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Coach Hernandez of Tomahawk Named Packer Coach of the Week Published on 11/06/2020 under Sports

The Packers have announced that Sam Hernandez of Tomahawk High School in Tomahawk, Wis., has been named the Green Bay Packers High School Coach of the Week.

Hernandez, in his second year as head coach of the Hatchets, has his team at 2-4 overall this season and 2-3 in Northwoods Conference play. The Hatchets look to even their conference record Friday, Nov. 6, as they close out their regular season against Coleman High School.

Since taking over the team this past year, Hernandez's impact has been felt not only on the football field, but on the whole community. From helping elderly people move to new homes, assisting community members who need help with their yard work, and volunteering at the local Kinship of Tomahawk, the team continues to pursue a variety of ways to help others in need. Not only has giving back been beneficial to the community, but it has also been uplifting for the players.

"I think for a lot of them, it gives them a sense of pride and a sense of doing something for others," said Hernandez. "And as a football program, we want people to come sit in the stands and watch us play, and we feed off of that. So this is an opportunity for us to provide a platform for these kids to do good things for others without anything in return. If we can send the players out into life after high school with that skillset of doing good things to be good people, then that is a great lesson for them to take."

Hernandez graduated from Marshall High School in Marshall, Wis., in 2004. Throughout high school, he participated in football, basketball and baseball. He played nose tackle, running back and kicker under head coach Mike Zimmerman. Following high school, he went on to graduate from UW-Whitewater in 2009. In addition to coaching other high school sports, Hernandez's football coaching career began as an assistant coach for Lake Mills High School in 2008. He went on to coach at Johnson Creek High School in 2013, before being named the head coach of the Hatchets in 2019.

To Hernandez, the Coach of the Week Award speaks to the work being done by the program on and off the field.

"This award is really an award for the kids, the program and my coaching staff. I'm just one person as part of a bigger group. I'm so honored to have our program and have our kids be recognized for this because they do work hard. We've struggled in terms of wins over the last couple of years, but the kids work hard, the coaching staff works hard every week, and we do work in the community and outside of the football field. To see those kids get recognized with other programs around the state, is a really cool opportunity for this program and highlights the really good things that we are doing."

Hernandez and his staff oversee a program of 43 players with 33 suiting up for varsity games. His assistant staff includes Andy Peissig, Jeremy Zimmerman, Aaron Evans, Dave Long, Jon Long, Nick Schertz and Steven Shrigley. In addition to being the head coach, Hernandez is also an English teacher at the high school. Hernandez and his wife, Ashley, have three sons, Derek, Brett and Vaughn.

About the Green Bay Packers High School Coach of the Week Program:

The Green Bay Packers Coach of the Week program supports football outreach efforts by giving high school coaches the recognition they deserve. Nominations can be submitted by 10 a.m. every Monday to Ryan Fencl, Packers football outreach specialist, at coachoftheweek@packers.com. All nominations should include the nominee's name, address, school, phone number and reason he/she is deserving of the award. This year, because some schools have postponed their football seasons to the spring due to COVID-19, the Packers are seeking coaches to be nominated regardless of their teams' on-field performance or whether they are playing in the fall or spring. Rather, the nominee could be honored for how they have turned programs around, how the team has impacted the community, or how the coach impacts the players and their families.

In Other News

Hatchet Hockey Teams Improves to 2-0 in GNC

Published on 12/05/2025 under Sports Tomahawk's hockey squad flexed their will, dominating Rhinelander in their home opener Saturday night at SARA Park, 13-1. The Hatchets scored eight goals in the first period and five in the second period, winning their seventh straight over their Great Northern Conference rivals. Tomahawk got hat tricks from Jett Reilly and Jonah Dickens. Breck Stromberg found the back of the net twice. The Hatchets improve their record to 4-0 on the season and 2-0 in Great Northern Conference play. Tomahawk is back in action Tuesday for another Great Northern Conference game at SARA Park against Northland Pines. The game will be broadcast on Northwoods 92.5 WJJQ with Alex Koch and Keith Hanse in the broadcast booth. The Fehrman Orthodontics Radio Pregame Show will get underway at 6:35 with opening faceoff at 7:00.

Published on 12/05/2025 under Sports The Hatchet girls' basketball squad got back in the win column Thursday night, using a strong second half to defeat the Red Robins at Antigo, 50-36. After getting off to a slow start and leading by just two at halftime, Tomahawk put 34 points up in the second half and never looked back. Freya Alberg led the way with 19 points for the Hatchets. Anita Ziert finished with 13 points to help Tomahawk improve to 2-1 on the season and 1-1 in Great Northern Conference play. The Hatchets are back in action next Thursday for the first half of a non-conference basketball doubleheader with Three Lakes.

Published on 12/05/2025 under Sports The Hatchet boys' wrestling squad opened up their season with a sweep of their triangular at the Hatchet House Thursday. Tomahawk began the night with a win over Great Northern Conference foe Lakeland, 52-30. The Hatchets then ended the night with a victory over Athens, 52-24. Tomahawk begins their season 2-0 and 1-0 in Great Northern Conference play. The Hatchets are back in action Saturday for a quad at Chetek-Weyerhauser.

Published on 12/05/2025 under Sports Tomahawk Girls' Wrestling began their season going 2-1 in their quad at Shiocton Thursday night. The Hatchets squeaked out a 31-30 win over Wrightstown. Match Two for Tomahawk against Oshkosh West ended in a 27-27 tie, but the Hatchets won on a tiebreaker. The final match of the night for Tomahawk ended with them losing to the host, Shiocton, 36-24. The Hatchets now stand at 2-1 on the season. Tomahawk is back in action tonight for an invite down in Antigo. That begins at 4:30.

