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Hatchets Sports Recap - Weekend Published on 10/25/2021 under Sports

FOOTBALL

The Tomahawk Hatchets Football season came to an end on Friday night with a 54-12 loss to Wittenberg-Birnamwood in the first round of the WIAA Tournament.

The Chargers used more than 580 yards of offense to propel themselves to the blowout win.

The Tomahawk Hatchets finish the season with a 4-7 record. They made their first postseason appearance since 2015.

STATS:

RB Logan Bishop - 7 Carries, 42 Yards

WR Jake Kaminski - 3 Catches, 42 Yards, 1 TD

DB Addison Peissig - 1 INT

CROSS COUNTRY

On Saturday, Tomahawk traveled to Colby High School, the site of WIAA Division 2 Sectional Cross- Country Meet. Ideal conditions greeted the 16 teams as they competed to earn the right to advance to Wisconsin Rapids next weekend for the State Championships.

In the opening event of the day, the Tomahawk boys had one of their best scoring split efforts of the year as they placed 5th overall with 156 points. For the Hatchets, they were led by sophomore Owen Dickrell with his 23rd place finish in a time of 18:17. Sophomore Presley Gutbrod, freshman Sam Zastrow and senior Arden Ziert all crossed together in 18:30 (placing 32,33, and 34 respectively), with a PR for Zastrow.

In the final event of the sectional, sophomore Rachael Reilly led her team and punched her individual ticket to the State Meet in Rapids next weekend with her 7th place overall finish in a seasonal best time of 20:21 for the 5K distance.

Her teammates put together a valiant effort, but couldn't overcome state-ranked teams from Medford and West Salem. Placing for the Hatchets was senior Macey Mann (15th-20:28 SB), freshman Alli Palmer (18th-21:12 PR), seniors Kate Reilly (35th-21:56), Ava Dragosh (40th-22:19 PR) and Emily Lacina (44th-22:22). Junior Serena Reinke had her 2nd fastest time of the year as she placed 46th in 22:35. There were 86 finishers in the girl's race.

With Rachael Reilly's individual Tomahawk continued their rich tradition in being represented at the state meet for the 27th time in the last 30 years (28 qualifying teams and 16 individual qualifiers).

The boys finished their season with a W-94 L-25 (Pct. 790) record and the girls concluded with a W-107 L-8 (Pct. 930).

In Other News

Tomahawk Fall Ride Wraps Up 44th Year

Published on 09/15/2025 under News There is a calm in the air here in Tomahawk, as the community wrapped up another Fall Ride weekend. As quickly as they arrived last week, tens of thousands of motorcycles were back on the road and heading out of town on Sunday. More than 4 decades in, the Fall Ride tradition remains as popular as ever. It's been estimated at 40,000 and 50,000 people attend each year. Because of the de-centralized nature of Fall Ride, it's hard to get an exact count on just how many people attend each year. On Sunday afternoon, as events were wrapping up, we heard from several of the local organizers. The general consensus was that the number of visitors was up when compared to last year. Weather likely played a role...it was sunny and summer-like for most of the weekend. That likely drew in some additional riders who came over for a day, while also encouraging those visiting to get out and explore events and activities. One event that does get an actual head count is the Friday night Thunder Parade. We heard from parade organizer, Roxanne Consolver, who shared that they had approximately 650 bikes take part this year. That's up from last year's count. And with another year in the books, event organizers will take a few days to recover themselves before shifting focus to next year. In the coming days, they'll meet to review this year's Fall Ride and begin planning for next year.

