Back to football

Tuesday’s opening practice for the 2023 Rhinelander High School football team finished under the lights at Mike Webster Stadium. The Hodags hope that the lights will shine a bit brighter this fall than they did during last year’s injury-plagued 1-8 campaign.

There was plenty of energy on the field during Tuesday’s opening 3 1/2-hour session, which included a WIAA-mandated 30-minute rest period that the team used for classroom work. 

With a new offense and some tweaks on defense, the Hodags want to use every minute available to them as they prepare for the season opener Aug. 19 at Tomahawk. 

“I think that they believe that they can earn more this season,” said Aaron Kraemer, who begins his fifth year as head coach and 10th season overall with the program. “The weight room was good this summer and there was a lot of energy in the weight room. A lot of our team gatherings, there was a lot of energy there and obviously at team camp there was a lot of energy. That’s nothing different than what we’ve seen. 

“I think these guys are excited about what they’re going to accomplish and they’re excited about being with each other. They know that last year went the way that it went and they want to build on the positives from last year and realize that the negatives are not there to hang over their heads. It’s a brand new season and they’re going to work and be where they need to be by the start of the year.” 

The biggest storyline going into the season is the team’s move away from a Pro/I-formation style of offense to a variant of the Wing-T. Kraemer said the team’s four-day camp two weeks ago helped lay the foundation of the new offense and, at this point, he feels it may be slightly ahead of the defense. 

“Offensively, you saw the fruits of two weeks ago’s labor and we hit the ground running exactly the way we wanted to,” he said. “The kids understand the formations. They understand the motion. The mesh is getting better. The offensive line is blocking with their shoulders, which is different than in the past and we looked good today. Obviously, we’re on bags and we’ll see what happens when we have pads on but I was pleased, offensively. The tempo was very high and we looked pretty good. 

    Tyler Chariton wraps up Sam Schoppe (11) in a tackling drill during Rhinelander High School football practice at Mike Webster Stadium Tuesday, Aug. 1. (Jeremy Mayo/River News)
  

“(Defensively) our first group is understanding what they need to do but the depth in understanding after that is not where I want it to be. We’re just going to keep pushing. Defense is pretty straight forward. You have to understand you alignment, your stance, your key read and then just execute and play to your assignment. We’ve got to get our guys playing fast.”

The Hodags are sticking with their base 3-4 defense this year but are tweaking some things in terms of alignment based on what formation the opposing offense is in. The aim is to be in better position to stop the run after giving up a GNC-worst 234.9 yards per game on the ground last year. 

Even with the team getting a head start, there is still a lot to get done, and a few tentpoles to pass prior to Week 1. Kraemer said the goal is to get many of the primary packages in on both sides of the ball and then build off of that as the season progresses.

“We have to pump the breaks, take it a day at a time and learn what we can,” he said. “What the goal is for the day we have to perfect rather than looking at the big picture.” 

The Hodags will host a four-team scrimmage at Mike Webster Stadium a week from today and the first week of practice culminates tomorrow morning with the team’s annual Green & White Day at Mike Webster. 

Tomorrow’s intra-squad practice will be the first chance for the public to catch a glimpse of this year’s team and the changes that have taken place over the offseason. The roughly 2-hour practice will feature a few scrimmage-like segments for the varsity and JV squads, there will also be 7-on-7 periods for the JV2 and middle school group and other family activities throughout the event. 

“It brings the community out. A lot of people come out and watch,” Kraemer said. “I think that community involvement, the fact that they come out and cheer for them, it’s the first time they’re getting an opportunity to see our team for the year. It’s in the morning, a nice warm day most of the time and a lot of family and community involvement. It’s just a celebration of our program. I’m really excited for everyone else to see what we seen over the last few weeks. I’m unbelievably excited. I can’t wait to get started.”

Practice is slated for a 10 a.m. start tomorrow, with warm-ups to take place just prior. 

The Hodag football team was the first fall sport to be able to practice, under WIAA regulations. The Hodag girls’ swim and girls’ tennis teams will begin practice on Tuesday. The RHS cross country, volleyball and boys’ soccer teams will start on Monday, Aug. 14.  

Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].