Rhinelander rallies past Mosinee for historic road win

The Rhinelander High School football team picked up a win on Mosinee’s home field Friday, holding off a fourth-quarter push to beat the Indians 28-22 and bounce back from a lopsided home loss to Medford the week before. It was Rhinelander’s first win on Mosinee’s home field as members of the Great Northern Conference. Neither team could find the end zone in the first quarter, and the game stayed scoreless until the 4:04 mark of the second, when quarterback Abe Gretzinger connected with Rowan Wiczek for a touchdown. Mosinee had a chance to answer before halftime, but Tommy Eades intercepted a pass late in the quarter. On the next play, Brayden Dervetski broke off a touchdown run, and the Hodags took a 14-0 lead into the locker room with 1:26 still on the clock. Mosinee opened the second half with a pair of rushing touchdowns to get back into the game, but Rhinelander answered with a Dervetski touchdown and a two-point conversion of its own, taking a 22-14 lead into the fourth quarter. Both teams scored touchdowns in the fourth quarter, with Rhinelander building what proved to be the final margin at 28-22. With Mosinee still driving for a potential go-ahead score late in the game, the Rhinelander defense forced a fourth-and-long, and a desperation pass fell incomplete with no receiver nearby. The Hodags then ran out the final three plays in victory formation to close out the win. Wiczek finished with two touchdowns — one receiving and one rushing — and Dervetski added two rushing touchdowns.The historic win came one week after Rhinelander was beaten soundly by Medford at home 62-20. The Hodags will host Antigo in the annual Bell Game on Friday, Sept. 18.