September 2, 2021 at 11:08 a.m.
Hodags, T-Birds battle for Axe in GNC opener
Hodags, T-Birds battle for Axe in GNC opener
Lakeland comes to town for the Northwoods Axe Game and will provide a hungry challenge for the Hodags right out of the gate. The T-Birds showed that with an energetic performance against the Hodags in a scrimmage Aug. 13 at Mike Webster.
The Hodags roll into tonight 2-0 after a pair of wins over Tomahawk and Milwaukee Riverside, both of which were more lopsided than even the 32- and 28-point margins of victory indicated. Lakeland outlasted Tomahawk 21-6 last week after being blanked by perennial small-school powerhouse Edgar 35-0 in the opener.
Rhinelander was much crisper last week in a 50-22 dismantling of Riverside. It was 43-0 at the half before Riverside scored three unanswered touchdowns against a mix of Rhinelander starters and backups.
More importantly, the Hodags cleaned up a number of the miscues that plagued them in a Week 1 win over Tomahawk. However coach Aaron Kraemer said there's more work to do as the team enters the heart of the schedule.
"We still have a few things to clean up before we're ready for conference play against an opponent that is obviously a rival and one that's feeling pretty good about themselves after their scrimmage performance," he said.
Here are five things to know about tonight's game.
Only the preseason
Thought it had absolutely zero bearing on either team's win-loss record or statistics, the Lakeland's scrimmage performance three weeks ago at Mike Webster Stadium set the backdrop for tonight.
Lakeland had the better of the 30-minute session, scoring three touchdowns to Rhinelander's one. The Hodags took note of how Lakeland celebrated its successes against a defense that was without starting middle linebackers Chad Hunt and Cole Lehman. Kraemer said he felt like Rhinelander took Lakeland's best shot that night. Ensuring Lakeland gets Rhinelander's best counterpunch tonight has been the emphasis this week in practice.
"I think some of our guys are coming in with a chip on their shoulder. They saw the hooting and hollering they were doing here a couple of weeks ago at the scrimmage, and I think there's a little bit of something to prove for us," Kraemer said. "Since that moment, our kids have been preparing for this battle, this matchup. When our kids came in Monday for their gameplan meeting, they were laser-focused, and I'm really excited about what the rest of the week is going to bring for our players too."
Burst their bubble
Lakeland showed balance on offense last week with its spread offense. Though the T-Birds did sling the ball 24 times for 143 yards, they amassed 169 yards on the ground on 39 carries. Junior tailback Rocky Wagoner did much of the lifting in the ground game, with 23 carries, 116 yards and both of Lakeland's offensive touchdowns.
Whether running or passing, virtually all of Lakeland's offense has gone outside the tackles so far this year. The Hodags will also need to be mindful of the T-Birds receiving corps in the passing game - specifically the bubble screen game in which Lakeland broke two big plays against Rhinelander in the scrimmage.
"Spread offense is simply about getting your athletes out in space," Kraemer said. "That's why it's called the spread. For us, defensively, we've got to make sure we're in the right positions to take away the things they want to do."
Junior quarterback Brayden Wiczek is 18 of 37 through the air so far this year for 192 yards, no touchdowns and three interceptions. Mikel Allen, who caught five passes for 79 yards last week, is Lakeland's top target. Max Masayesva caught four passes for 58 yards in last year's playoff game against the Hodags.
Keep it simple
Lakeland comes in allowing just under 318 yards per game over its first two contests. Three turnovers - including a Masayesva interception return for touchdown - helped Lakeland withstand the 292 yards of offense Tomahawk racked up last week.
The T-Birds did a good job of slowing down Rhinelander's top two backs - Cayden Neri and Caleb Olcikas - in last year's playoff meeting. The two all-conference backs combined to rush for 83 yards on 31 yards (2.7 average) while being held out of the end zone.
For comparison, Neri and Olcikas rushed for 293 yards and accounted for all seven touchdowns in last week's romp over Riverside.
"They play close to the line of scrimmage and they want to take away your run game and force you to pass. That's something we've noticed and we've got to couple of different sets to bring that into focus," Kraemer said of Lakeland's base 4-4 front. "You might see more of a basic offense from us, but we're excited about the plan and we feel we have the best two backs in the league. We're going to utilize them along with Jacksen (Smith), who's played really well the first couple of games as our leader and quarterback."
Respectful rivals
Kraemer and Lakeland head coach Dan Barutha shared the sideline this summer in the Wisconsin Football Coaches Association All-Star game. Kraemer was the head coach of the North Large School squad that defeated the south, 7-0 while Barutha served as one of his assistants.
Kraemer stated then, and reiterated this week, the two found a new-found respect for each other during the week they worked together in July.
"I care for Dan. He's a friend of mine now after being there together," Kraemer said. "I got to see the way his mind works and how we works as a head coach. He's a lot like (RHS defensive) coach (Gary) Zarda in the fact that he plans for the major things that are going to happen in a game and he wants to make sure that all the preparation is done for his players, so his players can go out and play fast."
Rivalry history
Tonight's game marks the seventh playing for the Northwoods Axe between the two teams - a trophy game started in 2015 and sponsored by the Northwoods River News and our sister paper, The Lakeland Times. The series is even at three games apiece, with Rhinelander winning three of the last four meetings - including last year's 27-20 victory in Level 1 of the WIAA culminating event.
That meeting ended up being for the Axe as the teams' scheduled regular season meeting was canceled when Lakeland was forced to suspend football activities for two weeks due to health and safety protocols. It was the first time the team met in the postseason.
The Rhinelander-Lakeland rivalry extends beyond the Axe Game. Since 2005, Lakeland holds a 8-6 advantage in a series that includes 10 GNC and three non-conference games, along with last year's postseason meeting.
NOTICE: Due to an early deadline with the Labor Day holiday, a full report from tonight's Rhinelander-Lakeland football game will appear this weekend exclusively on our website, www.RiverNewsOnline.com, and will be available to read for our digital subscribers. Those with a print subscription have online access included with their subscription. Call the River News office at 715-365-6397 if you are not already set up for online access. Thoughts from the Lakeland game, and a look ahead to the Week 4 contest against Hayward, will appear in the Friday, Sept. 10 print edition of the River News.
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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