he was another of Medford’s ….

he was another of Medford’s stellar crew of midfielders that allowed the Raiders to outpossess most opponents and his passing often started strong offensive attacks by his teammates.

Schield, who earned honorable mention for the second straight fall, was certainly a key piece to Medford’s midfield puzzle. His aggression and energy was sorely missed when he was out for a couple of weeks early in the season with a broken bone in his arm. The Raiders broke out of their early slump when he returned in the 6-1 win over Antigo Sept. 14.

Schield had three assists in league play, including two in that win over Antigo.

Neubauer was a second-team pick the past two years and Klussendorf was in 2020 but settled for honorable mention this season.

Neubauer was one of the players Medford counted on to finish at the net when he had opportunities and he wound up with five GNC goals as well as an assist. He recorded 11 goals overall to finish with 36 for his career. He scored two goals in the home win over Antigo and added GNC scores in a 3-1 loss at Mosinee, the road win at Antigo and the 4-2 win over Pines. He had a hat trick in the win over Merrill, a goal and an assist at Xavier and he scored Medford’s goal in the regional final loss at Lakeland.

Klussendorf, one of the team’s 2021 captains, brought a physical presence from his wing position and was another of Medford’s scoring threats. He finished with one goal in GNC play, which came in the home win over Antigo, and four goals overall. The other three came in his hat trick in the Aug. 28 win over New London.

Lakeland won its first GNC title since 2014 with an 8-1-1 record. The T-Birds held off 8-2 Mosinee by half a game, while Medford and Rhinelander (4-4-2) tied for third with 15 points apiece.

Lakeland, Mosinee and Northland Pines all won WIAA regional championships. Mosinee knocked off top-seeded Lakeland 2-1 in a sectional semifinal before losing 4-0 in the Division 3 sectional final to host Rice Lake. Northland Pines lost 3-0 to top-seeded Washburn-Bayfield in a Division 4 sectional semifinal after winning its regional as a three-seed.

Though he didn’t win any awards, Medford junior goal keeper Jake Dassow had the highest save percentage in the GNC at .851 (63 saves in 74 shots) and ranked third in goals against average (1.57).