Driving home from La Crosse Saturday night after the WIAA Division 2 state gymnastics meet, I couldn’t help but think about how a year-long circle had been completed. From this sports editor’s viewpoint, the last time anything was normal was the day last year’s gymnastics state meet ended. That Saturday morning and afternoon were spent at the meet in Wisconsin Rapids. After that, there was

Raiders’ most challenging event all season, and some bobbles on vault landings, though many of those can be attributed to the Raiders not settling for their safer quarter/three-quarter vaults and going for more. “As for things attempted today, maybe they got them, maybe they didn’t quite get them, but they attempted them 100%,” head coach Steve Cain said. “For that, I’m proud of them.”

ALL-GNC WRESTLING Despite an always-changing lineup, the Medford Raider wrestlers went a perfect 5-0 in Great Northern Conference dual meets this winter, which allowed them to share the Great Northern Conference title with tournament champion Tomahawk and gave them their fourth GNC team trophy in five years under head coach Brandon Marcis. For the second straight season, 10 Raiders finished

For the third time in his four seasons with the Medford Raiders, Logan Searles was named to the honorable mention list in the voting for the All-Great Northern Conference hockey team. Searles, a defenseman and one of six seniors who led this year’s Raiders to a 6-14-1 overall record and a 2-8 mark in GNC games, is one of 10 honorable mentionees on this year’s team, which includes six first-team

‘We just didn’t finish’ Superb season ends with stunning sectional loss The Medford Raiders were well aware their record-setting boys basketball season could end during sectional weekend of the WIAA Division 2 tournament. This, however, was not the crushing end they were expecting. Taking advantage of the Raiders’ inability to score in the final 4:35, the Rice Lake Warriors

job against their zone and got them out of it. “Defensively we weren’t quite in great position always in the first half,” he said. “I thought in the second half we did better. You need to give them credit, they hit their shots when they needed to.” The lead continued to see-saw early in the second half. Baker’s three-point play gave Medford a 33-30 edge. Schlampp’s 3 tied it.

The 47th American Birkebeiner cross country ski races are happening this week in northern Wisconsin, with several COVID-related changes, one of which is a virtual option for skiers to participate if they are not comfortable with traveling to the Hayward/Cable area. While virtual skiers can complete their race anywhere, Forest Springs in Westboro was designated a Virtual Venue Partner of the American

What: The 51st WIAA state gymnastics championships. Where: Performance Elite Gymnastics, La Crosse for Division 2. The Division 1 meet remains at Lincoln High School, Wisconsin Rapids. When: Saturday, February 27. Session 1 is at noon, followed by Session 2 at 5 p.m. Who: The Medford Raiders have qualifi ed for state team competition for the third straight year and will compete in

The sectional meet was held in two sessions. The Raiders were in the early session so they didn’t know how they finished until long after they had gotten home. As of Monday’s practice, they still hadn’t seen their sectional championship plaque. Rhinelander finished fourth with 119.35 points, followed by the Grantsburg Co-op (116.7), Rice Lake (116.275), Mosinee (115.675), Lakeland (100.8)