Published on 09/15/2025 under News September is Falls Prevention Awareness Month in Wisconsin, and several local organizations are teaming up to address this challenge of aging. According to the Wisconsin Institute of Healthy Aging, falls are a leading cause of injury-related emergency department visits and EMS medical response calls. Several local providers including the ADRC, Lincoln County Health Department, and Aspirus will host an Improve Your Balance: Prevent Falls Resource Fair in Merrill Tuesday morning. Jennifer Clark with the ADRC says, "There are proven steps individuals can take to help prevent falls and community resources that can help." Amanda Tabin, injury prevention coordinator for Aspirus says, "Our goal is that event attendees will increase awareness of their fall risk factors and turn that awareness into action," Tomorrow's resource fair will feature a fall risk screening, along with an informational booths with topics like balance and strengthening exercises, home safety, and assistive devices. It'll be a walk-in style event from 9:30am to noon on Tuesday at the Merrill Enrichment Center.

Published on 09/15/2025 under News Some of the top anglers in the country are right here in Northern Wisconsin for a week-long fishing tournament. Mincoqua was selected to host the second stop on the Major League Fishing-Fishing Clash Team Series tour. The Knighten Industries Heritage Cup kicked off Sunday. It features twenty four anglers, in twelve teams of two. In a unique twist, they fish on a different body of water each day. The lake or river is revealed to the anglers each morning. Sherry Hulett, Sports & Group Travel Director at the Minocqua Area Visitors Bureau says they were thrilled to be selected. She says, "Hosting this professional team-based event not only highlights our beautiful fisheries but also will also bring significant economic impact to our local businesses." Hulett added, "It's a tremendous opportunity to showcase Minocqua as a premier destination for competitive fishing and outdoor recreation." The tournament runs throughout this week. Those interested can follow along at Major League Fishing dot com. Produced episodes will also air on the Outdoor Channel early next year.

Published on 09/15/2025 under News With archery season kicking off this weekend, the DNR is encouraging hunters to know their target. While white-tailed deer are far more prevalent, Wisconsin is home to a growing elk population as well. The DNR recently brought back a campaign to remind hunters of the differences. While the state has two main elk herds, the DNR notes that elk may stray outside these areas, particularly during fall mating season. They highlighted three key indicators to differentiate deer and elk: size, color/appearance, and antlers. First, a typical adult elk is 1-2 feet taller than a white-tailed deer. An elk will also be darker brown, with black legs and a mane. Deer on the other hand are lighter tan, their legs match their bodies, and their namesake white tail. As for the antlers, a bull elk's sweep backwards, a white-tailed buck's curve forward. And in Wisconsin, accessories make a difference. Most elk either have an ear tag or GPS collar. According to the DNR, an elk taken without a tag may result in a fine and a revocation of hunting privileges. Archery season in Wisconsin begins Saturday and runs through early January.

Published on 09/15/2025 under News Some new treats will be coming to Merrill next year. A new Dunkin' & Baskin-Robbins is expected to open inside the Park City Credit Union. It will be operated by TMart Franchise Group. Park City president and CEO Val Mindak said, "In determining a new partner for the space, we were immediately impressed with the local involvement that the TMart Franchise Group brings to local communities." She added, "This group is committed to the Central Wisconsin area and we both share a vision to give back and to serve local businesses and consumers with amazing service and products!" Traci Lloyd, TMart Field Marketing Manager, "We are grateful to Park City Credit Union for their faith in us and look forward to providing the Merrill community with the opportunity to start their day the Dunkin' & Baskin-Robbins way very soon!" According to Friday's announcement, the goal is to open by spring of next year.

Published on 09/15/2025 under Sports #6 in Division 5 Tomahawk's Football Team continued their hot start to the season, dominating the Antigo Red Robins at Schofield Stadium in Antigo Friday, 49-0. The Hatchets led wire-to-wire and scored touchdowns on each of their first seven drives. Filling in for the injured Cash Olsen, backup quarterback Jett Reilly threw for 77 yards, rushed for 28 yards, and scored four total touchdowns. Tomahawk totaled 198 yards on the ground and five different Hatchets found the end zone. Both of Reilly's touchdown passes went to Jonah Dickens. Tomahawk also got rushing scores from Rex Reilly, Max Larson, and Hudson Evans. Defensively, the Hatchets held Antigo to 118 total yards, including 83 on the ground. The win puts Tomahawk at 4-0 on the season and 2-0 in Great Northern Conference play. The Hatchets return to action next week in Rhinelander and can be the first GNC team to clinch a playoff spot with a win. Tune in for the Fehrman Orthodontics Kickoff Cabin at 6:10 and opening kick at 7:00. Alex Koch and Jon Long will be in the broadcast booth.

