Hodag Alpine team caps season with banquet
The Rhinelander/Northland Pines Alpine ski and snowboard team signed off on the 2023-24 season Sunday night. Coach Rod Olson used one word to sum it up, “crazy.”
Big numbers, warm weather have Hodag track eager for season
Excitement is high for the Hodag track team, which has seen its numbers continue to boom over the last few years. Coach Aaron Kraemer said more than 110 athletes have registered for the team and more than 90 of them were on hand for Monday’s opening practice.
RIA Peewee teams gearing up for state tourneys
A squad travels to Somerset, B team to host
The Rhinelander Ice Association will see both of its Peewee hockey teams in action this weekend at Wisconsin Amateur Hockey Association state tournaments.
Team review: RHS boys’ swimming
Hodags prove themselves with state runner-up finish
After securing its third consecutive top-three finish in the WIAA Division 2 state championships, no one should be doubting the Rhinelander Hodags’ place as one of the top small school boys’ swim programs in the state.
RHS swimmers reflect on season, King earns High Point Award
The Rhinelander High School boys’ swim team celebrated Monday following another season that saw it achieve some lofty goals.
Hodag Hoops handles Hayward in WIAA tourney opener
Fourth-seeded Rice Lake awaits tonight in regional semis
Devon Feck scored 16 points, Will Gretzinger added 15 and the Hodags blitzed Hayward in the first half on their way to a comfortable 65-40 win in a Division 2 regional final game Tuesday at the Jim Miazga Community Gymnasium.
All-GNC: RHS basketball teams each earn 5 honorees
Lemmens named co-coach of the year
Following successful regular seasons, both the Rhinelander High School boys’ and girls’ basketball teams were well-represented on the All-Great Northern Conference squads.
A return to the summit
Hodag Hoops slays Medford 50-45, earns share of first GNC title since 2018
Will Gretzinger scored 17 points in the second half and the Hodags held the Raiders to 33% shooting in a 50-45 victory at the Jim Miazga Community Gymnasium.
RHS gymnasts look for momentum at sectionals
The Hodags will take part in a WIAA Division 2 sectional in Antigo this evening and, while qualifying as a team for next weekend’s state meet in Wisconsin Rapids is a deep long shot, sending an individual or two to state for the first time since 2021 is not out of the realm of possibility.
Hodag boys’ skiers take 4th in D2 at state
The Hodag boys placed fourth in Division 2 and 14th overall in the WIARA Ski and Snowboard Championships at Mt. La Crosse. The Hodags girls were last in both the D2 field and overall.
Hodag Hoops upsets Mosinee, sets up GNC title game vs. Medford
Gretzinger nets 1,000th point on late 3
On Friday night in Mosinee, the Rhinelander High School boys’ basketball team finally got the signature win it has been looking for. That win has set up the Hodags, potentially, for an even bigger triumph on Thursday.
Kurtz denied again, RHS wrestlers stopped at sectionals
Rhinelander High School senior Owen Kurtz was pinned by Hayward’s Bradey Gottwald in the third period for the third and final state qualifying spot in the 215-pound weight class in the Division 2 sectional meet, marking the end of Kurtz’s Hodag career.
Lady Hodags drop regular season finale
Treder sets single-season 3-point mark in Mosinee defeat
A nearly 10-minute scoring drought to start the second half was the difference as the Hodags fell to Mosinee 53-47 in at the Jim Miazga Community Gymnasium.
RHS gymnasts post season high at GNC meet
Balance beam set the tone for a strong performance Saturday for the Rhinelander High School gymnastics team. The Hodags posted a season high in that event, and parlayed the performance into a season-high overall score, as they totaled 113.3 points in a third-place finish in the Great Northern Conference Small Division meet at the YMCA of the Northwoods.
Hodags push Tomahawk in playoff loss
The Rhinelander High School boys’ hockey team could not pull off a Cinderella upset Thursday night in Tomahawk, but it certainly gave the top-seeded Hatchets much more of a game than it did in the regular season.
‘A win of our own’
Hodag swimmers break three school records, finish second at D2 state meet
The Hodags scored four runner-up finishes and placed second at the state championships in Waukesha. Rhinelander broke three school records in the process and wound up with eight podium finishes out of their 16 entries.
