Hodag Alpine skiers take second at Ashwabay
The Rhinelander/Northland Pines Alpine Ski team held on to its standings in the Northern Conference on Tuesday, but the end result may have taken a toll — especially for the girls’ squad — as the season enters the home stretch.
MAROONED
Hodag Hoops stumbles at Antigo, falls out of GNC lead
The Hodags suffered their fourth loss in the last six games Friday night — and perhaps the most stunning of the bunch — as they faltered late in a 70-62 defeat at Antigo.
Hodag swimmers 2nd at Small School state
RHS within shouting distance of reigning state champ McFarland
Rhinelander was the WIAA Division 2 boys’ swimming state champion two years ago. McFarland won the title last year. Whitefish Bay was right in the mix both years. If Saturday’s prelude to next month’s state meet is any indication, those three teams will be battling it out again for the gold and silver trophies next month in Waukesha.
RHS wrestlers reclaim Hammer, knock off GNC-champ Medford in successful home meet
After a few lean years from a team standpoint for the Rhinelander High School wrestling team, Thursday night served as a reminder of where the Hodags were during the mid-2010s, and where they hope to return once more.
Lady Hodags rout Antigo, snap 3-game skid
Vivian Lamers scored 22 points and Ella Miljevich added 12 points and 13 rebounds Rhinelander led wire-to-wire in a 67-35 win over Antigo at Sheldon Fieldhouse.
Short-handed Hodags fall to Shawano
The Rhinelander High School boys’ hockey team was unable to keep up with Shawano/Bonduel in non-conference play Thursday night, falling 5-1 to the Hawks at the Rhinelander Ice Arena.
Alpine: RHS/Pines girls 2nd, boys 3rd at Snowriver
The Rhinelander/Northland Pines Alpine ski team couldn’t quite figure out the snow conditions Friday in the third Northern Conference meet of the season. While the Hodag girls still managed a runner-up finish, the Hodag boys slipped back to third in a Northern Conference race at Snowriver Resort in Wakefield, Mich.
Coaches seek change to football playoff qualification model
A proposal being pushed by the Wisconsin Football Coaches Association would change that, introducing a computer formula it says would make the process of determining which teams make the postseason, and where they are seeded once they get there, more fair.
Seven steps to success
Rhinelander’s Wyss sets American heptathlon record
It wasn’t long after her first season as coach of the Rhinelander High School volleyball team that Jayme Wyss set her sights on a different, personal goal — one she was able to achieve earlier this month.
Wysses named to Hodag track staff
Former Three Lakes track and field coaches Andy and Jayme Wyss will be part of the Rhinelander High School coaching staff in 2025 it was confirmed this past week.
Reeled in by the Raiders
Hodag Hoops falls to Medford 71-63, drops into first-place tie in GNC
The Rhinelander High School boys’ basketball team squandered a chance to take full control of the Great Northern Conference Friday night. Instead, if the Hodags are to win their second straight conference title, they’ll have to prevail in a three-way dogfight down the stretch.
Hodag swimmers win double dual, take 2nd in Appleton
The Rhinelander High School boys’ swim team had back-to-back days of successful swimming, sweeping both ends of a Great Northern Conference double dual at Lakeland on Thursday before finishing second in the eight-team Lightning Invite in Appleton on Friday.
Clark misses another game, Lady Hodags fall at Medford
Sophomore Aubryn Clark missed her second straight contest Friday night for the Rhinelander High School girls’ basketball team. The Hodags’ leading scorer will likely miss a few more games, but the team is starting to adjust to life without its standout guard.
Medford foils Hodag hockey in rematch
After defeating Medford five days earlier in non-conference play, the Rhinelander High School boys’ hockey team had visions of earning its first Great Northern Conference win of the season Thursday night against the Raiders.
Hodag wrestlers split matches in Mosinee
Able to fill the majority of the weight classes, the Rhinelander High School wrestling team split its two Great Northern Conference duals Thursday night in Mosinee.
Banged up Lady Hodags fall to Mosinee
Top scorer Aubryn Clark (back) misses contest
Facing Mosinee in a battle for second place in the GNC would have been a tall enough challenge for the Rhinelander High School girls’ basketball team at full strength. Without its leading scorer and do-it-all guard, the task proved to be insurmountable.
