Lady T-Bird wrestling makes history
Lakeland hosts its first all-girls tournament
History was made when the Lakeland Union High School girls’ wrestling team hosted its first-ever meet at the LUHS fieldhouse on Monday. First, the Thunderbirds finished eighth with 66.5 points at the Bluejay Challenge in Merrill on Saturday. Then, Lakeland took second out of six teams with 144.5 points in a Great Northern Conference/Wisconsin Valley Conference Challenge Night on Monday.
T-Bird boys’ hoops rout Tomahawk, go cold late against Hodags
Two straight home games gave the Lakeland boys’ basketball team an opportunity to gain momentum as they marched through their season. The Thunderbirds beat Tomahawk 65-18 on Friday, Jan. 9 in a Great Northern Conference game. Then, Lakeland fell 67-52 to Rhinelander in another conference contest on Tuesday.
Tomahawk takedown: Lady T-Birds beat Hatchets
LUHS girls’ basketball battles, falls to Rhinelander
The Lady Thunderbird basketball squad came up with its biggest win of the season last Friday in a road Great Northern Conference victory. Lakeland defeated Tomahawk 55-45 on Friday, Jan. 9 in Tomahawk. Then, Rhinelander snapped its losing streak against the Thunderbirds, winning 53-29 in Minocqua on Tuesday.
Tested in Iola
Lakeland Nordic ski boys, Brayden Kelly finish runner-up
A smaller Lakeland Nordic ski team tested its speed with a competition in Iola on Sunday. The Lakeland boys finished second out of seven qualified teams with 15 points at the Iola Freestyle Invite. Iola Winter Sports Club won with 14 points. The Lakeland girls didn’t have enough skiers to qualify as a team.
First conference win
Thunderbirds rebound from overtime loss, shut out Medford
The Lakeland boys’ hockey team earned its first Great Northern Conference victory of the season early this week after an overtime heartbreaker to Antigo. The Thunderbirds fell 2-1 to Antigo on Saturday at the Lakeland Hawks Ice Arena. Lakeland rebounded with a 5-0 shutout over Medford on Monday, also at the LHIA.
Eagle girls’ hockey co-op falls to Black River Falls, ties Coulee Region
The Northland Pines girls’ hockey co-op saw the ups and downs of a season with two different games last weekend.
Thunderbird boys’ swim achieves personal records
Lakeland’s Silas Fetrow and Garrison Jacques looked to continue to get faster and gain more experience in the pool with a meet in Ashwaubenon last weekend. “The Ashwaubenon Invite was a great experience as we were able to swim against teams from across the state,” Jacques said. “This meet gives us the opportunity to see some of our competitors as we prepare for conference and sectionals.”
Mercer boys’ basketball team drops game to Mellen
Playing its first game in three weeks, the Mercer boys’ basketball team fell 78-20 to Mellen on the road in a Northern Lights Conference game. “It was tough,” coach Anthony Pemble said. “It took us until the second half to get anything going.”
Two Thunderbird boys’ wrestlers find the podium in Merrill
The Lakeland boys’ wrestling team got back to wrestling in tournaments with the Bluejay Challenge on Saturday. The Thunderbirds placed 20th with 40 points in Merrill with two Thunderbirds reaching the podium, top six.
Victory at long last
Lakeland gymnastics wins first GNC dual meet in almost three years
A long wait between competitions didn’t deter the Lakeland gymnastics team from winning a conference dual for the first time in about three years. The Thunderbirds defeated Mosinee 108.25-37.65 in their Great Northern Conference opener Thursday night in Mosinee.
Eagles top Thunderbirds in conference game
The Lakeland boys’ hockey team opened a busy stretch of games against one of the top teams in the Great Northern Conference. Northland Pines beat the Thunderbirds 5-0 in a GNC game on Thursday at the Lakeland Hawks Ice Arena in Minocqua.
Lakeland boys’ wrestling gets first win of the season
The Lakeland Union High School boys’ wrestling team competed in two more duals on Thursday in Antigo. The Red Robins defeated Lakeland 65-15 in a Great Northern Conference dual. The Thunderbirds then picked up their first dual win of the season, overcoming Suring 45-10.
