November 16, 2022 at 9:16 a.m.
Team review: RHS Football
Hodags' momentum derailed by injuries, blowouts
Team review: RHS Football
Murphy's Law dominated a season that began with high expectations following back-to-back eight-win seasons. Anything that could go wrong seemingly did for the Hodags as both injuries and losses mounted.
The end result was a 1-8 record for this year's Hodags.
"I know that this season was a difficult one," Hodag head coach Aaron Kraemer said late last month during the team's banquet. "You look at our program at all levels, on the scoreboard it was not what we had hoped for. What I'll say about this senior class is they've given a reason for our town to be hopeful. In their four years they've built a program from the bottom up and they've seen every single step of this program grow."
Here are five key storylines from the recently completed season.
MASH Unit
Injuries proved to be the No. 1 story for the Hodags. With the exception of the season opener against Tomahawk, Rhinelander had to play without at least one key player or starter. By the end of the season, the Hodags were down as many as nine players.
Among the key injuries this year:
• Returning all-conference defensive back Kaleb Winter missed three games, and was originally feared lost for the season, after suffering a knee injury on the opening kickoff of a Week 2 loss at Denmark.
• Top returning receiver Brendon Eckrich missed a Week 3 loss against Ashland with a groin injury. Starting offensive lineman Kaeden Pillar was lost for the season in practice leading up to that game with an arm injury.
• Payton Campbell, who rushed for 338 yards and three touchdowns during the first four games of the season, did not play in a Week 5 loss to Antigo due to an upper leg injury and did not return for the remainder of the season.
• Returning two-way all-conference lineman Owen Kurtz was lost for the season with a shoulder injury in a Week 6 loss against Mosinee. Sophomore Truman Lamers, who was second on the team with 27 tackles through six games, suffered a hand injury in the loss that sidelined him for the remainder of the season.
• All-conference center Conner Jensen, a three-year starter, was lost for the season after tearing ligaments in his knee in practice prior to a Week 7 game at Medford.
"I'm kind of speechless. Our guys are working their butts off in practice and it just seems like we can't catch a break with injuries with injuries right now," Kraemer said after losing Kurtz to injury against Mosinee.
Losing to rivals
Rhinelander had some momentum after a 14-0 win at Hayward in Week 4, and entered the Bell Game seeking its fourth straight win over longtime rival Antigo.
Campbell's absence hurt the offense and the Hodags could not overcome four big plays -two long scoring runs by Alex Knapkavage and two jump-ball touchdown receptions by 6-6 receiver Mason Gray - in a 26-14 loss.
Things didn't go any better in Rhinelander's other trophy game. The Hodags lost 49-0 to Lakeland in the Axe Game to close the regular season in a game that featured two defensive touchdowns by the T-Birds.
"I think we have to relearn the identity. I don't think it's about learning something new, or redefining ourselves. I think it's about relearning what Hodag football is all about," Kraemer said after that loss. "I know it was a rough season but, like I said before, my job is that I can bring hope, that I can bring discipline that I can bring Hodag football and pride in our program back to Rhinelander. This year was rough but it doesn't have to be that way going forward. And I'm going to do everything in my power to make sure that it isn't.
Sputtering offense
Rhinelander was never able to find a replacement for the running back duo of Cayden Neri and Caleb Olcikas, who combined for more than 3,000 scrimmage yards in 10 games last season.
In fact, the Hodags could not find even half of that yardage this year, finishing the season with 1,410 yards of offense in nine games.
Luke Roberts took over the play-calling duties in 2022 while Kraemer focused his attention on the defensive side of the football. Rhinelander started the season in a pistol spread look, which struggled during the first two weeks of the season. The Hodags went back to the I-formation look they had in 2022 with some success. The team rushed for 139 yards in a Week 3 loss to Ashland and 116 yards in a Week 4 win at Hayward. But, after Campbell was lost for the season the ground game went into neutral. Rhinelander rushed for 302 net yards combined over the final five games of the season and had only one more game where it rushed for more than 100 yards. That was the Week 6 game against Mosinee in which the Hodags moved Kurtz from left guard to fullback before he suffered his season-ending injury right before halftime.
"We just never got going offensively," Kraemer said. "That's something, going into the offseason, we just have to figure it out. I think we can be a physical team running it with the guys we have coming forward, but we have to figure out a secondary game - pass, screen, something to make sure we can keep moving the chains - and something we can fall back on when we're struggling. That's what you saw in the last couple of games, struggling and we just didn't have an answer when we struggle."
Junior quarterback James Heck showed some flashes in the run game. He broke off an 82-yard run for a touchdown in a Week 8 loss to Merrill and finished as the team's second-leading rusher (290 yards, 2 TDs). Heck had an up and down season throwing the football. He completed 45.1% of his passes for 683 yards with two touchdowns and eight interceptions.
"Aside from me, when you're losing, he takes the heat more than anyone else," Kraemer said of Heck during the team's banquet. "He's a person that would constantly be questioned because of the position that he played but every single week, every single day he came in with a great attitude to try to get better. That's what you need to do in that position. That's what you need to do as a leader of a football team."
Struggling defense
The injuries and struggles on offense eventually spilled over to the defensive side of the football as the team allowed 33.3 points and 320.2 yards per game on the season. The Hodags were especially vulnerable on the ground, allowing 28 rushing touchdowns, 12 two-point conversions and 6.8 yards per carry.
Senior outside linebacker Carter Krueger led the way with 44 tackles followed by junior Landon Bates (40) and senior Trayton Brzycki (39), who flip-flopped spots at inside linebacker and safety late in the season.
Lamers, despite his injury finished sixth on the team with 27 tackles. Kurtz was seventh with 22 tackles, but had a team-high eight tackles for loss. Despite missing the final three games, Kurtz still received first-team All-Great Northern Conference honors as an offensive lineman and second-team honors on the defensive line.
"He was able to show all the coaches in our area that he was valued as one of the best players around here," Kraemer said. "I know that next season, he's going to have a breakout year. Where he ends up offensively and defensively remains to be seen. He is a dynamic athlete, but I can't wait to see what he can accomplish with a full, healthy season behind him because, boy, he had a great season this year."
What's next
The Hodags graduate 13 seniors but Kraemer said he was excited about where his program sits entering the offseason. Admittedly, it will be a challenge rebuilding, but Kraemer said between the number of underclassmen who were pressed into varsity duty this year and some talent at the JV and JV-2 levels, there is room for improvement next season.
"Everything that we're going to be able to accomplish next year is going to have to be earned," he said, addressing the returning players at the banquet. "It's going to need to be earned in multiple different ways, but it's going to start with growing our toughness. Toughness is exactly where we need to focus. I'm not talking about any type of tough-guy, violent, machismo (mentality). I'm talking about being able to be the masters of our emotions, to be the masters and deciders of our fate and our choices, and being able to control four key aspects - our character, our competency, our capacity to work and to fight and, most of all, to be able to control the challenges that we face and the way we're going to respond to those challenges.
"I can't wait for the challenge, and I hope you're up for the challenge."
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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