Hodag Hoops fends off Mosinee on the road
First-place battle vs. Medford tonight
Jatyn Barkus scored 15 points — all in the second half — and made 10 free throws over the final two minutes as the Hodags secured a 63-54 win at Mosinee in a battle of last year’s GNC co-champions.
Northland Pines too much for Hodag hockey
The Rhinelander High School boys’ hockey team could not keep up with Northland Pines Tuesday night, falling to the Eagles 11-2 in Great Northern Conference play at the Eagle River Sports Arena.
Hodag Alpine skiers take second at Granite Peak
The Rhinelander/Northland Pines Alpine ski team tried to narrow the gap on Northern Conference leading Wausau/D.C. Everest Monday on the central Wisconsin co-op’s home hill.
Hodag Hoops routs Lakeland, snaps skid
The Rhinelander High School boys’ basketball team got a little bit of its mojo back Friday night entering an important stretch of games within the Great Northern Conference.
RHS swimmers take second at Jaguar Invite
Hodags, top D2 school in field, claim 3 events
The Rhinelander High School boys’ swim team turned in a strong performance Saturday at a venue it will visit again in five weeks time, with tickets to the WIAA state meet on the line.
Hodag hockey ends drought, gets back in win column
Over the course of about 17 hours Friday and Saturday, the Rhinelander High School boys hockey team snapped a couple of skids that had plagued it over the better part of a month.
Wrestling: Hodag girls take fifth in Bluejay Challenge
With only three wrestlers, the Hodag girls’ team still managed to finish in the top five Saturday in the 23-team Bluejay Challenge in Merrill.
Lady Hodags can’t keep up with Lakeland in GNC showdown
Once again, the Lakeland Thunderbirds showed the Rhinelander High School girls basketball team it has a long ways to go to be able to truly contend for a Great Northern Conference title.
Lady Hodags bounce back with win over Three Lakes
Aubryn Clark had 26 points to lead all scorers, Vivian Lamers added 20 points and the Hodags raced past the Bluejays 68-37 on the road.
Hodags swimmers down Medford, Shawano in double dual
The Rhinelander High School boys’ swim team returned from the winter break in good form on Tuesday, claiming all 11 events as it defeated Shawano/Seymour 130-35 and Medford 128-37 in a Great Northern Conference double dual in Medford.
Hodag Alpine takes second in season debut
The Rhinelander/Northland Pines Alpine Ski team turned in a solid debut Tuesday, finishing second in both the boys’ and girls’ divisions in the Northern Conference opener at Christie Mountain in Bruce.
Everest blanks Hodag hockey 4-0
The offensive woes for the Rhinelander High School boys’ hockey team continued on Tuesday night. The Hodags were outshot 54-13 and fell to the D.C. Everest Evergreens 4-0 at Greenheck Fieldhouse in Schofield.
RHS wrestlers take home triangular
Hodags edge Phillips, Merrill reserves
The Rhinelander High School wrestling team was successful in a couple of non-conference pick-up matches Friday night, defeating Phillips 48-34 and Merrill’s varsity reserve 36-33 in a triangular at the James Williams Middle School gymnasium.
Hodag Hoops fades late at Wausau East
The Hodags didn’t have the fight to keep up with Wausau East Friday night, allowing four Lumberjacks to score in double figures in an 83-58 loss in Wausau.
Lady Hodags struggle offensively in loss to Wis. Rapids
The Lady Hodags shot only 29% from the field while the Raiders shot 49%. That ultimately proved to be the difference as Rhinelander’s late rally fell short in a 47-38 loss to Wisconsin Rapids at the Jim Miazga Community Gymnasium.
Hodag hockey shut out again in loss to Marshfield
It took Marshfield all of seven seconds Thursday night to take away the notion that the RHS boys’ hockey team would find some momentum after a pair of difficult games over the holidays. That’s how long it took for Joey Cashmer to score the first goal in the non-conference tilt and the Tigers never looked back, routing the Hodags 8-0 at the Rhinelander Ice Arena.
Hodag gymnasts take seventh in Wisconsin Rapids
The Rhinelander High School gymnastics team was a few points off of its season best Saturday, scoring a 113.325 in a seventh-place finish at the eight-team Charlie Martin Invite in Wisconsin Rapids.
Hodag Hoops falters in showdown with Wisconsin Dells
RHS outscored 51-18 in second half, commits 36 turnovers in 70-42 defeat
Rhinelander came up short in its first true test of the season, committing 36 turnovers in a 70-42 loss to Wisconsin Dells on the road. It was the Hodags’ first loss of the season, and it came in stunning fashion as the Chiefs used their combination of height and speed to outscore the Hodags 51-18 in the second half.
