July 31, 2017 at 4:59 p.m.
Ferge: Hodags 'have great energy' as practice begins
New playcallers for RHS gridders; several seniors return
Ferge: Hodags 'have great energy' as practice begins
There have been several close calls for the Hodags during their 19-game conference skid, the last 18 of which have come under the direction of fourth-year head coach Chris Ferge. He and the Hodags hope 2017 is the year they finally break down the door and get into the win column in conference play.
"I think it's just a matter of our program getting right mentally," Ferge told the River News in a phone interview ahead of the team's opening practice, which will take place this afternoon outside Mike Webster Stadium. "I think it's a mental thing, when you're missing those last couple plays to get those wins. I know we've gotten better every year, so I expect to get better this year as well. I'm very excited about that, very excited about the opportunities and I know our kids really want it. They want to make sure that they leave a mark on the program, a great mark and set things in the right direction. We're all excited about this upcoming year."
To wit, Rhinelander was driving for potential game-tying or game-winning touchdowns against Merrill and Lakeland last year before mistakes derailed those final drives. An illegal shift negated the tying touchdown against Merrill and the Hodags eventually turned the ball over on downs in the final minute of a 15-9 defeat. A late interception cost the Hodags an opportunity at a win against Lakeland.
While last year's roster was an almost equal split of seniors, juniors and sophomores, Ferge said the number of players returning should bode well for his team.
"Watching film this week was really interesting because I'm not watching a lot of people that we lost - only a couple here and there. Most of these people I watch in film, we still have them this year," he said. "There's a great challenge for our program and all of those seniors stepping up into leadership roles, being productive in their positions, finding out where they fit in certain positions and finding depth. It's a good problem to have as a coach and I know we're all excited in the program."
One major change for the Hodags will be who is calling the plays on both sides of the ball. Longtime assistant Gary Zarda, who oversaw the defense the last several seasons, stepped down over the offseason. Ferge will assume calling the defensive plays while Aaron Kraemer has been promoted to offensive coordinator and will call the shots on offense.
The last time Ferge called defensive plays was as an assistant at Two Rivers in 2013, but he said he expects his team to do a lot of the same things within its base 3-5-3 scheme on the defensive side of the ball.
"I'm experienced in the defense we run and some of the defenses we've run in the past," Ferge said. "Our schemes are very similar. It will be different. It will not be the same, but I'm excited to be aggressive and to call plays."
As quarterbacks coach, Ferge added that he will still have some input regarding the offensive game plan, but is going to let Kraemer "totally loose," when it comes to calling plays in-game from his perch in the press box.
"He's going to have a good vantage point," Ferge said. "He had a great mind up in the box. He's going to be able to see everything and then we're going to have other coaches grow in different areas."
The Hodags will have some key holes to fill, especially on the offensive and defensive lines, with the departure of all-conference honorees Matt Reinthaler and Tyler Blomdahl. Other key losses include tight end/linebacker Logan Wild, safety Jonah Zarda and kicker/punter Gunnar Millot.
Quarterback Logan Freund leads the list of returning players and will have the majority of his passing cadre to throw to, including Tyler Olson, Reuben Guzik and Sam Tjugum. Colton Krueger returns in the backfield and could be accompanied by Cole Spaulding again, after the senior was forced to play quarterback a couple of games last season following injuries to Freund and Brock Lieder - who's fully recovered from a Week 2 leg injury last August in Wittenberg.
Freund threw for 1,121 yards six touchdowns and 12 interceptions last year and added 438 yards and five touchdowns on the ground as the team's leading rusher. However, Lieder may push Freund in camp after both spent time passing during the team's 7-on-7 program this summer.
As always, Ferge said the quarterback position - and all the other starting spots on the team - are an open competition as fall practice begins.
"I wouldn't say that there aren't favorites, but I think we'll be leaving the door open. We give everyone a fair shake, everyone an opportunity to show what they're capable of and then we can make our decision when we need to," Ferge said. "It's great when you have four guys that can really, really throw. Our receivers are getting good reps every time they're running their routes."
Senior Jared Fabich will help anchor the Hodags' offensive line. Defensively, Fabich, linebackers Alex Monk, Alec Kurtz, Spaulding and Krueger, and defensive backs Olson and Guzik are among the key players returning.
Aside from open competition - the team will be spilt once again into roughly equal green and white squads when practice opens - Ferge said the team will place a heavy emphasis on blocking and tackling in Week 1.
"We have some different ways now that we're tackling where I don't think we're losing a week of tackling (without full pads)," he said, noting the new tackling rings and other equipment the program recently purchase will help the team work on form without going full contact, which they are prohibited from doing until the second week of practice.
"I think we're actually going to be really good at tackling when we get to go full pads the week before the scrimmage. We have different things we've been using at camp that I think add a lot of energy to practice and made it more realistic," Ferge added.
Antigo, Medford and Merrill shared the Great Northern Conference title last year with 5-1 conference marks and figure to be the teams to beat inside the league again. WisSports.net tabbed Merrill as the conference favorite in its annual conference preview released last Wednesday.
"They're all going to be great. They're all going to be tough. They're all going to have people coming back. (They have) talent that we know about. They're going to have talent that we haven't seen before," Ferge said. "We've got to be ready and make sure that we add depth to us, make sure we're healthy and make sure we're competing every week and getting better. That's how you get ready for those teams."
Rhinelander is picked to finish last in the GNC by WisSports.net. The Hodags will see the three conference favorites as part of a tough four-week stretch in September when they travel to Medford (Sept. 8), host Antigo in the Bell Game (Sept. 15) and then host Merrill for Homecoming (Sept. 29).
The Hodags will open the regular season with three straight non-conference games, at Prescott Aug. 18, at Tomahawk Aug. 25 and home to Wausau East Sept. 1.
"I think they're going to bring us right up," Ferge said of the non-conference schedule. "I think Prescott's going to be better. That's going to be a huge challenge on the road for us to go practically four hours away and spend the whole day to get ready for that ... Tomahawk's going to be very hungry for us at home. I know they want that very, very badly. I expect it to be a very competitive game. Then we're going to be the first team to go head-to-head against East in our conference, basically the trial run for them getting into the GNC. We've got to make sure we show them what we're capable of at home."
The public's first look at the Hodags will take place Saturday during the team's annual Green-White practice, which gets underway at 8 a.m. at the RHS practice fields. Rhinelander will travel to Northland Pines next Friday for a three-team scrimmage that also includes Crandon.
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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