August 3, 2018 at 4:11 p.m.
Hodags coming off 'build upon' season
Ferge: Team will compete 'every single game'
Hodags coming off 'build upon' season
Fifth-year head coach Chris Ferge said the team's 2018 campaign will be about building on what worked well at the end of last season. The Hodags won their last two games to finish 3-6 overall and 2-4 in the GNC.
Rhinelander knocked off Ashland 20-12, in Ashland, to snap a 23-game conference losing streak and followed that with a 49-34 win over Lakeland.
"It was a year where we had some leadership, but it took our team awhile to come together out there," Ferge said of the 2017 campaign. "But I think we were playing our best football at the end of the season. I agree that our kids have to build upon that. I really think that 90 percent of football is between the ears and what they believe and how strong their resolve is. And I expect this group to be really determined to win this season."
Ferge was unconcerned about the soggy conditions Wednesday.
"It was great, a lot of the kids had fun, they got their new white practice jerseys completely dirty on the first day, so it was good," he said with a laugh.
There are a number of holes to be filled as the team prepares for its season opener Aug. 17 when Prescott visits Mike Webster Stadium.
"Our key losses is every one of the seniors we had," Ferge admitted. "And maybe the best senior on the team didn't contribute the most, but they all really, really showed leadership. They took care of the locker room, took care of the team, did some things that I think the coaches didn't have to do."
Returning senior leaders include quarterback Brock Lieder, who served as the backup to Logan Freund last year. As of Thursday morning, Ferge said he has eight seniors who have attended practice.
"We don't have a lot of seniors coming back, but we do have guys that we expect a lot from these guys," Ferge said. "We have some guys who are going to come and play. I'm very excited about what they bring to the table as competitors, and they will definitely be able to make some plays."
Ferge expects that there will be a lot of juniors and even sophomores actively fighting for varsity slots. Some players will be playing both sides of the ball while others will not. At this point, he has a number of pieces and is in the process of putting the puzzle together.
"We have a junior class that will definitely have a lot of guys playing," Ferge said. "We try to do 1.5 as much as we can with our kids, not a solid situation where they are going offense and defense, where they can get a break. So most of them have a position where they will be sharing time with another player."
"We have a couple new kids who look very athletic, but we're not in pads yet," Ferge added. "We're just trying to separate talent and have them compete against each other. And that's what green and white is all about with our program, where we try to split our program right down the middle of the talent and see how they react when they have to compete and how they can lead other kids who maybe aren't as old as they are or have as much experience."
While the team will only have a few days of practice under its belt before Saturday's Hodag Family Day scrimmage, Ferge said the players are eager to hit the field.
"It's a game-like atmosphere, and they have something they are practicing for all week," he said. "I really believe that is important in football. I don't like any week where we are just practicing and there is nothing on the horizon."
When asked to predict the team's 2018 record, Ferge offered this statement.
"Our prediction is we are going to try to win every single game we can. We're going to believe we can win every single game and we're going to compete in every single game," he said. "I'll never give you a win/loss record. But we're excited about the situation, and I can't wait to watch some film and set our kids up for Prescott."
Jamie Taylor may be reached via email at [email protected].
Comments:
You must login to comment.