July 18, 2022 at 9:45 a.m.
Hodags help lead North to All-Star win
Hodags help lead North to All-Star win
Stevens Point quarterback Riley Warzynski hit Port Washington wide receiver Patrick Lippe in the corner of the end zone with 2:43 remaining and the North team held on for a one-point win at Titan Stadium.
Hodag coach Aaron Kraemer dialed up the winning call on a fourth-and-4 play in the red zone in the final minutes of regulation. RHSârunning back Cayden Neri and guard Joe Fugle were both on the field for what proved to be the game-winning snap.
"I said to Riley, we're going to run Slant Y Corner. He wanted to run the vert(ical route) on the opposite side. I told him, 'Just trust me. If the corner plays the slant, just throw it up there and he'll go get it,'" Kraemer said. "I'm glad he trusted me. It was a great thrown ball and a great catch by Lippe."
"Right when I saw it leave his hands, I knew it was going to be a touchdown," said Neri, who had 16 yards on nine carries to be the second-leading rusher in the contest. "It was close, but I have faith in our wide receivers."
The South team, which missed an extra point late in the third quarter and a field goal that would have made it a two-score game early in the fourth, ended up with two chances to march down for a game-winning drive.
Arrowhead's Charlie Smith was intercepted by Wisconsin Rapids' Jackson Schooley with 1:16 remaining. After spending all three timeouts, the South got the ball back at its own 10 with 41 seconds to play and drove to midfield before Rice Lake's Alex Belongia tackled Franklin's Keaton Arendt in bounds at the North 43, allowing time to expire before the South could get off another snap.
The victory was a sweet way for the Rhinelander trio to cap off one final week together on the gridiron, that included four days of practice and other festivities, leading up to Saturday's game featuring some of top senior football players from around the state.
"It was a lot of fun. We met a lot of cool guys and had a lot of fun," Fugle said. "Having one more game with coach Kraemer, I love coach Kraemer so it was really cool to have him here for another week."
Both Fugle and Neri were late additions to the North squad, added to the roster as alternates after the initial roster came out. Fugle learned of his selection in March while Neri got the call in late June.
Fugle, who will play college football at Olivet Nazarine University, a NAIA program in Bourbonnais, Ill., admitted needed a bit of a nudge from his parents to accept the call.
"I was an undersized lineman at Rhinelander. Then when they asked me to be an undersized lineman against guys who are all going to college, it was a little bit nerve-wracking, but it was a lot of fun," he said. "I think I did pretty good. They're big and, luckily, I won't have to block those big guys in college."
Neri, who will head to UW-Stevens Point this fall, said the call to play in the WFCA kick-started his offseason training.
"Right away I started to get conditioned, working on cuts and stuff. It was all worth it," he said. "It was a really cool experience to meet what I'd like to call a new family. It was a really good experience winning this game with them. It was so much fun."
Kraemer, who served as the quarterbacks coach on the North staff this year after leading the North to a 7-0 win in the 2021 All-Star Game, said both of his players proved they belonged with the best in the state.
"Cayden earned it this week. He and (Ashwaubenon running back) AJ Pludeman had a wonderful week of practice," he said. "We ran a lot of power and counter. We ran one zone, two stretches and every other run play was a power or a counter. That says a lot for those guys. Cayden really does deserve to be in this game but, at the same time, our offensive line, man, they were really, really good and Joe was a part of that. The one thing I'll say about Joe is when I talk to a coach and he says, 'Joe is one of the best teachers that I have and Joe has helped us learn zone tenfold and has done a great job,' that means a lot to me."
It was deja vu from 2021 for the North team Saturday, leading 7-0 without the aid of an offensive touchdown. Menomonie's Brooks Brewer scooped up a fumble on a bad snap on a punt and returned it 11 yards to give the North the lead just 2 minutes, 45 seconds into the contest.
The offensive fireworks picked up in the third quarter. Facing fourth-and-11 from the North 17, Smith ran around in the pocket and chucked up a prayer just as he being pulled to the ground that was answered with a catch by Kenosha Bradford's Christian Crump at the goal line to tie the game.
The tie lasted only one play as Kraemer dug into the bag of tricks. Running back Elliott Lowney of Shawano ran a reverse and hurled a pass deep down the sideline for Kaukauna's Carson Sippel for a 62-yard score that put the North back ahead 14-7 with 8:22 to go in the third.
"I tell the kids every week I'm going to put in a trick play and then I'm too chicken to call it," Kraemer said. "This week, we said let's get a mojo play and it was that reverse pass. We got it there. It was under thrown, but a great catch by Carson Sippel and he scored."
The South answered with a 10-play, 75-yard drive, capped off by a Crump 17-yard catch from Smith in the right corner of the end zone to tie it. River Falls' Vito Massa was intercepted by DeForest's Logan Engeseth on the next offensive play. The ball was returned to the North 2, where Whitefish Bay's Nigel Cheeks punched it in to give the South its first lead at 20-14 with 4:37 remaining in the third. Michael Loechler's extra point attempt skimmed off the top of the upright and caromed wide right.
Kraemer said the event was once again beneficial for his program as he and former Mosinee head coach Craig Martens helped divvy up the offensive responsibilities. Kraemer admitted that he did more learning than teaching during the week.
"We split it up and he taught me a ton," he said. "It was unbelievable. I can't wait to get back home and implement some of the stuff that I learned, talk to (RHS offensive coordinator) coach Luke (Roberts)."
For Fugle and Neri, the college-like atmosphere of the week helped prepare them for when their respective camps begin in a few weeks.
"It was really neat to see how everyone here was really talented," Fugle said. "There wasn't any bad competition here. It was a lot better to get ready for college."
The North swept the South in the three-game event over the weekend, also taking the 8-player game 23-6 Friday evening and the Small School game 25-7 Saturday afternoon.
According to the WFCA, this year's event raised more than $350,000 Children's Hospital of Wisconsin.
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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