The Lakeland Times

Wausau East’s late touchdown spoils Lakeland’s home opener

There have been some close contests and some blowout games for the Lakeland football team. Friday night was one that came down to the wire with Wausau East snatching a victory. The Lumberjacks scored the go-ahead and game-winning touchdown with 2 minutes, 1 second left to overtake the Thunderbirds 27-22 in a Great Northern Conference game at IncredibleBank Field in Minocqua.

Lakeland boys’ soccer team wins three games in three-day span

It had been nothing but home sweet home for the Lakeland Union High School boys’ soccer team. They finally hit the road for a couple of non-conference contests after winning a Great Northern Conference game.

Lady T-Bird swim wins double dual

Lakeland hosts Rhinelander in battle of GNC unbeatens this Thursday

Lakeland girls’ swim stayed undefeated in the Great Northern Conference after two more wins in a double dual Thursday. The Thunderbirds beat Merrill 115-49 and Medford 109-61 at Prairie River Middle School in Merrill.

Thunderbirds sweep home invite

Charlie Ernst, Emerson Rubo individual winners

The Lakeland cross country team took home two plaques with a couple of victories in a home meet. The Lakeland boys and girls both won the Ted Voigt Invite Thursday at Minocqua Winter Park. Chequamegon, Florence-Niagara and Three Lakes participated in the invite.

LUHS girls’ tennis stays undefeated in conference play

Lady T-Birds go 2-3 at Wausau West Invite

The Lakeland girls’ tennis team had little problem getting by a Great Northern Conference opponent before gaining valuable experience in a non-conference invite. The Thunderbirds beat Merrill 7-0 on Thursday at Merrill High School. Then, Lakeland went 2-3 in five duals at the Wausau West Invite Friday and Saturday.

Mercer volleyball sweeps South Shore in Northern Lights Conference opener

The Mercer High School volleyball team started Northern Lights Conference play with a win its home opener. The Tigers beat South Shore 3-0 (25-12, 25-18, 25-18) Thursday at John “JP” Pierpont Court in Mercer.

Bluejays bury T-Birds in second half

Lakeland football’s home opener tonight versus Wausau East, 7 p.m.

The Lakeland Union High School football team got off to a great start, but when injuries started to pile up, things went sideways in a road game at Merrill. Merrill won by a score of 42-13 over Lakeland in both teams’ Great Northern Conference opener Friday, Sept. 4 at Jay Stadium in Merrill.

Key conference victory: LUHS girls’ tennis tops Pacelli on the road

The Lakeland Union High School girls’ tennis team ascended to first place in the Great Northern Conference following its victory Tuesday. The Thunderbirds beat Pacelli 5-2 during a conference match at Stevens Point.

Northland Pines volleyball sweeps Lakeland

Lakeland volleyball remained winless in Great Northern Conference play after a loss Tuesday. The Thunderbirds fell 3-0 to Northland Pines (17-25, 20-25, 22-25) on Tuesday at the Northland Pines High School fieldhouse in Eagle River. Last weekend, Lakeland went 2-2 in the non-conference D.C. Everest Invite on Saturday, Sept. 5.

Lady T-Bird girls’ swim victorious in GNC opener

The Lakeland Union High School girls’ swim team showed off its depth in the Great Northern Conference opener Thursday in Tomahawk. “We had a great meet,” LUHS coach Tierney Edwards said. “The girls had some tough practices this week and were feeling pretty sore, but they pushed through and had a great meet.”

LUHS boys’ soccer stays perfect on the season

The Lakeland boys’ soccer team continued its homestand with two Great Northern Conference victories. The Thunderbirds beat Antigo 3-1 on Tuesday, Sept. 1. Then, Lakeland defeated Rhinelander 8-2 on Thursday. Both games took place at IncredibleBank Field in Minocqua.

Lakeland boys’ cross country gets first team win

Lady T-Birds second as a team

Earlier in the season, the Lakeland cross country girls won as a team with the boys coming in second. Last week, the boys took home first place with the girls having the runner-up placement.

Lakeland volleyball falls to Mosinee in GNC opener

The Lakeland Union High School volleyball team got put to the test in the Great Northern Conference opener. Mosinee, last year’s undefeated GNC champion, won 3-0 (25-14, 25-16, 25-11) Thursday in Mosinee.

Lady T-Bird tennis takes down Phillips

The Lakeland Union High School girls’ tennis team picked up another Great Northern Conference victory last week. The Thunderbirds beat Phillips 7-0 on Tuesday, Sept. 1 in Minocqua.

