points and 12 rebounds, leading four Mosinee players who scored in double figures, as the Indians edged the Hodags 70-58 at the Jim Miazga Community Gymnasium.
Lakeland rolls Lady Hodags in first-place battle
Kristina Ouimette led four T-Birds in double figures and Lakeland blitzed Rhinelander 77-34 in a battle of GNC girls’ basketball unbeatens in Minocqua.
Hodags swimmers take 2nd in Ashwaubenon
The Hodags won six events and took second place overall in the 12-team Jaguar Invite at Ashwaubenon High School. The performance came on the heels of Rhinelander sweeping a double dual from Medford and Shawano/Seymour at home on Thursday.
Hodag wrestlers take 18th in Merrill
After an unplanned and extended holiday layoff, the Rhinelander High School wrestling team finally got back on the mat Saturday, finishing 18th in the 26-team Bluejay Challenge in Merrill.
Hodag hockey cruises past Medford
Rhinelander’s top line could not be stopped on Thursday night. Gavin Denis, Joey Belanger and Dylan Shefveland combined for six goals and seven assists and the Hodag boys’ hockey team defeated the Medford Raiders 7-2 in Great Northern Conference play.
Hodags stuff T-Birds in 79-54 win
RHS tied for first in GNC entering Mosinee showdown at home tonight
Truman Lamers scored 22 points, Will Gretzinger added 21 and the Hodags pulled away in the second half to a 79-54 win at Lakeland in a battle of Great Northern Conference unbeatens.
Hodag gymnasts improve to start 2024
Time put in over the holiday break appeared to paid dividends for the Rhinelander High School gymnastics team in its first two meets of the new calendar year. Rhinelander came out of the gates with its two highest scores of the season in meets this past Thursday and Saturday, including a performance that was the team’s best since 2021.
Hodag Hoops relies on defense in 54-32 win at Ashland
The Rhinelander High School boys’ basketball team was in an offensive funk for most of the second half on the road Thursday night at Ashland. Luckily for the Hodags they had built enough of a cushion, and played strong enough defensively, to withstand the swoon.
Team Preview: RHS/NPHS Alpine Skiing
Hodag Alpine eager to hit the slopes
The Rhinelander/Northland Pines Alpine ski and snowboard team will have a tough act to follow after its 2023 season, but will look to continue its winning ways as the calendar hits 2024 and the racing season officially begins.
Wolter to step down as RHS volleyball coach
After three successive seasons that were better than the previous one, a rebuilding Rhinelander High School volleyball team is once again in search of a new head coach. Dan Wolter informed the team and RHS activities director Brian Paulson that he will step down from the head coaching position for the 2023-24 season.
Clark scores 41 on record night
Freshman sets single game 3s mark, RHS downs Ashland 75-39
Aubryn Clark finished with 41 points, including a school-record nine 3-pointers, as the Hodags defeated Ashland 75-39 Thursday night on the road.
WIAA D2 boys’ swim state meet top local game of 2023
As seems to happen every year, whittling this year’s list of top games down to 10, and then putting them in order becomes the difficult part. That’s a good problem to have as it means that, once again, there were many memorable moments in Rhinelander sports this year.
2023: YEAR OF THE HODAGS
State championships for Rhinelander swim teams named top sports story of 2023
The success of the Hodag boys’ and girls’ swim teams was a runaway choice to lead our list of the top 10 local sports story of 2023. Though each team’s path to state glory was different, there was plenty of commonality between the two.
RHS boys 11th, girls 15th at Hodag Scramble
Four make podium in home meet
The Rhinelander High School wrestling team welcomed 28 schools to the Hodag Dome on Thursday for the third annual Hodag Scramble. Rhinelander finished in the middle of the pack among those teams, taking 15th out of 26 in the boys’ division and 11th out of 15 in the girls’ division.
Hodag Hoops unable to close out late at Merrill
For the second time in three nights, the Rhinelander High School boys’ basketball team was unable to make plays down the stretch in a tight non-conference contest.
Hodag hockey falls at Marshfield 4-1
The Rhinelander High School boys’ hockey team once again found itself in a tight game in the third period on Thursday night, but was unable to come away with a win.
Lady Hodags respond in 73-45 win over Merrill
Rhinelander shot 54% from the field and hit 14 3-pointers, while limiting Merrill to under 32% shooting, as it cruised to a 73-45 victory in a non-conference contest at the Jim Miazga Community Gymnasium.