Published on 09/12/2025 under Sports Tomahawk's volleyball squad bounced back with an emphatic sweep of the Ashland Oredockers Thursday, 25-18, 25-11, 25-22. The Hatchets got productive nights from their hitters. Siennah Calkins finished with eight kills, two aces and two blocks. Freya Alberg and Alicia Voermans each had six kills on the day. The win puts Tomahawk at 9-9 on the season. The Hatchets resume Great Northern Conference play Tuesday with their first home match of the season against Antigo. Tune in for the Fehrman Orthodontics Radio Prematch Show at 6:35 and opening serve at 7:00. Alex Koch and Matt Theiler will be in the broadcast booth.

Published on 09/12/2025 under Sports Tomahawk's girls swim squad was swept in their home double dual against Colby and Rhinelander Thursday night. The Hatchets were dominated by Rhinelander, 128-38 and lost to Colby, 82-74. The Hatchets had three third-place finishes in the double dual. Kami Gabrich finished third in the 500 yard freestyle and Kaylee Roberts placed third in the 100 yard breaststroke. The Hatchet team of Emma Hoff, Lizzy Long, Kylie Peissig and Morgan Kretzschmar finished third in the 200 Freestyle. The Hatchets will be back in action next Thursday for their next Conference dual at Ladysmith. Events begin at 5:30.

Published on 09/12/2025 under News A familiar rumble is back in the air as tens of thousands of motorcycles descend upon the Tomahawk area this weekend. Now in it's 44th year, the Tomahawk Fall Ride actually has quite humble beginnings. The community-wide celebration we know today is quite different from how it all started. That story begins in the early 1980's when a few dozen local motorcycle riders planned an October outing to view the fall colors and enjoy a cookout. A few years later they moved the event to mid-September due to Wisconsin's unpredictable autumn weather. The event continued to grow, and the modern Fall Ride began to take shape. Initially riders could first be counted in the hundreds, eventually the thousands. Now an estimated 40,000-50,000 people visit the Northwoods each September for Fall Ride. Fastforward to the present, and the rally plays a crucial role in the local economy, boosting area businesses, supporting local non-profits and welcoming new visitors to the Northwoods each year, joining those who've been part of the tradition since the very beginning. As always stay tuned to WJJQ throughout the weekend for events and updates.

Published on 09/12/2025 under News Action revs up Friday for the 44th edition of the Tomahawk Fall Ride. Perhaps the most iconic of all Fall Ride events is the Friday night Thunder Parade. The Thunder Parade started back in 1991. Like many of the Fall Ride events, it was a tradition that started small, and has continued to grow. A bit later this evening, around 1,000 participants will leave from the Tomahawk School Complex on a scenic 18 mile cruise through rural Tomahawk. The end of the route takes riders through the Tomahawk businesses corridors of North Fourth Street, across Veteran's Memorial Bridge and right down Main Street. Like a traditional parade, people now line the route to welcome the bikers back into the city. In addition to watching the motorcycles, spectators can feel the rumble of thunder as they pass by. For riders looking to participate, they'll begin lining up at the school at around 5pm, leaving at 6pm. The escort and lead bikes typically make their way through the city at around 6:30pm. While the Thunder Parade is the highlight of the day, there's no shortage of activities at SARA Park, Downtown Tomahawk, and businesses and establishments throughout the greater Tomahawk area. We've got many of those events in our WJJQ Community Calendar.

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