Individual state titles and state podium finishers highlighted the winter sports season for Rice Lake High School.
In gymnastics the Warriors had Avery Ash win three individual state championships, while at the boys swim and diving championships, divers Jacob Jondreau and Carson Donze reached the podium. The Warriors also had two swimming relays at state, while Makenzie Dalsbo joined Ash as gymnastics state qualifiers this winter. In wrestling Easton Stone tied a program record for wins in a season as he reached state. Rice Lake also had its Warriorettes dance team qualify for state, while the ski and snowboard team had three state qualifiers in Veda Stenseth, Ethan Thompson and Gavin Stenseth.
A year ago Ash became the third Warrior gymnast to win a state title when she took the vault championship, and this season the junior headed to the state meet in Wisconsin Rapids earlier this month in hopes of matching or exceeding those results. Ash became the first Warrior to win a state title in an event other than vault as she won Division 2 state championships for the balance beam and all-around, while also repeating as vault winner.
Her score of 9.583 for the beam was a Division 2 state meet record that beat a mark of 9.57 first set in 2011 and matched in 2019. With an all-around score of 36.616, Ash recorded a personal best mark and reached the top of the podium. Her 9.417 for the vault tied Elkhorn’s Kaylee Frank as they were state co-champions.
Ash was also 10th for both the floor exercise and uneven bars. Dalsbo was a qualifier in the bars as she competed at the state meet for the first time and concluded her sophomore season in 19th place of 26 gymnasts.
Jondreau and Donze are each three-time state qualifiers in diving and it was the first time since 2021 the Warriors had two podium finishers. Jondreau broke the school record in diving as the junior won the sectional meet at 365.85. The previous mark of 364.5 was held by Isaiah Miller from 2021.
At state in Waukesha on Feb. 16, Jondreau tied the highest finish for Rice Lake as the junior came in fourth place. That matched Donze in diving last season and a pair of fourth-place finishes by Joe Kroeger in 2021 for the 100-yard butterfly and 2020 in the 100 backstroke. Donze claimed his third podium placement in taking sixth this season. The senior was also sixth in 2022.
Rice Lake had its 200 and 400 freestyle relays qualify for state too. Seniors Adam Anderegg and Dominic Hernandez, along with Jondreau and Donze finished 10th in the 200 freestyle relay, while it was Jondreau, sophomore Brandon Mincoff, Donze and Anderegg taking 15th for the 400 freestyle relay.
Stone got Rice Lake wrestling back to the state tournament after a one-year absence. The senior matched a Warrior record by recording 47 wins this season as he became one of 12 qualifiers at 215 pounds. Stone lost his first-round matchup in Madison but his win total from this year ties the 47 wins of Anthony Loew from 2006 when he became Rice Lake’s only state wrestling champion. The Warriors also had senior Nathan Windorski as a sectional qualifier at 285.
At the Wisconsin State High School Ski and Snowboard Championships in La Crosse on Feb. 17-19, the Blue Hills Race team was led by Veda Stenseth, as the sophomore was 14th in the girls combined snowboard. Senior Ethan Thompson was 22nd for the boys combined snowboard standings. Senior Gavin Stenseth was the only skier in action for Rice Lake and his best finish was 88th for the giant slalom.
The Rice Lake dance team reached the state championships in La Crosse on Feb. 3. The team of Sloan Campbell, Raegan Donahue, Summer Dahlberg, Kendel Staut and Breleigh Vavra competed in Division 4 pom and placed 11th. Campbell also performed a solo at state.
Girls basketball improved its win total by eight games this year in going 18-8, which included climbing to fourth in the Big Rivers standings. The Warriors won a playoff game over Medford, but the season came to a close with a one-point loss at three seed Lakeland.
The boys basketball team matched its record from a year ago in going 15-11 this season and 6-8 in the Big Rivers. The Warriors won a playoff game over Rhinelander but the season ended with an overtime loss to top seed Wausau East.
Boys hockey saw a slight improvement in its record this season compared to a year ago as the Warriors were 7-17 and 3-11 in the conference. Rice Lake again won its playoff opener but a loss to eventual state runner-up New Richmond ended the season.
Rice Lake had 13 athletes receive Big Rivers All-Conference honors this winter. Earning first team honors were Ash in gymnastics, Stone in wrestling, senior Eliana Sheplee and sophomore Adaline Sheplee in girls basketball, junior Zach Orr in boys basketball, and Campbell in dance. Senior JT Schradle joined Orr with all-conference accolades in being named to the boys basketball second team. Receiving honorable mentions were freshman Addison Schmidt in girls basketball, sophomore Michael Sirek in wrestling, senior Evan Hillyer and junior Jake Kunz in boys hockey and Jondreau (diving) and Anderegg (100 freestyle) for boys swim and diving.
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