Rising above adversity

TOMAHAWK — Following a 1-8 season last year and a disastrous start to Friday night’s season opener, it would have been easy for the Rhinelander High School football team to resign itself to another defeat. 

The Hodags chose a different course, however, as they look to prove that seasons like last year — long the norm for Rhinelander football — are now the exception. 

Landon Bates kicked a 19-yard field goal with three seconds remaining as Rhinelander rallied from down 21-0 late in the first half to defeat the Tomahawk Hatchets 22-21 at Hatchet Field in Tomahawk.

Rhinelander played catch up most of the night after the Hatchets scored on their opening drive. The Hodags eventually found themselves down three scores after a pair of long touchdown passes from sophomore quarterback Rex Reilly to junior Brayden Larson. Senior James Heck rushed for 121 yards and three scores for the Hodags, who completed a stunning comeback. 

“That’s absolutely unbelievable, considering what happened in the first half,” Hodag coach Aaron Kraemer said. “I tell you what. This one’s too close for me, and I don’t like it one bit. I love that we won but my heart can’t take it.”

Despite a large deficit, the Hodags’ belief never wavered. 

    Rhinelander’s James Heck reacts after scoring a touchdown during the third quarter of a non-conference football game at Tomahawk Friday, Aug. 18. Heck rushed for 121 yards and three touchdowns in Rhinelander’s 22-21 win. (Casey Mayo for the River News)
  

“I thought, first half, we had the upper hand even though they were winning,” Heck said. “We shot ourselves in the foot a couple of times and that’s where it came from. In the second half we just picked our boys up and we knew we were going to win this game.”

Tomahawk, with a new offense and new head coach in Dewey Reilly, roared out of the gate. The Hatchets marched 57 yards on 11 plays on the opening drive before Rex Reilly snuck it in from less than a yard. After the teams traded punts, the Hodags had back-to-back drives end with interceptions by new starting quarterback Truman Lamers. Tomahawk answered with long touchdowns after both turnovers. 

Larsen got behind the Hodag secondary twice for scores of 58 and 88 yards to put the Hatchets ahead 21-0 with 1:51 left before half. 

“Defensively, it was simply a lapse in concentration,” Kraemer said. “I didn’t think they truly earned their touchdowns. We just gave it to them.” 

Lamers nearly threw a third interception before the end of the half, but it was negated by a roughing the passer call on a late hit by Tomahawk’s Patrick Samundsen. Owen Kurtz rumbled down the sideline for 40 yards on the next play, which set up a four-yard run by Heck two plays later as the Hodags trailed 21-6 at the break. 

Rhinelander cut the lead to nine on the opening drive of the third quarter, marching 61 yards on 10 plays, capped off by a 21-yard run off a deflected high snap that Heck caught in stride and took to the end zone. 

After forcing another punt, the Hodags’ comeback bid appeared to run out of steam when Sam Schoppe was stopped on a fourth-and-6 run at the 10 with 9:59 remaining, but the Hodags got the ball back after a Tomahawk punt and quickly moved into Hatchet territory on a 27-yard run by Bates that turned into a 42-yard play following a late hit. Three plays later, Heck scored from eight yards out to cut the lead to 21-19 with 6:34 to play. 

Kraemer said Heck, who moved from quarterback to tailback in the offseason, simply balled out. 

“By the end of the game, it was Ezekiel Elliott, feed me more,” he said, referencing the former Dallas Cowboys’ running back. “He was give me the ball, give me the ball, give me the ball. He took over. He did a great job taking over the football game in the third quarter. In the fourth quarter, the wings picked him up right where he left up.”

Tomahawk looked to milk clock late in the game, but Reilly was stopped short by Payton Campbell and Heck on fourth-and-2 from the Hodag 46, giving Rhinelander one more chance with 1:57 remaining. 

The Hodags overcame three procedure penalties on the final drive. Lamers hit Campbell for 22 yards to convert on third-and-19. A 13-yard pass from Lamers to Bates got Rhinelander into the red zone. After Lamers had a third-down pass knocked away by Tomahawk’s Caleb Dickens, Kraemer faced a decision on fourth-and-2 from the 3 with 6 seconds remaining. 