Snowhawks electric in summer finale

Lake Tomahawk ended the 65th season of snowshoe baseball with a convincing win. The Snowhawks defeated WPS Local 420 23-7 Monday night at Snowshoe Park in Lake Tomahawk.

Lakeland girls’ swim places fourth at Shorewood

The Lakeland girls’ swim team challenged itself with a trip down south against some of the state’s best teams. The Thunderbirds finished fourth out of seven teams with 286 points at the Shorewood Invite Saturday.

Mercer volleyball team gets much-needed experience

The Mercer High School volleyball team opened its new season with a pair of non-conference invites. The Tigers went 1-3 at the Crivitz Invite Tuesday, Aug. 25. Then, Mercer went 0-5 at the Prentice Invite Saturday.

Shawano stuns Lakeland with late comeback

The Lakeland football team looked poised to start 2-0, but a late Shawano rally sent the Thunderbirds home with a loss as the Hawks defeated the Thunderbirds 16-15 Friday at Shawano Community High School. It was the first football game played at Shawano’s new stadium.

LUHS boys’ soccer sneaks by Wausau East in opener

The Lakeland Union High School boys’ soccer team scored the first two goals before hanging on to win its season opener Thursday, defeating Wausau East 3-2 at IncredibleBank Field in Minocqua.

Lady T-Bird cross country wins Hodag Invite

Lakeland boys come in second

LUHS girls’ tennis wins GNC opener

Lady T-Birds snap Wausau Newman’s 13-conference dual winning streak

The Lakeland Union High School girls’ tennis team got a much-needed win in its Great Northern Conference opener, defeating reigning GNC champion Wausau Newman 4-3 Thursday in Wausau. “It was a nice win over Newman Catholic when we were down there,” coach Tom Oestreich said. “That was our first conference match of the year so really pleased with the win.”

Lakeland volleyball finding its way

Lady T-Birds begin season 4-8

Lakeland volleyball had up-and-down play in a pair of non-conference invites last week. The Thunderbirds went 3-2 in the season-opening, non-conference Three Lakes Invite Tuesday, Aug. 25 at Three Lakes High School. Then, Lakeland had a 1-6 record across seven matches and finished 38th out of 40 teams at the Menomonie Sprawl Friday through Saturday at the University of Wisconsin-Stout Polytechnic.

Season preview: Lady T-Bird volleyball looks to build on past season’s successes

The Lakeland Union High School volleyball team is hoping to continue its winning ways in year three under coach Taylor Bruhl. The Thunderbirds have won 18 or more matches for three straight seasons. Even though there’s some turnover from last year to this year, Lakeland can certainly be competitive once again.

Lakeland girls’ tennis wins road opener

The Lakeland girls’ tennis team made it two straight wins to begin the season following a 5-2 victory in its road opener at Ashland Monday.

Snowhawks slug three home runs in win over Pack Em Inn

The Snowhawks edged Pack Em Inn 23-19 in one of the highest-scoring snowshoe baseball games of the summer Monday in Lake Tomahawk.

Calming the storm

Lakeland routs Hayward to open season

The Lakeland Union High School football team gained a big lead early before cruising to a season-opening win Friday night. The Thunderbirds defeated Hayward/Lac Courte Oreilles 42-14 at Rod Lundberg Field. Quarterback Gabe Karch, making his first varsity start as the signal-caller, accounted for three touchdowns (two passing, one rushing) while Logan Burrows added three more scores on the ground.

LUHS girls’ swim takes first at Merrill relays

The Lakeland Union High School girls’ swim team couldn’t have asked for a better start to the season Thursday. The Thunderbirds won the Merrill Fun in the Sun Relays with 244 points. A total of 13 teams — including eight of the nine programs in the Great Northern Conference — took part in the invite.

Season preview: Lakeland boys’ soccer team reloading

The Lakeland Union High School boys’ soccer team is certainly optimistic it can be one of the top teams in the Great Northern Conference again, despite losing 10 seniors from a year ago. Coach Ihor Myshchyshyn enters his eighth season at the helm of the team. He’ll be relying on his upperclassmen, along with other student-athletes, to take Lakeland as far as it can go.

Season preview: LUHS cross country eyeing GNC titles

The Lakeland cross country team features plenty of excitement, not just from an individual standpoint, but from a team perspective.

Season preview: Young Mercer volleyball team led by veteran head coach

The Mercer High School volleyball team is back in action with a familiar face at the helm. The Tigers are looking to rebound after a season in which they won just five games. Robyn Schoeneman returns to the Mercer volleyball team as its full-time coach. After coaching for 16 years, she resigned at the conclusion of the 2024 season.

