The Northwoods River News

RHS swimmers dominate Medford, home relays

The Hodags’ tour de force continued Thursday and Saturday with a pair of clean sweeps. Rhinelander finished 1-2 in all 11 events Thursday as it knocked off Medford 134-36 in a Great Northern Conference dual. The Hodags then came home for the first time in competition on Saturday and won all 10 events, setting four meet records in the process, as they waltzed to victory in the Hodag Relays at the Heck Family Community Pool.

Hodag boys’ harriers 2nd, girls 4th at Colby Invite

Despite racing at less than 100%, the Rhinelander High School boys’ cross country team turned in a strong performance Saturday on a course that will determine its state-qualifying fate six weeks down the road.

Close losses costs Hodag tennis in GNC race

Rhinelander falls to Newman 4-3, goes 3-2 in Wausau Invite

A battle between two of the top teams in the Great Northern Conference was ultimately decided by a trio of three-set matches Thursday.

Hodag volleyball falls to Lakeland, goes 1-3 at Ashland

The Rhinelander High School volleyball team could not stop the big run Thursday night as its GNC losing streak reached 59 matches.

Raising ‘Cane

Hodags outlast Hayward in slugfest, move to 4-0

Owen Kurtz scored a pair of touchdowns and the Hodags defense put the clamps on Hayward’s spread attack in a 13-7 win over the Hurricanes at Mike Webster Stadium. Kurtz’s 8-yard score midway through the third quarter proved to be the game winner as the Hodags moved to 4-0 on the year and handed the Hurricanes their first lost of 2023.

Hodag harriers battle the heat in Marshfield

The Hodags finished third overall in the boys’ division and fourth in the girls’ division of the Marshfield Tiger Invite at Wildwood Park. Though Rhinelander finished as the top large school on the boys’ side, the weather dominated the storyline on Tuesday.

Soccer: Hodag offense shaky in win at Antigo

ANTIGO — The Rhinelander High School boys’ soccer team got three more points and remained unbeaten in Great Northern Conference play on Thursday, but the Hodags were not in a mood to celebrate as they left Listle Field.

Hodag swimmers set four pool records, rout Ladysmith in GNC opener

The Hodags set four pool records and won all 11 events at the rolled to a 134-36 victory at Ladysmith to open the Great Northern Conference dual meet season.

Shoutouts & Callouts

Packers fans have reason to R-E-L-A-X this fall

I don’t know about you, but I’m less worked up about the start of a Green Bay Packers’ season than I’ve been in quite some time — and that’s a good thing.

Hodags dominate Ashland 32-7, move to 3-0

Truman Lamers threw for 176 yards and three touchdowns, the Hodag defense held Ashland under 200 yards and Rhinelander wore down the Oredockers in a 32-7 win at Weikal Field.

Pigskin Preview Week 3: Rhinelander at Ashland

Hodags’ quest for playoff eligibility begins tonight at Ashland

Rhinelander’s quest to get back to the playoffs begins tonight as the Hodags hit the road to take on the Ashland Oredockers in the Great Northern Conference opener.

Hodag tennis edges Pacelli in conference opener

The Hodags swept doubles and scored a pair of three-set victories as they knocked off Pacelli 5-2 at the RHS tennis courts. The Cardinals (1-2 GNC), who finished in third, eight points behind the GNC champion Hodags in last year’s conference standings, took the top two singles flights kept it close until the end.

Cross country: RHS boys 2nd, girls 4th at Mosinee

The Rhinelander High School cross country team again found itself in the top half of the field on Tuesday. The Hodags hope that will still be the case in a month in a half when they return to Wausau’s Nine Mile Forest for the Great Northern Conference meet.

Hodag volleyball wins five matches, takes 13th in Dells

The Hodags went 5-2 over the weekend and took 13th in the 18-team Friendship Tournament at JustAGame Fieldhouse. After splitting its first four matches on Friday, the Hodags were placed in the Bronze bracket for Saturday’s play. Rhinelander won all three matches Saturday, including a straight set win over Clintonville in the 13th-place match, to leave the Dells with some hardware.

