November 18, 2021 at 8:59 a.m.
Team review: RHS football
Renaissance continued for Hodag gridders in 2021
Team review: RHS football
Thirteen points are all that separated the Hodags from winning 10 games and going as deep in the WIAA playoffs as they ever have. Ultimately, the team was nine yards away from tying, and perhaps winning, their Level 1 playoff game at Baraboo in the final minute of regulation. The Hodags likely would have been home for the start of the playoffs, and not facing Baraboo, if not for a one-touchdown loss at Mosinee that denied the team its first conference title since 1989.
But dwelling on those two near misses would take focus what the Hodags, and particularly this year's crop of seniors, has accomplished over the last three years. Rhinelander has won 22 varsity football games in that span - exceeding the number the team won from 2008-2018 combined. The team has won the Bell Game rivalry against Antigo three times, after only three wins total from 2000-2018 and a Rhinelander program that had only qualified for the WIAA tournament twice prior to 2018 has made three straight trips to the postseason.
"I know that there are some people that are disappointed with the way things ended, and I know I'm disappointed in the way things ended, but in order to have a program change and transform in three years the way these seniors led it, that takes a special class," coach Aaron Kraemer said.
There were plenty of highlights along the way, most notably a 28-14 victory at Medford which put Rhinelander on the chase for the conference title. The Hodags had not defeated Medford since 2010, the longest drought for the team against any GNC program.
"That game against Medford is one my fondest moments, they way we responded at the beginning of the game, the touchdown that Cayden (Neri) scored in the first half, the conversation between the seniors and their teammates at halftime," Kraemer said. "Once I saw the way they were responding to each other and their teammates, I knew we were going to win."
Rhinelander defeated four playoff teams this season (Tomahawk, Milwaukee Riverside, Hayward, Medford), and did so by a combined 151-36. The Hodag defense turned in four shutouts and allowed more than 20 points only once this season. Senior Cayden Neri had more than 2,100 yards of total offense and 25 touchdowns en route to All-Region honors from the Wisconsin Football Coaches Association.
Here are five storylines from the recently completed season.
The near misses
For the second straight season, the Hodags were one win away from a conference title. After falling to Medford 24-7 in the de facto GNC title game last season, Rhinelander went to Mosinee in Week 7 looking to control its own destiny for a conference title, but Mosinee's defense had other ideas.
The Indians held the Hodags to a season-low 136 yards of offense and held on for a 14-7 win. Ultimately the game's lone offensive touchdown, a seven-yard touchdown pass from Trevor Garski to Davin Stoffel less than a minute into the fourth quarter, proved to be the difference in the contest. Mosinee took the lead on a blocked punt returned for a score in the third quarter while Rhinelander answered with an Arik Beske pick-six.
Kraemer called the loss a gut check for his program.
"It was a heartbreak and one that tested our program, our mentality, our mantra, our value system and it tested our love and care for each other," he said. "We had our opportunity to win a conference championship and we didn't take it. What shined through to me when the game was over in how we had to pick ourselves back up from that moment."
Ultimately, the Mosinee loss proved to be a double whammy when the regional groupings for the WIAA tournament came out. Despite an 8-1 regular season record, Rhinelander ended up as the No. 5 seed in its bracket, and had to travel to Baraboo, while Mosinee got the No. 1 seed and hosted Hayward.
Rhinelander gave Baraboo -which defeated Mosinee the following week before falling to state qualifier Rice Lake in Level 3 of the tournament -everything it could muster. Ultimately, though, Baraboo scored what proved to be the winning touchdown on the opening drive of the second half as a pass was nearly intercepted in the end zone by Arik Beske and caught by Baraboo's Brady Henry off the deflection.
The offense struggled too, mustering only 115 yards until its final drive, when it marched 74 yards and converted two fourth downs to get to the Baraboo 9, only to have a hurried pass by quarterback Jacksen Smith sail well over Arik Beske's head in the final minute.