Published on 12/05/2025 under News Holiday music certainly makes the season, and it's even better live. Here in Tomahawk the St. Mary's Choir packs the house for a Christmas concert each year, and it's just a few days away. Ahead of Sunday's performance we were joined by long-time director Jan Huseby, along with Sandy Bishop and Lynn Grube. While many folks are just transitioning into the Christmas holiday, the performers been busy with rehearsals for several months now. The choir is comprised of 70 voices, along with some instrumentalists. Grube says that includes seven or eight newcomers. While most of the choir is comprised of locals, they do get a handful of singers who travel to Tomahawk weekly for rehearsals from neighboring communities. This year's show is titled 'Glory to the Newborn King. 'They keep the concert fresh by changing out the music each year, and Huseby says she is continually keeping a list of songs. It will feature a mix of styles and songs focused on peace, joy and hope. with some familiar tunes and some lesser-known pieces. A special highlight this year, they're incorporating a dedication to military families. The St. Mary's Christmas concert is free, but they will accept donations to help cover some of the music costs. It's coming up Sunday afternoon starting at 4pm. They'll begin seating at 3pm and note that they typically fill quickly. We'll once again be recording the concert to bring back to our listeners on Christmas Eve.

Published on 12/05/2025 under News A man facing charges related to threats made to a Tomahawk grocery store, is now charged for making threats in Washington County as well. According to court records, Nicholas Wolf is facing a single count of making a terrorist threat in Washington County Court. The 23 year old was arrested November 25 as part of a multi-jurisdictional investigation related to threats of violence made to multiple locations across multiple counties. In Washington County, the alleged threats were made about the Kewauskum School District which led to a closure and early dismissal on November 24. Wolf is also facing charges in Lincoln County related to threats made to Trig's grocery store. At a court hearing early this week, bond was set at $10,000. He's scheduled for an adjourned initial appearance on December 22.

Published on 12/05/2025 under News A home was destroyed following a fire in Vilas County early Thursday morning. Crews were initially called to a home on Towering Oaks Lane in the Town of Cloverland near Eagle River Thursday morning. At around 4:30am, the homeowner reported waking up to find the attached garage on fire. When firefighters arrived on the scene, the fire had spread to the home which was fully engulfed. All occupants of the home were able to evacuate safely, however the home is considered a total loss. It wasn't immediately known what caused the fire. The fire remains under investigation.

Published on 12/04/2025 under News More than a century ago, Andrew Carnegie helped fund the construction of more than 1,600 public libraries around the country. Now those libraries are set to receive a substantial gift from his Foundation including some Northwoods locations. Between the 1880's and 1910's, there were 65 Carnegie-funded libraries built in Wisconsin. Currently 47 buildings remain, but just 22 still operate as libraries. As part of the upcoming 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the Carnegie Foundation pledged $10,000 gifts to the approximately 1,280 Carnegie libraries. Among the recipients is the Rhinelander District Library, built back in 1903. Library Director Virginia Roberts says, "This gift honors the history of Carnegie Libraries and the role they have played in communities nationwide for more than a century." Roberts called the grant a 'timely gift' as the library is in the midst of a fundraising campaign. They are currently planning a multi-phase renovation and restoration project including the original Carnegie entrance. They aren't the only Northwoods library set to receive funding. The TB Scott Free Library in Merrill is another Carnegie library that announced they will be receiving a grant. The funds will be awarded to the libraries in January.Photo provided by the Rhinelander District Library-A composite photo of the current library (left) and the original library (right)

Published on 12/04/2025 under News With winter weather now upon us, there are plenty of adventures awaiting in Lincoln County. The ongoing partnership between Lincoln County and Discover Wisconsin continues. They have now released another video focused on Winter in Lincoln County. The narrator describes the area as a 'playground of snow and ice,' while exploring some of the many recreational opportunities available once the weather turns cold. The segment highlights two popular events specifically. The first half of the video is dedicated to the family-friendly Alice in Winterland ice fishing tournament which is held each February on Lake Alice. For the second half, they head south to Lake Alexander for the Ice Drags racing weekends. Both segments provide interviews with organizers and participants along with some scenic shots including drone footage. The video went live on the Discover Wisconsin YouTube Channel Wednesday evening. We'll include a link in the online version of the story.

Published on 12/04/2025 under News While many elves already have a jump start on their Christmas decorations, others may use this first weekend in December to hang lights. Officials are encouraging people take safety seriously for a happy holiday season. According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, on average there are about 160 holiday decorating-related injuries each day during the holiday season, with nearly half of the injuries involving falls. Wisconsin Emergency Management Administrator Greg Engle says, "Holiday decorations should bring joy and not danger into people's homes. By taking a few extra moments to prevent hazards in your homes, you can create a joyful and safe environment." Ready Wisconsin offered a few quick tips:Choose a sturdy ladder that is the correct height and weight limit, and make sure it is placed on level grounds. Wear shoes that allow for good traction. Avoid standing on things likes chairs, counters or tables.Clear pathways including outdoor sidewalks of trip hazards, such as clutter, power cords and extra furniture.As for the lights, inspect both the bulbs and the cords for damage. Avoid overloading the circuits and outlets.Be mindful of fire dangers, keep trees watered and turn off the lights when you go to bed.

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