August 28, 2017 at 2:06 p.m.
Tomahawked
Hodags give up 22 in 2nd, fall to Hatchets 30-14
Tomahawked
A safety sparked a 22-point second quarter for the Hatchets, who fended off a second half rally by the Hodags to win 30-14 at Hatchet Field.
Easton Phalin threw for two touchdowns and ran for two more for the Hatchets (1-1, 0-0 Marawood), who never trailed in the contest.
It was the second straight non-conference loss for the Hodags (0-2, 0-0 Great Northern), who couldn't find their stride in the first half.
"When you bury yourself in the first half like we did, it was hard to get out of that hole," RHS football coach Chris Ferge said.
Rhinelander was outgained 235-22 in the first half and watched a tie game snowball in a three-score halftime deficit in just a series of short possessions.
After turning Tomahawk over on downs in the red zone early in the second quarter, a couple of penalties backed Rhinelander up to its own 4-yard-line where, on third and 18, quarterback Logan Freund was sacked and fumbled. The ball rolled out of the back of the end zone for a safety and the game's first points.
Phalin went to work from there, finding an open Max Bembinster for a 10-yard score on the ensuing possession. A couple of quick 3-and-outs gave Tomahawk the ball in good field position and Phalin capitalized twice, scoring on runs of 49 and 30 yards in successive drives to put the Hatchets ahead 22-0.
Phalin finished with 112 yards on 16 carries and was 7 of 13 for 84 yards through the air. He did most of his work on the night outside the pocket.
"We just couldn't hold our edge at times in the second quarter and we got busted out," Ferge said." I think our guys maybe got tired at one point in a drive because they had big play, big play, big play. We didn't hold our edge and if you can't hold the edge against a team that wants to run to the outside, you're in a lot of trouble."
Momentum swung back Rhinelander's way in the second half, thanks to a couple of turnovers, and the Hodags made it a one-score game by the opening moments of the fourth quarter.
Matthias Schneider stripped Kole Woodall on a screen pass and Alex Monk recovered the ball at the Tomahawk 24. A catch by Tyler Olson got the Hodags down to the 2 and Freund punched it in from there.
Reuben Guzik intercepted Phalin three plays later at the Hodags once again cashed in on the short field with a Drake Martin touchdown run from 18 yards out to cut the lead to 22-14 less than a minute into the fourth.
"We did make a couple adjustments, but the adjustments weren't why we played better," Ferge said of Rhinelander's second-half surge. "It was how we played. How we played was the reason why we got ourselves in that situation. It's too bad. I want to see the whole game and that's the challenge for next week."
Tomahawk responded with a six-play, 60-yard drive that ended with a 19-yard Jackson List touchdown grab. He and Phalin hooked up for two on a fake PAT attempt to give the Hatchets a 16-point lead. From there Tomahawk's defense turned Rhinelander over on downs twice to salt the game away.
One of those failed fourth-down attempts looked to be a possible touchdown as Freund found an open Cole Spaulding behind the Hatchet defense, but Spaulding dropped the ball near the Tomahawk 30 for an incompletion. It was one of two potential TDs the Hodags could not hang on to. Peyton Erickson couldn't reel in a diving attempt on a fade route in the end zone on the final play of the first half.
"No one's taking it harder than those guys who dropped those balls," Ferge said. "It's a situation where I don't have to say a thing to them. I know how they feel."
Brady Anderson added 79 yards rushing on 12 carries for the Hatchets, who out gained Rhinelander 317-204 for the game.
Martin rushed for 104 yards and a touchdown on 25 carries for Rhinelander. Freund was 11 of 28 through the air for 138 yards and an interception. Reuben Guzik caught four passes for 47 yards for the Hodags.
Rhinelander plays its final non-conference game of the season this Friday when it welcomes Wausau East to Mike Webster Stadium. The Lumberjacks picked up their first win since 2014 Friday with a 17-14 win over Southern Door.
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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