Hodag softball falls in rematch against Northland Pines
Four-run innings for the Eagles in the fourth and sixth were too much for the Hodags to overcome in an 11-5 loss in Eagle River.
Hodag golfers 2nd at Marathon
The Hodags shot 345 and finished second in the non-conference invitational at Pine Galley Golf Course. Rhinelander finished eight strokes behind GNC rival Medford for the top spot on a day when nobody in the Hodag lineup broke 80.
Hodag soccer can’t rebound from early PK, falls to Lakeland
If the Rhinelander High School girls’ soccer team falls short in its efforts to win the Great Northern Conference title, it will once again look back at a penalty kick it wasn’t able to stop and a defense it was unable to breach.
Medford pulls away from Hodag baseball in 12-1 decision
Medford took the lead for good in a three-run second inning and defeated Rhinelander 12-1 at Stafford Field.
Hodag softball drops pair of conference games
The Rhinelander High School softball team dropped a pair of Great Northern Conference games late last week, falling to Antigo 19-0 at home Thursday before traveling to Medford on Friday and suffering an 11-1 defeat.
Hodag tennis downs Antigo, splits Wausau matches
The Rhinelander High School boys’ tennis team carried on in Great Northern Conference play on Thursday, defeating a short-handed Antigo squad 6-1 on the road. The Hodags then mostly dodged the weather Friday and Saturday, getting in four of their five scheduled matches in the Wausau West Invite, going 2-2.
Hodag soccer downs Pines, ties Rice Lake
First-place battle against Lakeland on tap tonight
The Rhinelander High School girls’ soccer team set the stage for a home showdown with Lakeland tonight for the lead in the Great Northern Conference standings thanks to a 4-0 victory on the road Thursday at Northland Pines.
Hodag softball falls to Tomahawk 12-1
The Rhinelander High School softball team has been going through a rough patch, having lost four straight games by a combined margin of 81-10. Though the Hodags suffered their fifth straight loss on Tuesday, the game felt like some progress in the right direction for the team.
Hodag golfers take fourth in GNC opener
The field had to battle dynamic weather conditions at Inshalla Country Club. The Rhinelander High School golf team produced mixed results in how it handled the challenging elements as it shot 350 and finished in the middle of the pack — fourth out of the seven-team field.
Hodag baseball drops back-to-back GNC games to Antigo, Medford
The Rhinelander High School baseball team was in contention against a pair of teams in the upper half of the Great Northern Conference Monday and Tuesday, only to see their chances for victory slip away late.
Hodag baseball downs Pines for first win
Antigo, Abby/Colby games nixed due to cold
Eight runs between the fifth and sixth innings were enough as the Hodags defeated Northland Pines 10-4 Tuesday in Eagle River.
Hodag tennis wins final three matches in De Pere
Despite a long weekend and some tough competition, the Rhinelander High School boys’ tennis team emerged from the De Pere Invite with a winning record.
Big innings bite Hodag softball again against Medford, Wausau East
Whether its hits, walks or errors, the Rhinelander High School softball team has struggled of late figuring out ways to string together three outs to get itself out of big innings for the opposition.
Raiders stymie Hodags, steal two points in shootout
The Hodags dominated every statistical category except the most important one, settling for a 0-0 tie with Medford. Rhinelander had four chances to earn an extra point in penalty kicks but fell in the shootout 4-3.
Pines rallies past Hodag baseball in extra innings
The Rhinelander High School baseball team could look back on a number of little things on Monday as it let a chance to secure its first victory of the season slip away. The Hodags couldn’t hold on to a 5-3 lead after five innings and eventually lost to Northland Pines in eight innings, 8-5 at Stafford Field.
Hodag golfers take 3rd in GNC Open
Schoppe (+8) finishes 3rd overall, Petroff scores ace in final round
The Hodags shot rounds of 330 and 328 Monday and Tuesday to finish third in the GNC Open at Trappers Turn. Rhinelander’s two-day total of 658 strokes was only three behind Mosinee for the runner-up spot and 37 off the pace of defending GNC champion Lakeland.
Lakeland softball defeats Rhinelander 21-0
Lakeland scored a whopping 16 times in the first inning and cruised to a 21-0 victory over the Hodags in three innings on Andrea Musson Field at the Haug Family Softball Complex.
Hodags conquer wind, T-Birds in GNC dual
Conditions were far from ideal on Tuesday when the Rhinelander High School boys’ tennis team traveled north to face Great Northern Conference rival Lakeland, but not even Mother Nature could slow down the Hodags.
