August 20, 2018 at 1:28 p.m.
Power players
Hodags dominate second half, down Prescott 28-6 in opener
Power players
"It came down to the point where I thought that we were going to get one yard no matter what with our guys and we trusted them," he said.
The Hodags converted the fourth down - part of a clock-grinding 16-play, 75-yard scoring drive in which Rhinelander exerted its will - as it defeated Prescott 28-6 in the 2018 season opener at Mike Webster Stadium.
Rhinelander leaned on standout junior running back Drake Martin to get the hard yard on that fourth-down conversion. The 1,100-plus yard rusher from a season ago had the hot hand all night, carrying the ball 33 times for 177 yards and the three touchdowns that proved to be the final margin of victory.
A year after Prescott exerted its will over the Hodags in the second half of a 27-13 win, Rhinelander returned the favor, outgaining the Cardinals 150-39 over the final two quarters while holding on to the ball for nearly 15 minutes.
"We knew if we had more energy than them coming out in the second half we would be the better team," Martin said. "We just kept pounding it and came out with the W."
The end result for Rhinelander is a three-game winning streak dating back to the final two games of last season. That's something the Hodag football program has not be able to say for more than two decades.
"Our guys practice like that," Ferge said. "They expect it. They work for it. What happened tonight really wasn't out of character at all. We expected to do well. We made the plays when we had to. It's just that winning attitude and it's showing on the field."
Fellow junior Peyton Erikson made plays in the first and second quarters to give Rhinelander the momentum and once the Hodags had it, there was little that could stop them. With Prescott on the verge of taking the lead late in the first quarter, Erikson forced a fumble by Ethan Luksich that Rhinelander's Connor Lund recovered at the 1-yard line.
The Hodags then drove from the shadow of their own goal post out to the 40-yard line where Erikson struck again. He was on the receiving end of a 60-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback Brock Lieder that put the Hodags ahead 7-0 only 32 seconds into the second quarter.
Erikson then intercepted a pass from Prescott's Jonah Anderson that was tipped by teammate Payton Johnson. Ten plays later, Martin scored the first of his three five-yard touchdown runs, giving Rhinelander a 14-0 advantage with 4:12 remaining in the half.
"That felt really good to get the touchdown right away. With that touchdown right away, momentum just kept coming," Erikson said. "That pick and that touchdown right away really just helped us build momentum."
Two second-half touchdowns by Martin put the game out of reach as the Hodags won their home opener for a fifth-straight year. Lieder, in his first start at quarterback, was 5 of 10 through the air for 93 yards. Erikson caught three passes for 70 yards and a score.
"This is our O line was together and they just blocked amazing," Martin said. "I saw the holes, made the cuts and had a good game. The quarterback made the reads. The receivers ran good routes. We had a good game overall."
Luksich led Prescott with 89 yards on 16 carries. Joe Schulte, who rushed for 177 yards and three scores last year against the Hodags, wore a lineman's jersey on Friday, did not get a single carry and spent most of his time on defense. Anderson was 3 of 9 through the air for 20 yards, with an interception.
Riley Anfinson scored Prescott's lone touchdown, a five-yard run with 42 seconds remaining in the second quarter that cut the Hodags' lead to 14-6 at halftime.
Cashing in
The Hodags won the turnover battle 3-0 Friday night, recovering two fumbles to go along with Erikson's interception. More importantly, Rhinelander parlayed those three takeaways into 21 points.
"That's a sign of a good team," Ferge said. "We were on the other side of that stuff a lot in years past. This team has some athletes, has some players and expects to win. When you don't back down and you think you have a chance on every play, you end up getting those breaks usually. We took advantage of those, put it in for a touchdown and never looked back."
Isaiah Piosalan forced the final turnover, stripping Anfinson on a swing pass midway through the fourth quarter. Travis Towne recovered for the Hodags at the Prescott 28, setting up an eight-play drive capped off by Martin's clinching touchdown with 3:42 remaining.
Going for it
Prescott punted in Rhinelander territory to start the second half and the Hodags responded with a long scoring drive in which they converted three times on fourth down - once on the ground, once through the air and once via penalty.
Facing fourth-and-1 from its own 44, the Hodags turned to Martin, who rushed around right tackle for three yards to move the chains. Four plays later, on fourth-and-7 from the 50, Lieder threaded a ball between defenders to Josh Francisco for a 23-yard completion. Then, on fourth and 3 from the Prescott 20, the Hodags picked up a free first down when Prescott's Parker Sampson held Francisco on a seam route over the middle.
The drive ended with Martin scoring from five yards to put Rhinelander ahead 21-6 at time expired in the third quarter.
Penalties
While most everything went right for the Hodags, there will still be plenty for the team to clean up this week - especially in the penalty department.
Rhinelander was penalized 12 times for 85 yards in the contest, including several procedure false starts and delays of game. The Hodags also committed a holding penalty that negated what would have been a 62-yard touchdown reception by Francisco during their long scoring drive in the third quarter.
"That's not the discipline that we want," Ferge said. "If we want to beat Tomahawk next week, we can't have that stuff."
The heat
It was a warm, muggy night for football, which appeared to take its toll on the Hodags in the second half. Several players came out of the game temporarily and were observed getting treatment on the sidelines for cramps - including Martin, Erickson, Francisco and lineman Alex Olson.
"It was a tough situation with the weather and the guys fought through it," Ferge said. "I thought we were better conditioned (than Prescott)."
Up next
The Hodags (1-0) face Tomahawk this Friday at Mike Webster Stadium. The Hatchets come into the game 1-0 as well following a 20-14 win in Week 1 over Shiocton. Tomahawk, which competes in the Marawood Conference for football, defeated Rhinelander 30-14 in Week 2 last season.
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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