Short-handed LUHS boys’ swim team falls to Rhinelander
A smaller Lakeland Union High School boys’ swim team got even smaller as they took on Great Northern Conference-leading Rhinelander on Thursday. The Hodags beat the Thunderbirds 137-11 at the LUHS pool. It was Lakeland’s first competition since Dec. 16.
Pines party: Eagles start strong, topple Lady T-Bird basketball
Northland Pines picks up first win over Lakeland since 2014
The Lakeland girls’ basketball team fell behind early and couldn’t recover, dropping its first game to Northland Pines in almost 12 years on Tuesday. The Eagles defeated the Thunderbirds 55-46 in Minocqua. It was Northland Pines’ first win over Lakeland since Feb. 27, 2014.
LUHS boys’ hoops falls to Northland Pines on the road
The Lakeland boys’ basketball team finally played in a close game. It didn’t result in a victory on Tuesday. The Thunderbirds fell 68-60 to Northland Pines in a Great Northern Conference game in Eagle River.
Lakeland Nordic ski returns home
Brayden Kelly, Lakeland boys win home invite
For the first time in three-plus years, the Lakeland Nordic ski team held its annual invite on Sunday. “We’ve got great snow this year, and it was really great to be able to get back to a home race that we didn’t have to worry about snow conditions,” coach Erich Kern said. “So everybody was excited to be skiing locally again, and people were excited to come and race again at Minocqua Winter Park.”
Lakeland boys’ wrestling team drops two duals
Getting on the mat for the first time in several weeks, the Lakeland boys’ wrestling team dropped two duals in Laona. The Thunderbirds fell 39-30 to Wabeno/Laona/Three Lakes during a quad in Laona on Tuesday. Crandon beat Lakeland 50-18.
Finding mat time
Lakeland girls’ wrestling team heads to Laona to gain more experience
Matches have been hard to come by as of late for the Lakeland Union High School girls’ wrestling team. Not traveling to Stevens Point, they made a last-second decision to go to Laona with the boys. The Thunderbirds wrestled against Wabeno/Laona/Three Lakes on Tuesday.
Amery shuts out LUHS boys’ hockey team
The Lakeland Union High School boys’ hockey team lost its first non-conference game of the season, falling 4-0 to Amery on Friday in Minocqua.
Denson dagger
Wisconsin Rapids survives Lady T-Bird hoops’ upset bid
A clutch shot by one of the top teams in the Wisconsin Valley Conference dashed any hopes of a Lakeland girls’ basketball upset last week. The Thunderbirds fell 46-42 to non-conference Wisconsin Rapids on Tuesday, Dec. 30 in Wisconsin Rapids. Leondra Denson (13 points) hit the go-ahead and game-winning 3-pointer with less than 30 seconds left in the game.
Lakeland skaters shine on home ice
Northland Pines girls’ hockey co-op falls to Badger Lightning, beats Viroqua in Minocqua
The Northland Pines girls’ hockey co-op split a pair of games over the weekend, the second of which took place in Minocqua. First, the Eagles fell 3-1 to Badger Lightning on Friday in Eagle River. Then, Northland Pines defeated Viroqua 4-1 on Saturday at the Lakeland Hawks Ice Arena.
Trees stand tall
D.C. Everest downs Lakeland boys’ basketball team
The Lakeland boys’ basketball team concluded its 2025 slate of games with a 91-60 non-conference loss at D.C. Everest on Monday.
My love for sports and music
The 20th anniversary of the Disney Channel Original Movie “High School Musical” is coming up in a couple of weeks. It’s a movie that I grew up with, and one that I can relate to. People might disagree with me, but I consider the original “High School Musical” from 2006 a sports movie. It’s a musical, but a lot of the movie surrounds around the game of basketball. One of the main plot points involves the East High Wildcats playing in a championship-level basketball game.
Enjoying winter activities
Christmas Day may be in the past, but the fun doesn’t have to stop. There is plenty of fun winter activities to take in over the holiday break. It’s still Christmas break for kids in school and I know a lot of parents like to take time off work during this time. We recently got blasted with a winter storm, providing fresh snow on the ground.