Soccer: Hodag offense erupts in 9-1 rout of Mosinee
Sophie Miljevich scored three times, Vivian Lamers added a pair of goals and the Hodags made short work of Mosinee, defeating the Indians 9-1 at Edgewood Park in Mosinee.
Hodag tennis goes 3-1 in Wausau
The Rhinelander High School boys’ tennis team suffered its first loss of the season on Friday and quickly made amends for it on Saturday.
Hodag baseball shut out in three straight
RHS falls at Antigo, drops Rapids twinbill
The offensive struggles continued late last week for Rhinelander, which was blanked 8-0 on the road at Antigo Thursday in its Great Northern Conference opener and then combined for only three hits in two games Saturday as it was swept by Wisconsin Rapids in a non-conference doubleheader, 13-0 and 9-0.
Mosinee uses two big innings to down Hodag softball
Beating preseason Great Northern Conference favorite Mosinee was going to be hard enough if the Rhinelander High School softball team played a flawless game. Too many self-inflicted mistakes made that task insurmountable on Thursday.
Hybrid highlights
Hodag boys, girls score victory in home meet
The Rhinelander High School track team had a chance to showcase its depth Thursday in its first outdoor meet of the season. The Hodag boys claimed three events, the Hodag girls won four and both squads held off GNC rival Lakeland for first place in the Hodag Hybrid Invite at Mike Webster Stadium.
Late goals push Hodags past Waupaca
Vivian Lamers broke a scoreless tie in the 75th minute and the Hodags pulled away to a 2-0 victory over Waupaca at Mike Webster Stadium.
Team preview: RHS golf
Hodag golfers look to reload in a tough GNC
With three of the five starters returning from that squad, the Hodag golf team and coach Adam Schmidt are hopeful they can have another strong season within a tough Great Northern Conference.
Hodag tennis opens season with 6-1 win
Rhinelander swept singles and took a pair of doubles matches as they greeted conference newcomer Ashland with a 6-1 result in the Hodag Dome.
Stratford sweeps opening twinbill from Hodags
A pair of six-run frames were Hodags’ undoing as they dropped Game 1 of a non-conference doubleheader 13-1 to Stratford Saturday at the Rapids Area Sports Complex. In the nightcap, Rhinelander couldn’t hold an early two-run lead as the Tigers completed the sweep with an 8-2 win.
Big innings propel Hodag softball to first win
Rhinelander pounded out 13 hits and used 10 unanswered runs in the third and fourth innings to get past Northland Pines 14-6 in the Hodag Dome.
Hodag soccer outlasts Shawano, Washburn in opening matches
The Hodags settled second-half ties with the final two goals both nights to earn a 4-2 win over Shawano in the Hodag Dome on Thursday and a 2-0 win over Washburn Friday at Mike Webster Stadium.
Hodag alum Losch wins Fraser Cup with NA3HL’s Helena Bighorns
Whether Jake Losch’s hockey playing career will continue after this season remains to be seen. If nothing else, the Rhinelander native has closed out the junior hockey phase of his career as a champion.
Team review: Hodag Nordic skiing
Mother Nature dealt Hodags trying season
Perhaps the biggest accomplishment for the Hodag Nordic Ski team in the 2023-24 season was the fact that there was a season at all.
Team preview: RHS boys’ tennis
Depth plentiful as Hodag netters reload
The Rhinelander High School boys’ tennis team has had plenty of success in coach Matt Nichols’ first three seasons at the helm. Last year the Hodags captured their ninth straight conference title, went 17-6 overall in dual meets and finished third at WIAA sectionals.
Track: Hodag girls rally to win Merrill Indoor
It came down to the final event on Thursday as the Rhinelander High School girls’ track team picked up its first meet victory of the 2024 season. The Hodags scored a runner-up finish in the 10-lap relay, which was just enough to vault them into first place in a hotly-contested Bluejay Indoor Invitational at Merrill High School.
Hodag soccer picks up tempo late in scrimmage
It took some time for the old and new pieces of the Rhinelander High School girls’ soccer team’s attack to gel Thursday night in its preseason scrimmage against Merrill. Once that happened, the Hodags were virtually unstoppable.
Team review: RHS gymnastics
Hodags gymnastics building toward brighter future
Following a couple of lean years for the Rhinelander High School gymnastics program, the 2023-24 season marked what could be the start of a turnaround for the Hodags.
