The Northwoods River News

River Monsters edge Holmen, finish second at regionals

Joe Schneider scored following a pair of errors in the top of the 11th as Rhinelander defeated third-seeded Holmen 2-1 Sunday in the regional round of the WBA tournament.

Big plays highlight Hodags’ scrimmage

The Hodags made some big plays on both sides of the football and got the better of both Shawano and Crandon in their scrimmage at Mike Webster Stadium.

Team preview: RHS girls’ tennis

Hodag netters eager to maintain GNC dominance

The dress rehearsal for the Rhinelander High School girls’ tennis team did not happen as scheduled on Friday. However, the way coach Matt Nichols sees it, the team will have plenty of chances to iron out the wrinkles over the next couple of weeks before its Great Northern Conference title defense begins in earnest.

Team preview: RHS girls’ swimming

Hodags primed to be a state contender again

With five of the six swimmers who competed in Waukesha last season returning, plus a number of other key additions, the Hodags appear poised to contend for another trophy at this year’s state meet.

Practice notebook: Hodag swimmers look strong early

The Rhinelander High School girls’ swim team's recent run of success should make what coach Jenny Heck said during Tuesday’s opening practice for the 2023 season an extremely ominous sign for those looking to keep up with the Hodags.

Late rally ends Hodag Little League’s championship hopes

Kenosha rallied from down 5-0 in the fourth to walk off as 6-5 winners over the Hodags in Superior, sweeping the Wisconsin Little League 10U championship series.

Gold Cup weekend a success for Hodag BMX

Riders from all around the Midwest flocked to Westside Park and the Hodag BMX track for its Badger State Games and Gold Cup regional qualifier doubleheader weekend.

Rhinelander Country Club celebrates 25 years of rallying against cancer

What started as one-hole event during Ladies League play in the late 1990s has evolved into one of the biggest — and most important — events of the year at Rhinelander Country Club.

Offense steals show during Green & White day

The Rhinelander High School football team showcased its version of the Wing-T offense publicly for the first time on Saturday and, as advertised during preseason camp, it’s a lot more than a ground and pound attack.

Bender, Adamski promoted to lead RHS softball

RHS alumna Ali Bender (nee Schickert) and Sadie Adamski have been promoted to co-head coaches of the program, taking over for D.J. DeMeyer who resigned in June after nine years with the program. RHS activities director Brian Paulson confirmed their hiring to the River News last week.

Schneider’s Monsters edge Bixby’s Bears in battle of former Hodag aces

Isaac Bixby had a game playing against a number of his former teammates Friday night, but the River Monsters got the last laugh in the newest installment of a decades-old rivalry between two Northwoods cities.

Hodag swimmers wrap up summer program

A number of current and incoming members of the Rhinelander High School boys’ and girls’ swim teams spent the summer sharpening their skills for the upcoming season — though that proved to be a little trickier than most offseasons.

Back to football

Hodag gridders start practice, looking for bounceback season

Tuesday’s opening practice for the 2023 Rhinelander High School football team finished under the lights at Mike Webster Stadium. The Hodags hope that the lights will shine a bit brighter this fall than they did during last year’s injury-plagued 1-8 campaign.

Hodag BMX gears up for big weekend doubleheader

The Hodag BMX Club typically packs all of its biggest races into one weekend each summer. This year, however, there’s been so much going on at the track that they are doing it in two.

Monsters edge Rapids to close Dairyland season

Joe Schneider struck out eight in a complete game effort, Sam Schneider drove in a pair of runs and the River Monsters edged Wisconsin Rapids 3-1 at Stafford Field.

Full field expected for 42nd ABC golf scramble Friday

A full field of golfers will tee it up next Friday in the 42nd annual Rhinelander Athletic Booster Club golf scramble. Which four-person team will shoot the lowest score remains to be seen, but it’s guaranteed that the area’s athletic programs, and the kids they benefit, will walk away winners.

Hodag Hoops welcomes more than 90 to camp

In excess of 90 students entering grades 4-8 took advantage of that chance last week, participating in the annual Hodag Hoops Camp put on by the RHS boys’ basketball team.

Review: Rebels showed flashes but fell short of state tourney

At times this summer, Rhinelander Post 7 looked very capable of making a return trip to the Wisconsin American Legion Class AA state tournament. Other times the Rebels appeared to be their own toughest opposition.

Winnicki swims fast, connects with her heritage at Indigenous Games

Winnicki took home four gold medals and finished in the top three in all eight events she swam at the North American Indigenous Games (NAIG) in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Rebels’ season ends as Medford avenges loss

Rhinelander spotted Medford an early 6-0 lead and could not recover, falling 8-4 in Day 3 of the regional tournament in Medford. After a 2-0 start in the tournament, the Rebels lost two straight to bow out of the five-team tournament in third place.

River Monsters’ Dairyland title hopes dashed in extras at Whittlesey

Brent Mueller was deemed to have beaten Joe Schneider’s throw home on a bases-loaded grounder off the bat of Nate Retterath in the 10th inning as Rhinelander fell in a hotly-contested game at Whittlesey, 6-5.

Despite losing top scorer, Lady Hodags optimistic for 2023

The Lady Hodags held three of their allotted coaching contact days last Monday through Wednesday at the Jim Miazga Community Gymnasium. In addition to those workouts the team has participated in a couple of weekend tournaments this summer, took part in the D.C. Everest Summer League on Tuesday nights and still has one more tournament coming up this weekend in Neenah.

District domination

Hodag 10Us wrap up D5 title, four wins away from state Little League crown

Following championships with its 12U all-star teams in 2021 and 2022, Rhinelander’s 10U all-stars got in on the fun this year as they completed an undefeated run to the district title with an 8-5 win over Wausau American Thursday night at Doepke Park.

Rebels on the brink at regionals

After two days of the Wisconsin AA Region 2 tournament, the Rhinelander Rebels’ chances of making a repeat run to the state tournament were hanging by a thread.

Crandon provides Hodag football more insight at team camp

For the second straight year, Rhinelander and Crandon joined forces for a couple of days of football team camp last week. This year, that time together had even more for benefit for the RHS football team.

Rebels fall to Clintonville in regular season finale

Regional play begins today in Medford

A short-handed Rhinelander Post 7 squad limped to the finish line of the regular season on Sunday. The Rebels are hoping they’ll be closer to full strength by this afternoon as they try to defend their Region 2 title and make a return trip to the Wisconsin Class AA state tournament.

Olympic champion Baumgartner using victory tour to inspire next generation

Nick Baumgartner's Olympic victory tour brought him to Rhinelander High School on Monday, where he shared his message of perseverance on his way to becoming a 40-year-old gold medalist.