Passing game steals spotlight at Green & White practice

Using a version of the Wing-T playbook, the Rhinelander High School football team will most likely be a run-first team this fall. However, the Hodags showed Saturday in their first look to the public that — when they want to throw the ball — they have plenty of capable targets. 

The passing game stole the show as quarterbacks Truman Lamers and Chandler Servent combined to throw four touchdown passes with no interceptions during Saturday’s Green and White intrasquad practice at Mike Webster Stadium.

The White squad, led by Lamers, got the better of Servent’s Green team two touchdowns to one during the two 25-minute sessions in which the Hodags were split into two evenly-matched units. Lamers, a senior and the incumbent starter at quarterback for the Hodags, added another scoring throw during 11-on-11 situational play with the top unit. 

    Quarterback Truman Lamers scrambles ahead of defensive lineman Travis Trickey during the Rhinelander High School football team’s Green vs. White intrasquad practice at Mike Webster Stadium Saturday, Aug. 10. (Bob Mainhardt for the River News)
  

The Hodags averaged less than 60 passing yards per game last year in the team’s first season utilizing the Wing-T, but coach Aaron Kraemer said he’d like to have more options to throw this year after the team’s offensive pace slowed during the latter half of 2023.

“I think that’s maybe a regret I had from last season. I think we got a little too predictable early on, ran the ball a little too much early on, didn’t have options to throw it,” he said. “We’ve put in some choice-type passes that we can run with split (receivers). We don’t have to run them with splits, but we feel pretty good about the fact that we have some really good X receivers on the edge and that we have versatile tight ends.”

The Hodags have some big targets, too. That fact was put on display Saturday. Tight end Evan Shoeder, a 6-4 junior, caught four passes for 100 yards and two scores on the day. Another 6-4 target, senior Dominic Lehmann, caught a touchdown and the team hopes to utilize a number of players on the edge who stand 6-2 or taller. 

Shoeder nearly put the White team on the board in its first offensive possession, but could not haul in a deep pass to the end zone down the sideline by Lamers. He made up for it in the second drive, snatching a 12-yard score in traffic on fourth and goal. After Servent found Lehmann open in the end zone for a 13-yard score on fourth-and-1, Shoeder put an exclamation point on the Green vs. White session as he hauled in a 50-yard pass from Lamers over the coverage of junior Ben Olson for what proved to be the decisive score. 

Shoeder is part of a tight end group that includes returning starter Bo Stott (6-4) and fellow senior Mathias Fugle (6-5), who moves from offensive line to tight end this year. 

“You saw Evan today. Bo’s done a great job, Bubba (Fugle). All of our Ys (tight ends), they’re versatile guys,” Kraemer said. “They can block on the line, but you can split them out and they’re big targets. When you’ve got small guys out on the edge, playing corner, their eyes are going to light up when they see those guys out there.” 

The split receivers have plenty of height too, even though 6-3 speedster Zach Germain (hamstring) did not participate on Saturday. Lehmann and sophomores Rowan Wiczek (6-2) and Abe Gretzinger (6-2) were among those who saw time on the perimeter. 

The Hodags enter the season needing to replace their top four rushers from 2023. Junior Myles Eagleson, who’s battling with senior Tyler Chariton for the tailback spot, finished the day with a practice-high eight carries and 48 yards, but also lost a fumble during the Green team’s first offensive possession. Chariton had six yards on five caries and also caught three passes for 17 yards. Meanwhile on the wings, Olson had six carries for 42 yards. Fellow junior Cyrus Leisure had 20 yards on seven carries and finished the day with a 45-yard catch and run for a score during the situational session.

    Logan Schwinger (10) and Caden Sieker (70) pressure Abe Gretzinger during the Rhinelander High School football team’s Green vs. White intrasquad practice at Mike Webster Stadium Saturday, Aug. 10. (Bob Mainhardt for the River News)
  

The White defense stood out early. Chariton forced the Eagleson fumble on the opening drive and Lamers, the leading tackler for the Hodags last fall, recovered. The Green offense went 3-and-out on its second drive thanks to back-to-back tackles for loss by Shoeder and a combination sack by returning all-GNC defensive lineman Caden Sieker and senior Logan Schwinger.

“I think I got a little too cute early in the scrimmage doing some different things, but when our base plays offensively, things seemed to click,” Kraemer said. “Defensively, you can see we’ve got some pieces together. I know the competition between the coaches was high today. We had some blood boiling because we were trying to win our group session, but an excellent showing by our kids.”

Lamers finished the day with 152 yards on 8 of 13 passing. Servent went 2 of 4 for 15 yards and nearly had a third completion when he appeared to dive for and catch a deflected ball intended for Eagleson in the flat, but the coaches ruled the pass incomplete.

On the whole, Kraemer said Saturday’s practice was a payoff to the work his team put in during the opening week of fall camp and was an opportunity to get reps to as many players as possible.

“We’re just thankful that we get a chance to have these days,” he said. “Not a lot of teams have something like this. It really is a pleasure every single year to bring this and show what we’ve done in the first week and during the summer to all of our families so that they can see we’re working hard and ready to go.

“I think everybody did a nice job today showing out. That was the goal. Everyone got some reps. Everyone got in. We have film to make sure we’ve got the best 11 guys offensively and defensively next week.”

Saturday’s practice was conducted in a half shell (helmets and shoulder pads) and was not full contact due to WIAA acclimatization regulations. All of the pads go on this week as the Hodags prepare to travel to Crandon Friday morning for a five-team scrimmage that also includes Antigo, Shawano and Wittenberg-Birnamwood.

“We’ve got to get cracking early and get the mentality right. Once the mentality’s right, I think Friday’s going to be a lot of fun,” Kraemer said.

Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].