"Say whatever you want about the WIAA, the seeding process, where we were put, how we were disrespected, but I thought we handled everything this past week with the best attitude possible moving into this game," Kraemer said. "If you would have told me we were nine yards away from winning, I would have told you we would have won. We laid everything on the line against Baraboo. I feel terrible that we weren't able to win, but this team's legacy is a lot more than just one game, a lot more than one mistake, a lot more than one bad thing that happened. It's all the positives that have rolled into everything that this group of seniors have done."
Trophy hunters
The Hodags improved to 6-0 in trophy trade games under Kraemer, and did so in convincing fashion as they defeated Lakeland 32-7 for the Northwoods Axe in Week 3 and Antigo 42-0 for Gene Shepard's Bell in Week 6.
Rhinelander dominated Lakeland, amassing 438 yards on the ground, in the Axe Game. That was a far cry from how the Hodags performed three weeks earlier in a scrimmage against the T-Birds, in which Lakeland demonstratively celebrated its successes.
"They remembered and we took it to them that game. These guys took it a little bit personally, the way that scrimmage went and then responded," Kraemer said.
Rhinelander's Bell Game win over Antigo was one for the record books. Not only was it Rhinelander's first three-game winning streak in the series since 1998-2000, 42 points was the most scored ever by a Rhinelander team in the 87 playings of the contest, and the 42-point margin of victory was Rhinelander's largest in its 30 wins in the series.
Explosive ground game
The Hodags has one of their best offensive seasons in recent memory, averaging 31.7 points and 342.2 yards per game this season. Much of that was due to the exploits of Neri, who accounted for a whopping 62% of the team's yards from scrimmage (2,121 yards) and touched the ball on 55.5% of the team's offensive snaps.
"He could not be stopped when he ran the football," Kraemer said. "He's undeniable as a running back, somebody that shows extreme determination and someone who made big play after big play, after big play for us."
Fellow senior Caleb Olcikas served as the Robin to Neri's Batman, finishing third on the team in total touches (94) and second both in yards from scrimmage (940) and touchdowns (12).
The Hodags did not go to the air, especially downfield, as often as last year. Smith completed 60.5% of his passes for 686 yards with 10 touchdowns and five interceptions, but 34 of his 49 completions this year went to Neri or Olcikas.
Dominant defense
All season Kraemer heaped copious praise on coordinator Gary Zarda and his defensive unit, which was lights out much of the season.
The Hodags allowed 8.8 points and 155.2 yards per game this season - all while not allowing a single point in the second quarter of any game.
"I told you from the very beginning of our season that our defense was special - really, really special. As the season went on, they became more special," Kraemer said.
Of Rhinelander's 12 all-conference honorees, 10 of them earned recognition on the defensive side of the ball. That included the team's leading tackler Chad Hunt. He had 73 total tackles, 17 tackles for less and three sacks from his inside linebacker position this fall. Outside linebacker Joe Fugle, defensive lineman AJ Bergman and Olcikas at safety joined Hunt on the first team. Cole Lehman and Arik Beske were on the second team while Neri, Owen Kurtz, Cole Worrall and Kaleb Winter all received honorable mention.
Rhinelander finished second in the GNC in total defense (166.6 yards/game) and was tops in the conference against the run.
What's next
The Hodags will lose a lot in the skill positions. Of their 12 all-conference honorees, only three (Kurtz, Winter and Conner Jensen) are set to return.
Rhinelander will have a solid foundation on the offensive line with Jensen in position to start for a third straight year at center with Kurtz and Tyler Morrison returning at the guard spots. Winter saw some spot carries in the ground game and will likely see a much increased role next year. Quarterback will likely either go to varsity backup James Heck or sophomore-to-be Truman Lamers, the younger brother of two-year starter at quarterback Quinn Lamers.
Defensively, Winter will likely be called upon for a key role again after stepping in at safety this year for the injured Joe Schneider. He and Kurtz are the only two returning all-conference players on the defensive side of the ball.
Kraemer praised this year's junior class for having plenty of talent, while challenging them to assume leadership roles next year as the Hodags look to continue their run of recent success.
"We don't have to, and won't, take a step back if you believe and start to walk to in the footsteps of these young men, we won't take a step back and we'll continue the program and this legacy moving forward," he said.
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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