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Hatchet Boys Cross Country Team Wins GNC Title Published on 10/21/2019 under Sports

On Saturday the Hatchets traveled to Gartzke XC Ski Trails near Antigo for the Great Northern Conference Cross-Country Championships. For the first time in over a decade (since 2008), the Hatchet varsity boys sits atop the Great Northern Conference by capturing the title as they edged a solid improving Lakeland team by a 51-54, 3-point margin. The varsity girl's race found three state-ranked teams in a tight battle, separated by only 7 points when the dust settled, defending state champion Medford-40 pts, followed by Lakeland-45 pts and the lady Hatchets with 47 pts placed a close 3rd. The Boys JV squad won the boys GNC title and the Girls JV finished 3rd.

Earning All-Conference medalist honors for the Hatchets were: Haley Voermans-Dean, Noah Buckwalter, Drew Bolder, Kate Reilly, Emily Lacina, Garron Albrent, and Macey Mann. Haley earned All-Conference 1st Team status for the 4th straight year, as she placed 3rd overall. Noah Buckwalter also earned AllConference 1st Team status with his 3rd place finish in the varsity boys race. Drew Bolder and Kate Reilly both placed 7th completing the Hatchet first team All-Conference honorees. Emily Lacina (8th), Garron Albrent (12th), and Macey Mann (14th) earned 2nd Team All-Conference status by virtue of their placement at the GNC event.

Other Hatchet varsity finishers were: Trey Baalke (15th), Meagan Berg and Arden Ziert (16th), Alex Norman (17th), Keaton Jed (21st), Greta Tjugum (28th), and Serena Reinke (34th).

Varsity results: BV-THS-51, Lake-54, Med-73, Mos-78, Rhine-95, NPHS-179, Ant-Inc GV-Med-40, Lake-45, THS-47, Mos-92, Rhine-129, NPHS-190, Ant-Inc

Junior Ethan Liebnitz topped the field in the final GNC event of the day as he won the Boys JV title, leading the field from start to finish. Helping propel the Boys JV to their 2nd straight JV title were: Hunter Borchardt-4th, Jack Lacina-7th, Reed Zedler-8th, Brady Tjugum-11th, Matt Johnson-15th, Taje Casey-20th, Trey Miler-32nd, John Mark Hawley-34th, and Henry Calhoun-35th.

The 4th place girls JV squad was led by Tiana Gerstenberger as she finished 11th overall. Other Tomahawk girls JV placers were: Neenah Fuste-14th, Gillian Buckwalter-16th, Ava Dragosh-20th, Geena Wanta-21st, Autumn Peissig-24th, and Yumo Zhang-33rd.

JV results: BJV-THS-31, Lake-34, Rhine-56, NPHS-Inc, Med-Inc GJV-Med-49, Lake-49, Mos-51, THS-82, Rhine-106

Next race for the Hatchets is on Saturday as Tomahawk hosts the WIAA Division 2 Northeastern Wisconsin Sectional race. The meet gets underway at 11:00 a.m. with the girls varsity race. The top 2 teams and the top five non-qualifying team members advance to the state meet the following weekend in Wisconsin Rapids.

In Other News

Area Fire Departments Participate in 'Keep the Wreath Green' Campaign

Published on 12/03/2025 under News Fire stations around the Northwoods have become a bit more festive in recent days, but there's a reason behind the decoration. It's all part of the annual 'Keep the Wreath Green' campaign. During the holiday season, participating fire departments hang wreaths on their stations outfitted with green bulbs. When the agency responds to a fire, they change one of the green bulbs to a red one. The wreath serves as a visual reminder of the fire risks over the holiday season, one of the busiest stretches for fire departments nationwide. We saw that here in the Northwoods over the most recent Thanksgiving holiday. In just a few years, crews responded to life-changing fires in Lincoln, Oneida, and Vilas Counties. Here in Lincoln County, both the Tomahawk and Merrill Fire Departments participate in 'Keep the Wreath Green'. A few fire safety tips for the holidays...keep your Christmas tree watered and be careful not to overload electrical outlets. Keep an eye on food cooking, and avoid open flames and candles near flammable materials. These wreaths will remain up through the New Year's holiday, hopefully remaining green during that time.

Published on 12/03/2025 under News The 2025 Wisconsin gun-deer season has come to a close, and the harvest was just shy of last year's totals. The DNR provided a recap of the nine-day gun deer season Tuesday. According to the data, hunters registered 182,000 deer. That's down less than a percentage point when compared to last year's total, and 1.5% below the five year average. But hunters have seen a bit more success when factoring in the archery/crossbow seasons. As of Tuesday, the overall deer harvest including the bow hunts came in at approximately 295,000. That's up 1.1% from last year. Among factors that may have impacted the season was the relatively late start on the calendar, which traditionally has led to a slight drop. Weatherwise, after a quiet opening weekend, hunters across the state had to contend with major winter storms that crossed the northern portions of the state mid-week and central and southern Wisconsin during the second weekend of the season. The purchase of hunting licenses also saw a decline of less than a percentage point. Across all seasons, 790,000 hunters purchasing a tag. And it was a relatively safe 9-day gun/deer season. After two opening weekend firearm incidents, the DNR says there were no additional incidents reported for the remainder of the season.

