Hodags host Wing-T lineman camp

Perhaps the biggest tell that the Rhinelander High School football team’s offense will look different in 2023 came Thursday in the form of a one-day camp for offensive linemen.

The Hawgs & Dawgs Camp held a free, one-day session led by Abbotsford head coach Jacob Knapmiller, focusing on the blocking schemes of the Wing-T offense. 

Indeed, Hodag head coach Aaron Kraemer confirmed that the Hodags plan to use a variant of the Wing-T this fall, moving away from the pro-style concept the team employed for much of the last five-plus seasons. Kraemer warned, however, that the Hodags’ version of the offense will likely look tham most fans’ impressions of the Wing-T.

“Wing-T means a lot to a lot of different people and our version of the Wing-T is going to be different than a power T like Crandon and Antigo run. Even Lakeland was running Wing-T schemes last year,” Kraemer said. “When teams look at it, it’s not going to be your traditional Wing-T that Rhinelander’s running.”

The biggest change, conceptually, for the Hodags will come up front, where the line will switch from a zone blocking scheme to a gap scheme. Because of that, Kraemer said Thursday’s camp, and Knapmiller’s expertise, will help expedite the learning curve for the linemen heading into this week’s team camp and the start of fall practice Aug. 1. 

“Coach Knapmiller came up and it was a pretty good showing. We had over 20 linemen from different schools and they were learning Wing-T blocking schemes,” Kraemer said. “I’m really grateful for him and, obviously, I’m always grateful for (RHS assistant) coach (Paul) Ellenbecker. It’s kind of an extension of the Hawgs & Dawgs and a free camp for people that wanted to some. I thought it was success and I would definitely do it again.”

Thursday also marked the end of the five-week Northwoods 7-on-7 Passing League. Even though Rhinelander figures to be a run-first offense in the fall, Kraemer said the league served a number of beneficial purposes. 

    Mathias Fugle attempts to make a leaping catch in the back of the end zone during the Northwoods 7-on-7 Passing League at Mike Webster Stadium Thursday, July 13. Thursday marked the end of the five-week league for the Hodags. (Bob Mainhardt for the River News)
  

“We wanted to try to run our actual defense in 7-on-7 and get our communication down,” he said. “The kids did a great job. The first week was rough but you start to figure each other out and start to gain trust as time goes on.” 

“By the end of 7-on-7, our defensive communication and the way that we were playing, I haven’t seen it in the past couple years. The kids are feeling confident in the coverage and working together. That’s exactly what we wanted,” Kraemer added. “Offensively, we’re a run-first team so it’s an opportunity in 7-on-7 to work our passing game so as we come into came, we can focus on the run that goes with it and be able to be dynamic with the passing game too. It showed us we have some pretty good playmakers we’ve got to try to get the football to in different situations. As an offensive coordinator, it makes you happy, because you have the opportunity to spread the field a little bit more and keep teams honest — especially when we want to run the football.” 

Kraemer reiterated what he said during the team’s first contact day back in June. The purpose of the offensive changes is to liven up an offense that he felt became too predictable at times over the last few seasons. 

“We want to be able to keep the focus off of one back and put the focus more on the team in the backfield,” he said.

The Hodags will host their Green and White practice Saturday, Aug. 6 and a scrimmage Friday, Aug. 12 — both at Mike Webster Stadium. Rhinelander will open up the 2023 campaign with a non-conference contest at Tomahawk Aug. 19.

Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].