Lady Hodags unable to hold on vs. No. 1 Assumption
Wisconsin Rapids Assumption finished the game on a 20-6 run and defeated the Hodags 60-46 at the Jim Miazga Community Gymnasium.
RHS gymnasts shine on vault in dual meet loss to Ashland
It’s been a long time since Rhinelander was even with perennial gymnastics power Ashland in any event. The Hodags were the Oredockers equal on vault Tuesday night.
Hodag boys’ bowlers claim both matches
The Rhinelander/Tomahawk boys’ high school club bowling team showed on Sunday that it is starting to get comfortable in tight matches.
Hodag Hoops blitzes Tomahawk 69-26
Will Gretzinger scored 25 points, Caden Sieker added a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds, and the Hodags cruised to a 69-26 victory in Great Northern Conference play at Hatchet Fieldhouse.
Hodag swimmers drop Antigo, hit the break undefeated in GNC
The Rhinelander High School boys’ swim team cruised to yet another easy victory on Thursday in Great Northern Conference competition. The Hodags won all 11 events and beat Antigo 104-49 at the Heck Family Community Pool.
Hodag wrestlers go 1-3 in dual meets
After going winless in dual meets during the 2022-23 season, the Rhinelander High School wrestling team finally got back into the win column on Friday night. The Hodags got three pins and received three forfeit victories, which was just enough to edge Amherst 36-30 as part of a triangular meet in Amherst.
Lady Hodags pull away from Tomahawk in 69-22 win
The Hodags overcame a sluggish start and rode a game-high 32 points from freshman Aubryn Clark to a 69-22 win at the Jim Miazga Community Gymnasium.
Hodag swim sweeps Shawano/Seymour, now 3-0 in GNC
The Hodags won all 11 events, and had all nine of their swimmers contribute to at least one victory, in a 107-43 win on the road at Shawano/Seymour.
Hodag bowling teams suffer close defeats
Both of the Hodag club bowling teams suffered close losses on Sunday during Rounds 3 and 4 of Wisconsin High School Bowling Club District 9 competition in Weston.
Hodag Hoops holds off Chargers 55-47 for non-conference road win
Truman Lamers led three Hodags in double digits with 16 points Monday night, and Evan Shoeder made a pair of key layups down the stretch, as Rhinelander snuck by Wittenberg-Birnamwood 55-47 in the Hodags’ first road game of the season.
Hodag gymnasts take 5th in home debut
The Hodags were in the middle of the pack among GNC Small teams and finished fifth overall in the seven-team Snowflake Invite at the YMCA of the Northwoods.
Hodag wrestlers take 9th in Rebel Invite
Kurtz wins second straight title
The Rhinelander High School wrestling team had three placewinners among the nine wrestlers it had competing on Saturday as it tied for ninth in the 22-team Rebel Invite hosted by Laona/Wabeno/Three Lakes at the Forest County Potawatomi Community Center in Crandon.
Lady Hodags overcome cold shooting, squeak past Eagles
Aubryn Clark had 20 points and Morgan Van Zile added a career-high 19 as the Lady Hodags slipped past Northland Pines 52-45 in Eagle River.
Merrill moves closer to joining GNC full time
The WIAA’s Conference Realignment Task Force this past Wednesday unanimously accepted Merrill’s request to move from the Wisconsin Valley Conference and join the Great Northern Conference beginning in the 2025-26 school year.
A moment in the sun
SDR Special Olympics bowlers honored for successful 2023 season
A group of athletes marched proudly down the halls of Rhinelander High School Thursday afternoon and then hopped on a bus for a celebratory escort through downtown.
Third-period lapse bites Hodag hockey at Pacelli
In what seemed like a blink of an eye Tuesday night, the Rhinelander High School boys’ hockey team went from being tied with Pacelli to facing an insurmountable third-period deficit.
Team Preview: RHS gymnastics
Hodags set to show off new facility, young squad
Tomorrow will be a big day for the Rhinelander High School gymnastics program. Not only will several gymnasts make their high school debuts, the Hodags will get a chance to showcase their new facility — one they hope will pay dividends for the future of the program.
Big run propels Lady Hodags past Antigo
The Hodags slammed the door with a 25-2 run midway through the first half and cruised to a 66-45 victory over the Robins at the Jim Miazga Community Gymnasium.
Hodag swimmers win GNC double dual, Wis. Rapids Invite
Rhinelander took 10 of 11 events as it beat both Tomahawk and Medford in a Great Northern Conference double dual in Medford on Thursday. The Hodags then turned around and won nine events Saturday to claim the five-team Wisconsin Rapids Invite.