Published on 12/03/2025 under News The Rhinelander Community will be celebrating a special birthday during an annual community event this evening. The Rhinelander School District and their partners will be hosting their 4th annual Hodag Day at the Dome celebration. Each December, they inviting the community to come enjoy the Dome with games, activities and entertainment. This year's theme is the 132nd Birthday Bash for the Hodag, the iconic, mythical beast that has become a symbol of the community. Organizers invite community members young and old to stop by and enjoy some of the activities they have planned. As part of the celebration, the district will host a Youth Entrepreneur Market. They explained this as an opportunity for students from the Rhinelander schools to sell some the products they produce. Doors open at 3:30pm and the Hodag Day at the Dome runs through 6pm.

Published on 12/03/2025 under News It's looking a little more winter-like outside. It serves as a good reminder that winter parking rules are now in place across many Northwoods communities. Here in the City of Tomahawk, winter parking rules went into effect as of December 1. That means no parking on city streets between 2:30am and 5am. While the goal is to allow room for plows to operate, the rules apply whether there is snow or not. A first offense ticket is $25. The winter parking rules here in Tomahawk run through March 15. Most other Northwoods communities have their own overnight winter parking rules in effect. These rules may vary, and drivers are encouraged to check local rules before parking.

Published on 12/03/2025 under News A Northwoods deer has a second lease on life following a water rescue. According to the St. Germain Fire Department, resident on Lost Lake reported that a deer had ventured out onto the newly formed ice and broke through. Responders arrived on the scene and assessed the situation, which they noted is a key step in any ice/water response. After determining it would be safe to proceed, a pair of responders suited up with their ice rescue gear. They broke up the ice to reach the struggling deer and created a path back to shore. In addition to rescuing the deer, they noted it provided a good training opportunity ahead of the ice rescue season. And the department noted the incident also serves as a good reminder to exercise good judgment and decision making when traveling on the ice throughout the winter season.

Published on 12/03/2025 under News Governor Evers made a visit to the Northwoods on Tuesday to get in a little holiday shopping and promote a shop local campaign. For the fifth consecutive year, Gov. Evers proclaimed the weeks between Small Business Saturday through the end of the year as "Shop Small Wisconsin Season." As part of the campaign, Governor Evers stopped in Merrill at several locally owned businesses including Kindhearted Floral and Custom Creations, Polka Dotted Pie, and Johnson's Gifts and Home Decor. Gov. Evers says, "I'm very supportive of small businesses and especially in smaller towns in the state. He added, "When you spend a dollar in a small business in a small town 60% of that ends up local." Throughout the Shop Small Wisconsin Season, the governor is encouraging all Wisconsinites to celebrate small businesses and the many contributions they make to communities across the state, to explore new small businesses and champion their success, and to show support for their neighbors and communities.

Published on 12/03/2025 under Sports On Tuesday night the Hatchet Hockey Team traveled to Lakeland Ice Arena to play the T-Birds in the Great Northern Conference opener. Tomahawk would jump out to an early lead and never look back, skating to an 8-1 win. Jett Reilly scored three minutes into the game and Tomahawk led 1-0. Tomahawk would add another goal three minutes later, when Landyn Seymour scored with assists to Jonah Dickens and Jake Albert. Dickens would score :35 seconds later, assisted by Jett Reilly and Tomahawk led 3-0. Lakeland scored their lone goal of the night with under six minutes left in the first from Lawson Bain. Tomahawk closed the first period out with a shorthanded goal from Dickens on an assist from Jett Reilly. Dickens would add another tally with :18 seconds remaining, assisted by Jett Reilly and Rex Reilly. Tomahawk led 5-0. Tomahawk scored three goals in the second period, Beau Stromberg assisted by Albert and Rex Reilly. Tomahawk closed out the scoring with two power plays goals, Jett Reilly scored his second goal of the night on an assist from Albert with six minutes left in second. Albert would close out the scoring on a goal assisted by Jett Reilly and Jonah Dickens. Tomahawk led 8-1 after two periods and neither team lit the lamp in the third. Tomahawk's Hudson Seymour 23 saves in the net. Tomahawk is now 3-0 and 1-0 in the GNC and will host Rhinelander for the home opener at SARA Park Arena at 7:00 pm on Thursday.

Published on 12/03/2025 under Sports The Hatchet Boys Basketball Team opened their season on the road Tuesday night, traveling to Faith Christian Academy. The Hatchet get the win 81-49. Colton Seslar led Tomahawk with 23 points, Logan Norman had 18 and Jerry Johnson added 11. Tomahawk is 1-0 and will open Great Northern Conference on Friday night hosting Antigo at the Fieldhouse. The opening tip is at 7:15 pm.

Published on 12/03/2025 under Sports The Hatchet Girls Basketball Team opened their 2025-26 Great Northern Conference schedule on Tuesday night, as they hosted the Medford Raiders. Tomahawk falls to Medford 60-31. The Hatchets are 1-1 overall and 0-1 in the GNC and will travel to Antigo on Thursday night.

Published on 12/03/2025 under Sports On Tuesday night, the Hatchet Boys Swimming Team opened their season at Marshfield for a non-conference triangular. Tomahawk finished in third place and will be back in action at the Wisconsin Rapids Invite on Saturday.

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