Medford churns past Hodags 40-8

A powerful Medford ground game was too much for the Rhinelander High School football team to overcome Friday night. 

Paxton Rothmeier rushed for 153 yards and three scores and the Raiders ran by the Hodags 40-8 at Mike Webster Stadium.

The GNC’s top rushing offense finished right on its season average, picking up 367 yards on the ground. Though the Hodags limited the Raiders to only a handful of explosive plays, the steady dose of power football eventually took its toll.

“That’s a really good Medford team. They’re tough and physical,” Hodag coach Aaron Kraemer said. “We talked to our guys all week about coming down in that hole, meeting them in the hole where they’re at and playing toe-to-toe with them up front, and we did. 

“Defensively, I thought that we stood up to the challenge tonight and it was too much. They were good. They were very good. That’s a playoff team.” 

After stalling out on its first possession, Medford would score the next five times it touched the football. The Raiders built a 20-0 lead at the half and led 40-0 at the end of the third quarter. 

Medford’s explosive tailback tandem of Carson Carbaugh and Rothmeier each had a big run — Carbaugh a 25-yarder and Rothmeier a 39-yarder — to put Medford inside the Hodag 10. Charlie Gierl scored on a counter two plays later to put Medford on the board late in the first. 

After a roughing the kicker penalty kept Medford’s next drive alive, Rothmeier capped off a 13-play march with a four-yard run early in the second quarter. Rothmeier scored again from two yards out with 53 seconds before the break to give Medford a three-score lead. 

A 53-yard run by Carbaugh gave Medford first-and-goal on the opening drive of the third quarter. The Raiders eventually scored on a Hank Crass quarterback sneak from less than a yard on fourth down. Evan Wilkins added a 13-yard score later in the quarter for the Raiders and, after the teams traded interceptions, Rothmeier scored from 21 yards out to put Medford up 40-0 with 43 seconds left in the third. 

Rhinelander scored on a 48-yard run by James Heck midway through the fourth quarter. Heck had a pair of long runs on the night as he finished with 96 yards on 10 carries. Heck added a pair of receptions for 21 yards.

“I’m really proud of James Heck,” Kraemer said. “He played every single play of offense and defense tonight until the waning moments of the fourth quarter. He’s had an amazing year and I’m really, really proud of him.”

Held under 100 yards of offense in each of the last two games, the Hodags put up 185 on the Raiders, including 149 on the ground. 

    Rhinelander’s James Heck rushes for a touchdown during the fourth quarter of a GNC football game at Mike Webster Stadium Friday, Sept. 29. Heck’s score was the first for the Hodags since a game Sept. 8 against Hayward. (Bob Mainhardt for the River News)
  

Back on the board

Heck’s fourth-quarter score snapped a 12-quarter scoring drought for the Hodags and prevented Rhinelander from being shut out for a third consecutive game. Prior to the last two weeks, the last time the Hodags had been shut out in back-to-back games was 2013.

Kraemer said he was relieved to finally get the offense back on the board.

“Thank God, yes,” he said. “That’s exactly what I said to them in the fourth quarter when we met and discussed things. I just said, ‘Boys, let’s just put one in the end zone here and get ourselves rolling.’ We were able to do that.” 

“Offensively, we were better tonight than we were last week. We were certainly better than what we played against Antigo. The scoreboard might not show it, but we were able to move the ball much, much better.” 

Miscues

Ultimately, penalties and turnovers kept the Hodags from being more competitive in the contest. Rhinelander turned the ball over three times in the contest. Truman Lamers threw a pair of interceptions and a bad exchange on a double handoff between Landon Bates and Payton Campbell led to a lost fumble. Additionally, seven of Rhinelander’s eight penalties on the night came on the offensive side of the ball.

“Things like that against a good team, you just can’t have. You can’t have mistakes against a good team. You can’t give them those opportunities,” Kraemer said. “Offensively, you’re starting to see our wheels spin again and tonight was much better. The battery was better, the snaps were better, the timing was better but, for us, it was just one or two plays short of the plays that we needed. We’d have a false start penalty that would put us back, or a holding that would move us back. We got behind the chains and it was difficult for us to get back where we needed to go.” 

Kurtz returns

Senior Owen Kurtz returned in a limited role for Rhinelander on Friday. He was limited to the defensive side of the football and played only the first half in his first game action since hurting his ankle at the end of the first half of the Bell Game Sept. 15 against Antigo.

“Owen played a great first half. It really was let’s do what we can to make sure he’s healthy for next week and to make sure that he can play,” Kraemer said. “He played really, really well. He came out and said, ‘I’m only really playing on one leg. I’m not hurting but, at the same time, I don’t have the power and push I need out of the leg.’ I was happy he was able to go for a half and I think it gave our team a spark. I think it gave us a little hope.”

Up next

Medford (6-1, 5-0 Great Northern) will host Mosinee in what will be a de facto GNC championship game this coming Friday night. Those two teams are the only two remaining with a mathematical shot at the title. 

“Next week’s game against Mosinee, that’s going to be a real, real amazing game to see,” Kraemer said after the Hodags saw both conference co-leaders on back-to-back weeks. “Those are two really, really good teams and I think this (Medford) team has what it takes. Medford’s really good this year.”

Rhinelander (4-3, 2-3 Great Northern) now must win one of its final two games to become playoff eligible, and must win both to guarantee a spot in the WIAA tournament. The Hodags travel to Merrill for the Bluejays’ homecoming Saturday before finishing the season at home against Lakeland the following Friday. 

The Bluejays are winless on the year and were eliminated from playoff contention with a 20-0 loss at Hayward on Friday.  

Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].