Warriors flex muscles in big win over Lady T-Bird basketball
One of the top prep girls’ basketball players in the state of Wisconsin almost single-handedly outscored the Lakeland girls’ basketball team by herself on Monday, Dec. 22. Rice Lake, ranked No. 3 in Division 2 in the latest Bound Wisconsin/Zaleski Sports girls’ basketball media poll, defeated the Thunderbirds 82-40 in a non-conference game in Rice Lake.
Northland Pines girls’ hockey co-op falls 3-1
The Northland Pines girls’ hockey co-op were unable to make it two straight wins with a 3-1 loss to Wisconsin Valley Union on Monday, Dec. 22.
From teacher to coach to Hall of Famer
Brian Maki inducted into Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Hall of Fame as assistant coach
One might have seen Brian Maki walking around the court, field or hallways of Lakeland Union High School as a teacher and/or coach. He’s now a Hall of Famer. Maki was inducted into the Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Hall of Fame as an assistant coach in September. He was one of 30 inductees in the 2025 class.
Lakeland boys’ basketball takes care of business
After losing by over 30 points earlier in the week, the Lakeland boys’ basketball team won by over 30 points to achieve its first Great Northern Conference win of the season. The Thunderbirds (2-3, 1-2 GNC) beat Antigo 76-36 on Friday, Dec. 19 in Minocqua.
Lady T-Birds rout Antigo for first GNC win
The Lakeland girls’ basketball team got out to a big lead and never looked back on Friday, Dec. 19. The Thunderbirds beat Antigo 62-28 for their first Great Northern Conference win of the season at Ted Voigt Court in Minocqua.
Brayden Kelly sweeps Junior National races in Duluth, Cable
Barrett Eggen, Addison Eggen take first at WinMan Early Bird
The Lakeland Nordic ski season has had a flurry of activity lately with competitions in Duluth, Minn., Cable and Winchester over the last few weeks.
Lady T-Bird wrestling takes sixth in Shawano
Micah Wright places second in her weight class
The Lakeland girls’ wrestling team displayed its talent with a top-10 finish in Shawano over the weekend. The Thunderbirds finished sixth out of 25 teams with 73 points at the Shawano High School Holiday Classic on Saturday.
Mercer boys’ basketball falls to Hurley
Taking on one of the top teams in the Northern Lights Conference, the Mercer boys’ basketball team fell 69-18 to Hurley on Friday, Dec. 19 in Mercer. “I thought we played decent,” coach Anthony Pemble said. “Still have some things to clean up. Hurley is probably the best team in the conference so it will always be tough going against them.”
Thunderbirds go into holiday break with momentum
Lakeland defeats West Bend 3-1
It’s been a strong start to the non-conference season for the Lakeland Union High School boys’ hockey team. That continued on Friday night. The Thunderbirds (3-2, 0-2 GNC) beat non-conference West Bend 3-1 in Minocqua to close out their 2025 slate of games.
Emma Brooks, Jazmine Chapman, Kady Lohoff take first for LUHS girls’ wrestling
Looking to get time on the mat, the Lakeland girls’ wrestling team took part in the first Wisconsin Valley Conference/Great Northern Conference Challenge meet on Tuesday, Dec. 16.
Washburn defeats Tiger boys’ basketball team
The Mercer boys’ basketball team remained winless on the season following an 85-32 loss to conference foe Washburn on Wednesday. “Turnovers and not getting enough second chances has been hurting us this season,” coach Anthony Pemble said. “And that continued in this game.”
Eagle comeback nets first win of the season
Northland Pines girls’ hockey co-op 1-3-1
A comeback effort provided the Northland Pines girls’ hockey co-op its first win of the season on Tuesday. Before their win, the Eagles fell 6-0 to Beaver Dam on Friday, Dec. 12. The following day, the Northland Pines co-op tied the Icebergs 1-1 in double overtime in Stoughton. The Eagles won 5-3 over Medford in Eagle River.