Lady Hodags split games in Wis. Dells
Rhinelander had to hold on down the stretch to defeat Ripon 55-47 on Friday and hung around Saturday despite offensive woes in a 47-34 loss to Wisconsin Dells.
Four Hodag grapplers place at Northern Badger
The Rhinelander High School wrestling team brought a limited squad to River Falls last weekend and fared relatively well. Four of the seven Hodag wrestlers finished on the podium at the two-day Northern Badger Holiday Classic.
Hodag hockey shut out in holiday tourney
The Rhinelander High School boys’ hockey faced some very strong competition in the Milwaukee suburbs last weekend, suffering identical 9-0 defeats at the hands of West Bend and Homestead on back-to-back days in Ozaukee.
Returning to the top
Hodag Hoops’ run to GNC title named top local story of 2024
Rhinelander’s run to the GNC championship has been named as the top local sports story covered by the River News in 2024. Hodag Hoops gets the nod over a couple of other very strong stories not only because of the title drought the team ended, but how it ended up doing it.
Team preview: RHS/NPHS Alpine Ski/Snowboard
Hodags crossing fingers for ‘normal’ season
Though this past weekend’s warm spell conjured up memories of the 2023-24 winter season, the Rhinelander/Northland Pines Alpine Ski team hopes that the 2025 season will be much closer to a normal year on the weather front.
Hodag Hoops cruises past Tomahawk
Even with its leading scorer on the bench, the Rhinelander High School boys’ basketball team had more than enough firepower to take care of Tomahawk in Great Northern Conference play last Friday night.
Lady Hodags pull away from Tomahawk, win 67-31
The Rhinelander High School girls’ basketball team took control late in the first half last Friday night to cruise past Tomahawk 67-31 in a battle of surprising undefeated teams in the GNC in Tomahawk.
Hodag wrestlers finish in middle of pack at home invite
With closer to a full lineup on Friday, the Rhinelander High School wrestling team finished in the middle of the pack in the Hodag Scramble held in the Hodag Dome.
2024 year in review: Top 10 local games
Looking back on the top games of 2024
When looking back at 2024, it was a case of quality versus quality in Rhinelander sports.
First half surge pushes Hodag Hoops past Ashland
It took the Rhinelander High School boys’ basketball team a few minutes to find its groove Tuesday night. Once that happened, there was no stopping the Hodags.
Hodags use early run to ground Eagles
Devon Feck scored 16 and led four Hodags in double figures as Rhinelander took care of Northland Pines 65-48 in a Great Northern Conference contest in Eagle River. The Hodags opened the game on a 21-2 run, building a margin they played with the rest of the game.
Hodag gymnasts place fourth at Snowflake Invite
The Hodags posted a score of 116.025 and finished fourth in the Snowflake Invitational, held at the YMCA of the Northwoods. That was less than a point off the total the Hodags had in their debut five days prior at Ashland, and still greater than any overall score the team posted last season.
Hodag swimmers pushed in home relays
RHS 3-0 in GNC after Tomahawk win
Bay Port won nine of 10 events and cruised to the team championship in the Hodag Relays at the Heck Family Community Pool. The Hodags came home second, fending off two other Division 1 programs — Superior and Marshfield — for the runner-up spot.
Hodag wrestlers take 15th in Crandon
The Rhinelander High School wrestling team was short-handed Saturday as it traveled to Crandon for the Rebel Invite, hosted by the Laona/Wabeno/Three Lakes co-op. The Hodags had only nine wrestlers compete and took 15th overall in the 16-team meet.
Memorable milestone
Nofftz scores go-ahead layup vs. Chargers as Lemmens nabs 200th career win
Seth Nofftz scored the go-ahead layup with 7 seconds remaining as the Hodags rallied to defeat the Wittenberg-Birnamwood Chargers 63-59 at the Jim Miazga Community Gymnasium. It marked the 200th career victory for Lemmens, who is in his 15th season coaching at his alma mater.
Hodag gymnasts improve in opening loss to Ashland
The Rhinelander High School gymnastics team dropped its 2024-25 season opener to defending GNC Small champion Ashland on Tuesday night but, in doing so, posted its highest score in coach Kristina Aschenbrenner’s three seasons at the helm.