October 28, 2019 at 12:51 p.m.
Wildcat wallop
River Falls routs Hodags 43-8 in Level 1 playoffs
Wildcat wallop
Rhinelander was no match for third-seeded River Falls, falling behind 22-0 in the first quarter en route to a 43-8 defeat in Level 1 of the WIAA Division 3 playoffs at Ramer Field on the campus of UW-River Falls.
That the game was played on a college field seemed appropriate to Rhinelander High School football coach Aaron Kraemer, who compared River Falls to a small collegiate outfit. The Hodags were simply outclassed by a bigger, faster, more physical group from the opening whistle.
"It's the real deal. You game plan and I think sometimes film's a liar," he said. "You look at it and you see what they look like on film and I thought we had a great chance to come out and play well and, I tell you what, they're the real deal."
River Falls tight end/defensive lineman Joe Stoffel, the No. 1 tight end and 16th-ranked player in the state according to WisSports.net, looked every bit the part on Friday. The North Dakota State recruit caught three touchdown passes and added a fourth score on a 43-yard interception return as the Wildcats raced out to a 43-0 halftime lead before calling off the dogs and inserting its reserves into the lineup.
Rhinelander's lone highlight came in the fourth quarter as the team drove 85 yards against River Falls backups, culminating in a Drake Martin 10-yard touchdown reception from Quinn Lamers with 1:23 remaining.
"I said in the locker room it doesn't matter the way the first half went, but it will matter the way you finish," Kraemer said. "If we finish negatively, then the sour taste is going to be in our mouth the rest of the offseason and we won't be able to really enjoy what we've been able to accomplish. I said go out and win the second half."
That's all Rhinelander had left to play for after River Falls thoroughly dominated the first half. The Hodags had not allowed an opening possession touchdown all season, but that changed Friday as the Wildcats marched 75 yards with ease on the opening possession and scored on a Michael Krueger 11-yard run just 3:34 into the contest.
It didn't take long for River Falls to get the ball back. After Caleb Olcikas nearly misplayed a kickoff return, pinning the Hodags deep in their own territory, Lamers was called for intentional grounding in the end zone on Rhinelander's first offensive snap, awarding a safety to River Falls.
It took less than 2 1/2 minutes for Krueger to find the end zone again, this time from eight yards out, to extend the lead to 15-0. Two plays later, a fumbled exchange between Martin and Lamers gave River Falls another short field and quarterback Peter Noreen found Stoffel for a 25-yard that put the Wildcats up 22-0 less than eight minutes into the contest.
Rhinelander forced River Falls to punt on its next two possessions, but the rout continued late in the second after the Wildcats partially blocked a Martin punt, setting up shop inside the Hodag 35 with 5:17 remaining in the half. Noreen from Stoffel again from 22 yards two plays later to make it 29-0. Then, with the Hodags electing to go for it on fourth down at their 40, Stoffel stepped in front of a screen pass intended for Peyton Erikson and returned it 43 yards to extend the lead to 36-0.
A Rhinelander three-and-out followed by a short Travis Towne punt gave River Falls yet another short field, which led to another Noreen to Stoffel connection - this one from 13 yards, to put River Falls up 43-0 at half.
Kraemer didn't mince words afterward, saying Rhinelander simply ran into a buzzsaw.
"That's just a really well-coached, athletic, physical and big team that we just played," he said.
Drake's milestones
Martin needed only 18 yards to reach 1,200 for the season and 34 to reach 3,500 for his career. It took until the final drive of the fourth quarter, but he was able to achieve both milestones.
He finished with 71 yards on 13 carries. It was not easy, however. Martin, who sat out practice last week to rest his injured left ankle, appeared to re-aggravate the injury in the second quarter. He sat out a number of plays, but came back in after getting his ankle re-taped.
"It took a ton of will for him (to finish the game). He's been battling since Mosinee," Kraemer said. "When a player of his caliber goes out, it's hard for the rest of the kids to feel the same kind of energy because he's their rock. He's the horse that we've ridden here. We wanted to see him full strength and I think he was early in the game. I think that the rest helped him but whenever you have an ankle sprain like Drake had, it takes a long time to heal back up."
Martin's score in the fourth quarter was his 21st of the season - but only his second receiving touchdown.
"To see Drake in the end zone, he deserves it," Kraemer said. "It was unfortunate that we weren't able to get things going in the first half. It's unfortunate that it took so long to get going, but to see him in the end zone where he belongs is excellent."
Score two for the big man
Martin's touchdown was not the only highlight of the final drive. Electing to attempt a two-point conversion, the Hodags lined up in a Power I formation with center Trevor Knapp moving to the backfield as a third back. Knapp got the ball on the play and worked his way off right guard into the end zone for the conversion.
Kraemer called it a symbolic moment for Knapp, the leader of the offensive line.
"Our offensive line did a lot with a little. They have big hearts and he led them. For him to get a two-point conversion, that's something that he'll never forget," Kraemer said. "I wanted to make sure it was unforgettable for kids and I think we were able to accomplish that."
Statbook
Lamers was 9 of 16 through the air for 69 yards with a touchdown and an interception. He threw a pair of shovel passes to Hartman, who finished with 30 yards receiving.
Krueger finished with 97 yards on only 13 carries for River Falls, Noreen was 8 of 9 passing for 153 yards and three scores. Stoffel finished with five grabs for 105 yards.
Pistol problems
Rhinelander showed some different wrinkles on offense during the game. For starters, the team moved tight end Connor Lund to guard and utilized a pistol formation, opposed to the I formation with the quarterback under center as it has all season.
The results were mixed, with a pair of fumbles, including one on the team's second drive that helped set up River Falls' third touchdown.
Kraemer said the rationale was partly due to Martin's health and potential a glimpse into what the Hodag offense may look like next year.
"There were a few plays of what you should see next season with nine weeks of training and the offseason and all the things you'd expect from a pistol offense," he said. "If that's the way we decide to go as a coaching staff, you saw some exciting stuff. You saw some RPO (run/pass option) stuff and some big plays out of our passing game."
What's next
River Falls improved to 8-2 and will travel to Medford next Friday for Level 2 of the WIAA playoffs. The Raiders defeated seventh-seeded Hayward/Lac Courte Oreilles 53-0 on Friday.
Rhinelander, meanwhile, heads into the offseason. The Hodags finish 6-4, it's best single-season record since 1994. The Hodags also beat rivals Lakeland and Antigo in the same season for the first time since 2006 and made the playoffs for only the third time in school history.
All of those accomplishments were of little comfort to the team in a tear-filled postgame huddle, but Kraemer said he's hopeful that it signifies the start of a revolution in the Hodag football program.
"My job now is to get to the drawing board, figure out what the toolbox is offensively and defensively, special teams, figure out where my coaches stand, invest in them, make sure they can lead our players, then invest in our new seniors and never forget what our old seniors brought us," he said.
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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