Swimming: A look at the field for tonight’s state meet
Rhinelander has tough road ahead of it as it tries to become the first repeat WIAA Division 2 boys’ swim state champion since Madison Edgewood in 2019-20. Here’s a quick look at what to expect from each event.
Hodag Hoops rolls Shawano 72-55
First-place battle at Mosinee on deck tonight
Seth Nofftz scored 20 points, leading four Hodags in double figures, and Rhinelander led nearly wire-to-wire in a 72-55 victory in a non-conference contest at Shawano.
Still something to prove
Hodags swimmers back in Waukesha, aiming for another state trophy
The Rhinelander High School boys’ swim team does not have much to prove as it heads back to Waukesha tonight as the defending WIAA Division 2 state champions — at least not to itself or the rest of Hodag nation.
Hodag Hoops fends of Lakeland, stays alive in GNC title race
Will Gretzinger led all scorers with 25 points and the Hodags fended off Lakeland down the stretch in a 65-55 win at the Jim Miazga Community Gymnasium.
Lady Hodags drop GNC title fight to Lakeland
The Rhinelander High School girls’ basketball team needed a win Friday night to keep its Great Northern Conference title hopes alive. The defending conference champion Lakeland T-Birds had a different idea.
Hodag wrestlers advance three to sectionals
Three members of the Rhinelander High School wrestling team are moving on to sectionals as the Hodags took eighth place in a 13-team WIAA Division 2 regional Saturday in Medford.
Hodag hockey falls to Antigo, finishes 6th in GNC
The Robins raced out to four goals in the opening period and defeated the Hodags 9-4 in the fifth-place game of the Great Northern Conference tournament Saturday in Mosinee.
Hodag gymnasts take 8th in Ashland
The Rhinelander High School gymnastics team posted another solid score as it took eighth on Saturday in the Ashland Valentines Invite. The Hodags earned their third-best score of the year, totaling 109.9 points.
Sectional six-peat
Hodag swimmers hold off Ashwaubenon, advance 16 entries to state
The Rhinelander Hodags had a strong day Saturday, winning seven events and advancing 16 of their 21 entries into the WIAA state meet, as they won a sixth-straight sectional title in Ashwaubenon.
Boys' hoops: RHS can’t keep up with No. 4 SPASH
A big first half run proved too much for the Rhinelander High School boys’ basketball team to overcome against one of the best teams in the state Tuesday night.
RHS/Pines skiers battle slippery slopes at Snow River
The Rhinelander/Northland Pines Alpine ski and snowboard team did not have its strongest day on the snow Tuesday in the Northern Conference finale but did enough throughout the course of the season to take home some team and individual hardware.
Hodag Hoops falls in OT to Medford
RHS drops two in three-game stretch
The Rhinelander High School boys’ basketball team came into Raider Hall Thursday night looking to kick off a daunting three-game stretch and keep itself in the driver’s seat in the Great Northern Conference title race. The Hodags left disappointed, as a team searching for a signature victory let another close game slip away.
Three Hodags wrestlers win GNC titles
Kurtz named co-wrestler of the year
Logan Schwinger, Owen Kurtz and Reid Schultz claimed titles at 190, 215 and. 285 pounds for Rhinelander, which finished sixth in the tournament. The Hodags finished tied for fifth in the final conference standings with Antigo, which they beat head-to-head during dual meet competition.
Hodag hockey snaps skid, wins back-to-back over Shawano and Ashland
The Hodags snapped a seven-game losing streak Thursday with a 10-4 victory on the road at Shawano/Bonduel and followed that up by winning consecutive games for the first time all season, defeating Ashland 5-1 Saturday at the Rhinelander Ice Arena.
Lady Hodags cruise past Tomahawk 69-35
The Rhinelander High School girls’ basketball team was clinical on Friday night as it took care of last-place Tomahawk in Great Northern Conference play.
Hodag gymnasts take 6th at Marshfield Invite
Even down a couple of gymnasts the Rhinelander High School gymnastics team was able to post some season highs on Saturday in the Marshfield Invite.
Hodag swim claims all 11 events, GNC title
Rhinelander was once again the class of the Great Northern on Friday, winning all 11 events as it rolled to its sixth straight conference championship at the GNC meet in Medford. The Hodags took the meet by a whopping 160 points over runner-up Tomahawk.