Snowhawk Cole Punches in the process of recovery

Lake Tomahawk native Cole Punches suffered a stroke Wednesday, Aug. 12, due to a blood clot in his brain. He is being treated at UW-Health in Madison. The good news is Punches is cognitive, communicative and can eat and drink, according to a person close to the Punches family.

Lady T-Birds victorious in season opener

The Lakeland Union High School girls’ tennis team got its season off to a positive start with a 5-2 win over non-conference Wausau East Monday at the LUHS tennis courts in Minocqua. With new Thunderbirds in different spots of the lineup, and several players making their varsity debuts, Lakeland couldn’t have asked for a better start.

Lakeland volleyball begins season with series of tryouts

Lakeland Union High School volleyball made it to a regional final playoff game for the first time in years last fall. They’re looking to build on that momentum as they replace key players.

A full team: Lakeland cross country girls have six on the roster

Lakeland Union High School cross country opened its season on Monday with strong numbers. Last year, the Lakeland boys had plenty of runners that helped them win Great Northern Conference and sectional titles. However, there were just two girls — sophomores Addison Eggen and Emerson Rubo — that came out for the team.

T-Bird boys’ soccer team replacing key pieces

The Lakeland Union High School boys’ soccer team had several varsity spots to fill when tryouts took place earlier this week. The Thunderbirds held tryouts during the first day of the season Monday at the LUHS grass field. Lakeland boys’ soccer coach Ihor Myshchyshyn said student-athletes were being evaluated not just on physical skills, but on the mental aspect of the game.

Season preview: Lady T-Bird swim poised for more

The Lakeland Union High School girls’ swim team has the pieces to have a strong season. The Thunderbirds ascended to second place in the Great Northern Conference a year ago. They’re poised to be strong yet again with returning state swimmers and new talent ready to make their debut.

Season preview: Lakeland girls’ tennis team deep and experienced

Veteran teams often feature players that have competed at the highest level. The Lakeland Union High School girls’ tennis team is hoping that experience pays dividends in 2026. The Thunderbirds return virtually their entire team from last season. In addition, other student-athletes have stepped up, giving Lakeland options and depth.

Paige time and McBuckets: My first-ever WNBA experience

The Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) has picked up a lot of momentum over the past few seasons. Last week, I decided to see a game in person for the first time ever. It did not disappoint.

Black Bear Bar comeback results in extra-inning win

The first extra-inning game of the snowshoe baseball season had no shortage of drama Monday night. Black Bear Bar came back and beat the Snowhawks 15-13 in 11 innings at Snowshoe Park in Lake Tomahawk.

Running it back

Lakeland girls’ tennis returns everyone from last year

Even though the Lakeland Union High School girls’ tennis team returns all its varsity players from last season, competition remains as high as ever. The Thunderbirds opened up their season Monday morning at the LUHS tennis courts. About 30 student-athletes signed up to play tennis this fall.

Lakeland girls’ swim team keeping its momentum

The Lakeland Union High School girls’ swim team has been on the rise over the last half decade. They bring back the majority of their swimmers from last season while adding to the overall team depth.

Eric Hagge going strong almost half a century later

Hazelhurst native Eric Hagge has been playing in the Minocqua Men’s Softball League for almost half a century and is still going strong. This is Hagge’s 47th year in the Minocqua Men’s Softball League, which plays Thursday nights in the summer.

Packer preview: Stay healthy, win games

It seems like it’s the same story every year. The Green Bay Packers have championship aspirations before falling short. Question is — can they finally reach the big game?

Return to football: Lakeland competitive on day one

The Lakeland Union High School football team got a lot of reps in on offense, defense and special teams to kick off the 2026 season. The first practice of the season took place Tuesday at IncredibleBank Field in Minocqua. Lakeland picked up right where they left off from Pride Camp back in late July.

Snowhawks win fourth game of the summer

The Snowhawks got out to a big lead and beat Pukall Lumber Studs 21-10 Monday night at Snowshoe Park in Lake Tomahawk.

Staying north: Aidan Bauers commits to play football at Northern Michigan

One of Lakeland’s top lineman is going to be playing college football in Marquette, Mich. next fall. Aidan Bauers, a senior at Lakeland Union High School, committed to play football at Northern Michigan University June 29.

Local legend: Saylor Timmerman helping out next generation of softball players

A softball camp took place late last month that featured coaching and instruction from one of Lakeland’s all-time greats. Lakeland Union High School softball and current University of Arkansas student-athlete Saylor Timmerman hosted a pitching clinic July 22 at Lenz Field in Minocqua. LUHS softball coach Whitney Furtak, also one of the instructors, helped put the camp together.