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.
Hodag boys 10th, girls 6th at John Roberts Scramble
Kurtz, Swanson win individual weight classes
The Hodag boys finished 10th and the Hodag girls were sixth in their respective divisions at the John Roberts Scramble in Antigo — a meet that featured 16 teams on the boys’ side and 13 teams on the girls’ side.
Hatchets overpower Hodags in GNC opener
The Rhinelander High School boys’ hockey team was unable to slow down Tomahawk’s high-powered attack Thursday night in the Great Northern Conference opener.
Hodags Hoops wears down Antigo
RHS takes GNC opener 56-34
Rhinelander put the clamps on Antigo defensively and got a 19-point effort from senior Will Gretzinger in a 56-34 victory over the Robins to open Great Northern Conference play at the Jim Miazga Community Gymnasium.
Hodag hockey splits games at Amery tourney
The Rhinelander High School boys’ hockey team took its lumps against one of the top Division 2 programs in the state last Friday, but bounced back Saturday to salvage a split of its games in the Amery Holiday Tournament.
Kislow tourney: RHS downs Athens, falls in OT to Everest
The Rhinelander High School girls’ basketball team won one game, and was perhaps a play or two away from winning both last weekend at the Tom Kislow Memorial Tournament at D.C. Everest.
The best seats in the house
Rhinelander crew officiates WIAA D2 state title game
An all-Rhinelander crew, led by referee Jeff Welk, officiated WIAA Division 2 football state title game between Waunakee and Badger at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison last month.
Hodag hockey pulls away from Shawano in opener
Gavin Denis and Joey Belanger each scored twice in the game and the Hodags used three third-period goals to pull away from Shawano in a 5-1 win at the Rhinelander Ice Arena.
Hodags swimmers place 5 in top 10 at Everest Pentathlon
Despite graduating six seniors from last season’s WIAA Division 2 state championship squad, the Rhinelander High School boys’ swim team showed last Tuesday it still has plenty of versatility entering the 2023-24 campaign.
Team review: RHS girls’ swimming
Hodags turn in season for the ages in state title run
This year’s Hodag swim team set the bar so high it will likely be the standard bearer for years, if not decades, to come.
Team review: RHS boys’ soccer
2023 a year of transition for Hodag soccer
It was always going to be a tough ask for the Rhinelander High School boys’ soccer team to repeat is magical run to the 2022 WIAA Division 3 state tournament. Having graduated 11 seniors from that squad, and experiencing changes in the coaching staff, the Hodags never could quite recapture the mojo that led to the first state tournament appearance in program history.
Team review: RHS girls’ swimming
Hodags turn in season for the ages in state title run
When addressing the Rhinelander High School girls’ swim team after its WIAA Division 2 state championship, city administrator Patrick Reagan delivered a line that resonated through the Jim Miazga Community Gymnasium.
Rice Lake, Sheplee sisters, roll past Lady Hodags
Sisters Eliana and Adeline Sheplee combined to score 46 points, leading three Warriors in double digits as Rice Lake raced past Rhinelander 81-34 at the Jim Miazga Community Gymnasium.
Team preview: RHS boys’ basketball
Hodag Hoops striving to get back to top of GNC
Save a Cinderella run to the sectional semifinals in 2022, the last five years have been pretty lean for the Rhinelander High School boys’ basketball team compared to its lofty standards. Despite that, coach Derek Lemmens said he believes his team has the pieces to contend for its first GNC title since the 2017-18 season.
Team preview: RHS boys’ swimming
Defending state champs have tough act to follow
After winning the WIAA Division 2 state title last season, and watching their female counterparts do the same earlier this month, the natural question to ask is what exactly will the Rhinelander High School boys’ swim team do for an encore.
Team Preview: RHS boys’ hockey
The Rhinelander High School boys’ hockey team has been used to success on the ice the last several years — with double-digit wins and at least one WIAA tournament win in each of the past six seasons. However the 2023-24 season figures to be a learning experience for a relatively young group.
‘Hodag proud forever’
State champion swimmers lauded with pep rally, city proclamation
The newly-crowned WIAA Division 2 girls' swim state champions from Rhinelander were honored with a pep assembly Monday morning in front of the RHS student body and presented ceremonial keys to the city as mayor Kris Hanus proclaimed it Rhinelander High School Girls’ Swim Team Day in the city.
Shoutouts & Callouts: RHS girls’ swim team get its moment in the sun
The Hodags went from winning the WIAA Division 2 state championship last Friday night, to being celebrated with a police escort and mini parade downtown Saturday afternoon, to being honored by the high school and the city in a pep assembly on Monday. It was a celebration long overdue for the girls through no fault of their own.
Hodag bowlers kick off season
The Rhinelander area high and middle school club blowing teams kicked off Wisconsin High School Bowling Club District 9 competition on Sunday with matches at Dale’s Weston Lanes.
Team Review: RHS cross country
Hodag harriers lay foundation for strong 2024
The Rhinelander High School cross country team did not have a representative at the WIAA state meet this year but it hopes it has set a foundation to make another run toward sending individuals or a team to Wisconsin Rapids in 2024.
Winter practice notebook
Hodag Hoops cramming ahead of opener
The schedule is tight for the Rhinelander High School boys’ basketball team to enter the 2023 season.
Team preview: RHS girls’ basketball
Lady Hodags eager to reload in top-heavy GNC
The Rhinelander High School girls’ basketball team was playing its best basketball at the end of the 2022-23 season. Despite losing a major piece off a squad that went 11-15 and finished tied for third in the Great Northern Conference, coach Ryan Clark is optimistic about the squad he will field this year.
THE PERFECT ENDING
Rhinelander takes six events, wins WIAA D2 girls’ swim crown in dominating fashion
Rhinelander won six of the 12 events Friday night, including all three relay races, as they ran away to a dominating victory in the WIAA Division 2 state meet in Waukesha. Mathematically, the Hodags had the title clinched with two events remaining and swam to an 87-point victory over Whitefish Bay.
Hodags Winnicki, Francis announce D-I plans
After capping off their decorated high school careers with a second state championship on Friday night, Rhinelander’s Abi Winnicki and Karis Francis are looking forward to the next chapter.
HODAGS SWIMMERS WIN D2 TITLE
The Rhinelander High School girls’ swim team has won the WIAA Division 2 state championship.
A look at the field for tonight’s WIAA state swim meet
The Rhinelander High School girls’ swim team is seeking its second WIAA Division 2 state championship in the last four years and is in very good position to accomplish its goal heading into tonight’s D2 state meet in Waukesha.
Winter Practice Notebook
Lady Hodags bolstered by incoming freshman class
Things were a lot busier Monday than usual for Rhinelander High School girls’ basketball coach Ryan Clark on the first day of practice.
Quinn named Hodag soccer MVP
Senior Will Quinn took home the top honor, as voted by his teammates during the team’s banquet at the Cedric A. Vig Outdoor Classroom.
Planning for greatness
Hodag girls enter as favorites to win tonight’s D2 state swim title
With a meet-high 19 entries, the Hodags enter tonight’s D2 state meet at the Waukesha South Natatorium as 87 1/2-point favorites to win the state title. Eight-time state champion Edgewood won’t give up its crown easily, however, and last year’s state runner-up, Whitefish Bay, sits only a half point behind Edgewood in the projections.