Team review: RHS boys’ hockey
Hodags played best hockey toward end of season
The Hodags won three of their final four games to close out the regular season. Entering the playoffs as a No. 8 seed, Rhinelander gave eventual state qualifier Tomahawk a scare before falling 5-3.
Spring practice notebook
Teams adapting to Nature’s curveball
The final group of spring sports to begin practice for the upcoming season did so on Monday, though one wouldn’t have been able to tell by looking outside.
Hodag softball goes winless in opening tourney
It was a trial by fire this past weekend for the Rhinelander High School softball team. A squad rebuilding after losing a number of key pieces from last season ran into some tough competition from the start, dropping all three games it played in the Danny Mac Classic at the Hodag Dome.
Team review: RHS boys’ basketball
Hodag Hoops returns to top of GNC
Thanks to a couple of key upsets and a gritty finish to the year, the RHS boys' basketball team ended up cutting down the nets at the end of the regular season. Rhinelander knocked off Medford in a game that decided who was going to share the conference crown with Mosinee.
Belanger, Denis share hockey’s Al Baker, MVP awards
Joey Belanger and Gavin Denis shared both the RHS boys' hockey team’s Most Valuable Player award and the Alfred O. Baker award given to the team’s most outstanding senior during the team’s banquet last Tuesday in the RHS commons.
Team preview: RHS girls’ soccer
Though Rhinelander graduated the GNC’s top scorer from last year, with five all-conference players returning and a talented incoming freshman class, coach Nathan Bates and the Hodags believe this can be the year they finally get past Lakeland and back to the top of the GNC.
Team preview: RHS softball
Hodags to be work in progress with new coaches
The Rhinelander High School softball team opens its 2024 season today and tomorrow with three games inside the Hodag Dome during the Danny Mac Softball Classic. The hope for first-year coaches Ali Bender and Sadie Adamski is how the squad looks on the final day of the season is different than it was on opening day.
RHS track finishes mid-pack in Ashland
Lamers, Bergman claim multiple events for Hodags
Junior Truman Lamers won the triple jump and high jump as the Hodag boys scored a fourth-place finish, while sophomore Aila Bergman swept the 60- and 200-meter hurdles to help the Hodag girls nab fifth in the eight-team Oredocker Large School Indoor Invite in Ashland.
Team review: RHS wrestling
Hodags get back into win column
The Rhinelander High School wrestling team is still looking to recapture the success it had back in the mid 2010s. It’s been a slow process for third-year head coach Scottie Arneson, but the Hodags found ways to be more competitive this season.
Team review: RHS/NPHS Alpine Ski & Snowboard
Hodags competitive despite crazy year on snow
During this month’s season-ending banquet, coach Rod Olson was quick to note that this year’s members of the Rhinelander/Northland Pines Alpine ski team may have been “the best group of humans that I’ve ever coached,” he also admitted the best part of the season may be that it’s over.
Bowling: Hodags’ Dellenbach helps D9 girls win all-star title
District 9 swept the boys and girls’ championships in an event that brought together the best bowlers in each district in a team-style competition Saturday at Riviera Lanes in Green Bay. The Rhinelander area club bowling program got to enjoy part of that success as Rhinelander junior Johanna Dellenbach was on the winning D9 girls’ squad.
Peewee Bs take 3rd, As 6th at state
The Hodags walked away with the third-place trophy as the host team in the Peewee 3B state tournament while the Peewee As ended up falling short in the consolation championship game, taking sixth in an eight-team tournament in Somerset.
Gretzinger named Hodag Hoops MVP
Quinn tabbed as Mr. Defense
Will Gretzinger was voted the team’s most valuable player while Will Quinn received the Mr. Defense award during the team’s season-ending banquet Wednesday in the RHS commons.
Merrill’s return to GNC lauded as good fit
Bluejays to return in fall of 2025 following WIAA OK
The Great Northern Conference will have a new chartered member in 2025 and, from multiple perspectives, the addition appears to be a welcome and natural fit.
Warm and wacky Nordic ski season hits finish line
Teter leads Hodags with 27th-place finish at state
The Wisconsin Nordic Ski League distance state championship at the American Birkebeiner Trailhead. The Hodag girls were missing three skiers as they took 10th out of 12 complete teams in the field. Due to absences, the Hodag boys didn’t have enough skiers to field a qualifying roster.