“I never even thought about kicking a field goal, but it’s fourth down and you’ve got the opportunity to,” Kraemer said. “You’ve got a guy that’s been working on it and he played the hero today at the end of the game. It goes to show, as a coach, you have to make sure you trust your players. You have to make sure you build them up throughout the game, because you never know who’s going to come up with the biggest play at the end of the game.”

Despite having an extra point blocked earlier in the game, Bates said he was confident as he stepped up for the go-ahead kick.

“I had no doubt,” he said of his winning kick. “We do those all the time in practice. It’s a little chip shot, we’re good. I’ll do it all season if we need to.”

Tomahawk had one last gasp but Reilly, unable to find anything open downfield, was stopped at the Hodag 40 on a desperation scramble as time expired. 

For Rhinelander, it marked the second time in four years that it won its season opener thanks to a late field goal. Quinn Lamers booted a 21-yarder as the Hodags rallied to defeat Antigo in the opener of the COVID-shortened 2020 season. Rhinelander went 8-1 that year, winning both of its games in the WIAA culminating event. 

“This one I think took a little extra courage, a little extra fortitude and the guys just kept believing that they could do it,” Kraemer said. “That’s what was good about that (2020) team too. They always believed they were in it. There were five, six games that year that we were down in and we managed to come back. If these guys have the same fortitude like that group did, which I think they do, then we’re in for a helluva season.”

Ground and pound

While Rhinelander showed plenty of balance in preseason camp, the Hodags relied heavily on power running game to wear down the Hatchet defense. The Hodags racked up 301 yards on the ground on 54 carries Friday night. That’s roughly 40% of Rhinelander’s total from last year when it rushed for only 727 yards on the season.

“The hogs up front played unbelievable today, on both sides of the football, but up front, offensively, we did what we wanted to do,” Kraemer said. “We tried to run away from Caleb (Dickens) in the first half, but we just continued to run the ball. It didn’t matter in the second half. Late in the game we had to pass, and they did a great job setting edges, a great job protecting Truman.”

Battle of attrition

Heck was forced to carry the load in the backfield after Owen Kurtz left the game late in the third quarter due to cramps and did not return. Kraemer said he did not believe Kurtz will be out long-term. 

Struggles with hydration proved to be a story on both sides with a number of players coming off the field, especially in the second half, with what appeared to be cramps. 

“It’s a weird temperature. It’s cool, but it’s hot on the turf,” Kraemer said. “It’s early in the season. The kids haven’t had those miles on them and, yeah, for Owen I think it’s something we always deal with. He’s got hyperhidrosis. It’s something he lives with, that sweat.”

Statbook

Kurtz had 78 yards on eight carries for Rhinelander, Campbell had eight carries for 49 yards and Bates had 39 yards on four carries. Lamers was 6 of 12 passing for 82 yards with a pair of interceptions. 

Reilly rushed for 91 yards and a score, and passed for 166 yards and two scores for Tomahawk. 

The Hatchets finished with 317 yards of offense, but were limited to only three first downs after halftime as Rhinelander controlled the clock. The Hodags possessed the ball for 29:35 to Tomahawk’s 18:25.

One of two

Rhinelander was one of only two GNC teams to pull out a victory in Week 1. Hayward scored a 21-14 win over Cumberland on Friday night. Otherwise the GNC went 2-6, with all six losses by 16 points or more. 

Up next

Tomahawk (0-1) travels to Lakeland this coming Friday while Rhinelander (1-0) hosts Wausau East. The Lumberjacks, playing their first 11-man varsity football game since 2020, defeated Lakeland 23-7 in Friday night’s opener. 

“We’re going to have to get back to our fundamentals next week,” Kraemer said. “We’re going to have to get back to the drawing board, defensively, and make sure we have everything shored up and then take on a tough Wausau East team.” 

Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].