T-Bird boys’ wrestling shows ‘growth’ in Barron
The Lakeland Union High School boys’ wrestling team had a few top finishes when they went to Barron last weekend. The Thunderbirds placed 10th out of 17 teams with 52.5 points at the Barron Invite on Saturday.
Fast start sends Hayward past Lakeland boys’ hoops
A bad start put the Lakeland Union High School boys’ basketball team in a deficit they couldn’t overcome. Hayward beat the Thunderbirds 77-46 in a non-conference game in Minocqua on Tuesday.
LUHS girls’ basketball drops road contest to Wausau West
The Lakeland girls’ basketball team gave themselves a chance to win a second straight non-conference road game. Wausau West (3-7, 0-2 Wisconsin Valley Conference) hung on for a 53-49 win over the Thunderbirds on Tuesday.
Lady T-Bird gymnastics opens season with score of 108.9
Malin Awker makes the podium on vault
The Lakeland gymnastics team made its season debut Saturday in Rhinelander, placing sixth out of seven teams. Lakeland, down a few gymnasts, totaled 108.9 points in the Snowflake Invite at YMCA of the Northwoods. In regards to Great Northern Conference Small division teams, Lakeland finished fourth out of five teams. Many Thunderbirds made their high school gymnastics debut with one making the podium.
Season preview: Lakeland Nordic ski teams feature speed
With plenty of snow on the ground, a change from previous years, the Lakeland Nordic ski team is ready to get its schedule of meets going. The first meet for the entire Lakeland Nordic ski team takes place this weekend. The last few weeks have given Lakeland a chance to ski on snow.
T-Bird boys’ swim finishes fifth at Hodag Relays, falls to Rhinelander in dual meet
The Lakeland boys’ swim team got more reps in the pool with a couple of different competitions. First, the Thunderbirds finished fifth out of six teams with 16 points at the Hodag Relays Saturday in Rhinelander. Then, Lakeland saw the Hodags again in a Great Northern Conference dual meet, losing 136-16 in Minocqua on Tuesday.
Lady Thunderbird wrestling gaining more experience
The Lakeland girls’ wrestling team got healthier and saw success on the mat in two different competitions. The Thunderbirds placed eighth out of 14 teams with 41 points at the Barron Invite on Saturday. Lakeland also took part in the Wisconsin Valley Conference/Great Northern Conference Challenge meet on Tuesday at Wausau East.
Mercer boys’ basketball falls to Drummond
The Mercer High School boys’ basketball team dropped its third straight game to open the season with a 67-21 road loss to Drummond on Tuesday.
Adversity strikes LUHS boys’ hoops team in loss to Medford
Foul trouble and injuries were too much to overcome for the Lakeland Union High School boys’ basketball team in its road opener on Friday. Medford (1-2, 1-1 GNC) defeated the Thunderbirds 66-52 in a Great Northern Conference contest at Raider Hall.
LUHS boys’ hockey wins wire-to-wire over Pacelli
The Lakeland boys’ hockey team got back in the win column with a 4-1 victory over non-conference Pacelli on Thursday in Stevens Point.
Raiders race by Lady T-Birds
Medford girls’ basketball picks up first win over Lakeland in almost five years
Down one of its starters, the Lakeland girls’ basketball team dropped its third straight Great Northern Conference game to open the season. The Thunderbirds fell 79-50 to Medford on Friday in Minocqua.
Mercer High School varsity girls’ basketball season in limbo
The Mercer High School varsity girls’ basketball season may be coming to an end for 2025-26. Coming into the season with only six girls out for the team, the Tigers’ roster trimmed down to four as of last week.
Mercer boys’ basketball team falls to South Shore, Butternut
The Mercer boys’ basketball team started strong but couldn’t finish in its first two games of the season. The Tigers fell 65-46 in their season, home and Northern Lights Conference opener against South Shore on Friday, Dec. 5. Then, Butternut defeated Mercer 55-48 in another conference game on Friday in Mercer.
Season review: Lady T-Bird swim rose up state ranks
Three years ago, the Lakeland Union High School girls’ swim program didn’t have much of a team. The Thunderbirds increased their numbers this year and had one of their best seasons of the decade.
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