Hodag tennis goes 2-3 in Wausau

The Hodags took part in their final non-conference matches before the GNC season Friday and Saturday, going 2-3 in another invite at Wausau West High School. That puts the Hodags at 7-10 overall on the fall prior to finally opening the conference slate at home against Pacelli this afternoon.

RHS soccer blanked by East in home opener

A couple of first-half defensive breakdowns were too much for the Rhinelander High School boys’ soccer team to overcome as it fell to Wausau East 2-0 in a non-conference contest Thursday night at Mike Webster Stadium.

Hodags sweep top three spots at Colby Pentathlon

The Hodags swept the top three spots, had six swimmers in the top 10 overall and won the six-team meet in a landslide. Rhinelander finished the day with 546 points —more than double the rest of the field combined. Rice Lake was the runner-up with 73 points.

Hodag football dominates Wausau East, improve to 2-0

James Heck rushed for 84 yards and two scores as the Hodags racked up nearly 400 yards of offenses and cruised to a 34-15 victory over Wausau East in the home opener at Mike Webster Stadium.

Pigskin Preview Week 2: Wausau East at Rhinelander

Hodags look to build on late rally tonight vs. Wausau East

Cleaning up the mistakes has been the primary point of emphasis this week for the Hodags as they get set to welcome Wausau East tonight for the home opener and non-conference finale at Mike Webster Stadium.

Quinn nets hat trick, Hodag soccer takes opener

Will Quinn scored three times, Will Gretzinger added a goal and the Hodags took care of New London 4-0 on the road in a non-conference contest on Tuesday.

Hodag tennis goes 2-4 in Wausau

The Rhinelander High School girls’ tennis team rebounded from a winless day on Monday, taking two of its final three matches to finish 2-4 overall in the Wausau West Invite that concluded Tuesday.

Team preview: RHS cross country

Hodag harriers look to surprise with mix of experience, underclassmen

With a mix of returning athletes and a solid freshman class, however, RHS cross country coach M.J. Laggis said he wants the Hodags to be a team that turns heads at season’s end like they did two years ago when they emerged from the pack to win the GNC boys’ title.

Rising above adversity

Hodags erase 21-0 deficit, stun Tomahawk on late field goal

Landon Bates kicked a 19-yard field goal with three seconds remaining as Rhinelander rallied from down 21-0 late in the first half to defeat the Tomahawk Hatchets 22-21 at Hatchet Field in Tomahawk.

Hodag swimmers dominate at Merrill Relays

RHS wins 7 of 9 events to claim 12-team meet

Rhinelander figures to have a very strong girls’ swim team this season. Thursday’s season opener provided a glimpse into just how imposing the Hodags could be.

Team preview: RHS boys’ soccer

Hodags look to maintain success with new cast

New head coach John Weigel admitted last Monday when practice began that he and the rest of the Rhinelander High School boys’ soccer team have some pretty big shoes to fill following last season.

Hodag tennis wins all three matches at home quad

The Rhinelander High School girls’ tennis team picked up its first three wins of the season on Friday, easily cruising past Ironwood, Mich., Merrill and Ashland to win its home quadrangular meet at the RHS tennis courts.

Team preview: RHS volleyball

Hodag spikers ready to get back into GNC win column

There’s one number that coach Dan Wolter and the Hodag volleyball team are tired of seeing — 57. That’s the number of consecutive matches Rhinelander has lost in the GNC dating back to 2017. It’s a streak that spans three different head coaches and one the Hodags want to put an end to this year.

Mosinee unanimous No. 1 in GNC Media Poll

Hodags picked to finish 5th

Mosinee was a unanimous No. 1 pick to win a third straight conference title in the GNC Football Media Poll — a joint effort of the Northwoods River News and The Lakeland Times that canvasses those who follow the conference on a regular basis.

Notebook: Volleyball starts in the dome

The Rhinelander High School volleyball team will be temporarily displaced for the first couple of weeks of the season.

Hodag tennis drops three matches at Bay Port Invite

Rhinelander dropped all three of its matches in the Bay Port Invite. The Hodags were swept 7-0 by Altoona and Mukwonago and fell 6-1 to Appleton North.

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.

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.

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.