Hodag Alpine competes at Ski Brule
The Rhinelander/Northland Pines Alpine ski and snowboard team hosted the fourth race of the Northern Conference season Saturday at Ski Brule in Iron River, Mich.
A celebration of human spirit
Lack of snow no obstacle as Rhinelander hosts 49th annual Ski for Light
Anyone who has been involved in the sport of cross country skiing for any length of time has likely heard the term “sisu.”
Lady Hodags down Wausau East, Three Lakes on consecutive nights
The Rhinelander High School girls’ basketball team picked up back-to-back home wins Monday and Tuesday but is still looking for more consistency as it enters the home stretch of the regular season.
Lakeland downs Hodag hockey again to open GNC tournament
Lakeland jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first period and cruised to a 5-1 victory over the Hodags in Minocqua to open Great Northern Conference tournament play. The two teams had played just five days earlier, with Lakeland winning that contest 5-2.
Hodag gymnasts pick up conference win at Lakeland
The Rhinelander High School gymnastics team picked up its first Great Northern Conference win in nearly two years on Tuesday, outscoring Lakeland in every event to take a 104.0-79.05 victory in Minocqua.
RHS/Pines skiers take 3rd at Ashwabay
A couple of mishaps in Super G caught up with the Rhinelander/Northland Pines boys’ Alpine ski team on Tuesday as it posted a third-place finish in the third Northern Conference meet of the season at Mt. Ashwabay in Bayfield.
Shoutouts & Callouts
An attitude of gratitude
One of the fundamental axioms of journalism is to tell the story, not be part of it. Last Thursday night, however, I found myself in a position where those lines blurred a little bit — and I could not be more thankful.
RHS goes wire-to-wire over Three Lakes
Gretzinger scores 28 as Hodags down Bluejays 64-51
The Hodags used a big run early to take control, but needed until midway through the second half to finally put away Three Lakes 64-51 in a battle of teams at the top of their respective conferences.
Hodag hockey can’t keep up with Lakeland, GNC tourney rematch ahead
The Rhinelander High School boys’ hockey team was outgunned in its first matchup of the year against defending conference champion Lakeland. The Hodags will get another crack at the Thunderbirds tonight as the Great Northern Conference tournament begins.
Fast start propels Hodag Hoops past Pines, back into GNC lead
Will Gretzinger scored 15 points to lead three Hodags in double digits as Rhinelander defeated Northland Pines 60-43 on Friday night. The win, coupled with Medford’s 73-70 upset victory over Mosinee on Friday, vaulted Rhinelander back into a first-place tie in the GNC with Mosinee as the second half of the conference season begins.
Lady Hodags fend off Eagles 64-50
Lily Treder scored 23 points and Aubryn Clark had 22 as the Hodags defeated the Eagles 64-50 at the Jim Miazga Community Gymnasium.
Hodag swimmers close out dual meets with sweep
The Hodags won all 11 events and cruised to a 107-32 victory over Tomahawk in a non-conference dual meet at the Heck Family Community Pool.
Hodag hockey fades in third vs. Antigo
The Rhinelander High School boys’ hockey has kept it close in the third period in every game of its recent losing streak, but has not been able to find a way to get over the hump.
Lady Hodags can’t overcome Seubert, SPASH in road contest
An off night offensively and a talented Stevens Point freshman proved to be too much for the Rhinelander High School girls’ basketball team to overcome on Tuesday night.
RHS wrestlers go 1-2 in quadrangular
The Rhinelander High School wrestling team was able to fill only seven weight classes on Tuesday as it went 1-2 in a quadrangular meet hosted by the Laona/Wabeno/Three Lakes co-op.
Hodag girls take 2nd at WNSL Northern Conference meet
Hodag boys finish fifth
The Hodag Nordic skiing girls’ squad turned in a strong showing on Tuesday in its final tuneup prior to the Wisconsin Nordic Ski League state championship races.
Hodag Alpine finally starts 2024 season, boys 2nd at Christie Mt.
After a few false starts and meet cancellations, the Rhinelander/Northland Pines Alpine ski and snowboard team finally got on the hill to race on Monday.