August 31, 2018 at 1:20 p.m.
Self-inflicted
Four turnovers doom Hodags in 13-12 loss to Wausau East
Self-inflicted
Four turnovers, untimely penalties and an inability to produce in Wausau East territory ultimately cost the Hodags as they dropped their non-conference finale 13-12 to the Lumberjacks at Thom Field.
Rhinelander suffered through a myriad of issues.
The Hodags, who had the ball inside the Lumberjack 25 four times in the first quarter alone and came away with only six points. A Peyton Erikson fumble on a punt return in the third quarter set up what proved to be Wausau East's game-winning drive and the Hodags' comeback bid fell short for the second week in a row as Brock Lieder threw an interception deep in Lumberjack territory.
"When it was time to make the plays, the guys didn't do it," a frustrated RHS football coach Chris Ferge said afterward. "They had so many opportunities to do it and they didn't do it."
Rhinelander's defense held the Lumberjacks to 232 yards of offense and only 13 points but they allowed East to convert on eight of 11 chances on or after third down as the Lumberjacks outpossessed the Hodags by more than 12 1/2 minutes.
Rhinelander had all sorts of chances early in the contest - holding East to a punt and three turnovers on the Lumberjacks' first four possessions - but came away with little for their efforts. Erikson fumbled two plays after returning a punt to the East 23. The Hodags got it right back off a Drake Martin strip sack, but Lieder threw a fourth-down interception on fourth and 13 from the 14.
Martin put the Hodags on the board with a two-yard run midway through the first quarter two plays after the Hodags' recovered a fumble. Sam Tjugum then intercepted Wausau East's Jack Kane, but the Hodags were unable to convert, as their drive stalled out at the East 22.
That was the story of the night for the Hodags as Ferge collectively called out a youthful roster chock full of underclassmen.
"Our guys have got to grow up," he said. "They've got to understand that when it's fourth down they have to make a play. When it's third they have to get off the field. When it's time to get a touchdown, it's time to go get a touchdown. We don't have enough guys believing that those (plays) matter right now, and that's what's holding us back.
"I just don't believe they understand the gravity yet of playing football at the varsity level. Our youth just doesn't quite get it yet."
East, which got its first win for new head coach Kevin Grundy, found some traction late in the first quarter and early in the second. The Lumberjacks went on a long 16-play, 78-yard drive that finished with a one-yard score by Bruce Stalsberg, which eventually gave the Lumberjacks a 7-6 lead at halftime.
Rhinelander regained momentum and the lead on the opening drive of the second half, marching 60 yards on 10 plays, capped off by a Martin six-yard touchdown run, but Martin was stopped on a two-point conversion, keeping the score 12-7.
Rhinelander forced East to punt on its next possession, but Erikson fumbled after a long return, East regained possession and then proceeded to hold on to the ball for another seven minutes before Kane scored the game winner on a quarterback sneak on fourth and goal inside the 1.
The Hodags drove down to the Lumberjack 14 on the next possession, but a chop block penalty moved Rhinelander all the way back to the 35 and the Hodags eventually punted with 5:42 remaining. Rhinelander got the ball back with 2:28 remaining and drove down to the Wausau East 28, but Lieder threw a pass for Erikson into triple coverage that was intercepted by Ryan Salby to seal the game with 1:17 to go.
"I know it bothered Brock at the end of the game. It shouldn't come down to that, but our guys have got to be smart," Ferge said. "They need to look at their reads. They can't just do what they think they're going to do before the snap. That's what we're doing on right now offensively. We're not reading. We're just deciding what we're going to do with the ball (pre-snap), doing it and it worked out badly for us."
Stalsberg, a lightly used fullback during the first two games of the season for Wausau East, broke out with a 24-carry, 107-yard performance on Thursday night. He was particularly effective on East's go-ahead drive in the second quarter. The Hodags buckled down defensively in the second half, holding the Lumberjacks to 66 yards after halftime.
"We just moved our tackles arounds. We wanted to take away the dive," Ferge said of the team's defensive adjustments. "We did a good job, but we just didn't get off the field. We didn't get the ball when we needed it."
Martin rushed for 75 yards and two scores on 17 carries for Rhinelander. He also added six catches for 51 yards. Lieder was 8 of 16 passing on the night for 70 yards with two interceptions.
Thursday's loss was Rhinelander's second close defeat in six days, following a 14-7 loss at home the previous Friday against Tomahawk.
"It's not talent. I know we have a good team," Ferge said. "My dream for them is that they their best football next week, and then they play their best football the next week and then they play their football the next week. That's what I want from them. That's what we're pushing them toward. Win or lose, they've got to get better - a lot better - because we're playing tougher teams coming into our (conference) season. Our guys are up to the challenge, I really do believe it."
The Hodags kick off the Great Northern Conference season against Medford this coming Friday at Mike Webster Stadium. The Raiders were 0-2 on the season heading into their conference opener Friday night against Lakeland that concluded after deadline.
"It's really just all about us," Ferge said, looking ahead. "It always is, how well can we play, how healthy we can get. Our kids have got to be up to the challenge. They've got to understand. They've got to answer the bell. They have the talent to do it, it's just a matter of getting to work on Monday, getting back to practice and having a good week."
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
Comments:
You must login to comment.