Pigskin Preview Week 2: Rhinelander at Hayward

The Rhinelander High School football team is eager to build on its 20-0 shutout victory over Ashland as it hits the road tonight to face the Hayward Hurricanes in its final non-conference tune-up of the year.

While Rhinelander controlled last week’s contest with the Oredockers, especially at the line of scrimmage, coach Aaron Kraemer said there was plenty his team needed to clean up on both sides of the football.

“You’d look at the highlights of the game and you’d say we played really, really well. Even going into school today and talking to teachers it was like, ‘Wow, you guys really looked sharp.’” he said. “I would go ahead and say, I think we looked sharp for points of the game. There were some plays that were really impressive … but there are some things offensively and defensively — the alignment, the assignment and just the fundamentals.”

If nothing else an offense that sputtered for much of the second half of last season looked much more efficient in last Friday’s game. Rhinelander scored on three of its six possessions, and had another stopped inside the Ashland 1-yard line. The Hodags racked up 256 yards on the ground and wore down the Oredockers in the trenches. 

The Hodags also hit some big plays in the game, none bigger than Cyrus Leisure’s 63-yard run that put Rhinelander up 20-0 late in the third quarter. Aside from Leisure breaking multiple tackles, that play was underscored by a number of Hodags — linemen and skill players alike — still throwing blocks as the play progressed 30, 40 and even 50 yards downfield.

“We preach that type of stuff all the time in our offensive drills. This offense is a community offense,” Kraemer said. “If you want to have the same success as Cyrus did on that long run, then you better be willing to block downfield and make the plays. Those guys take that to heart. I think now that that play has happened, the confidence in Cyrus had grown, but the confidence in the play itself and what we’re doing is going to continue to grow. That reassurance that if I block down field, something big can happen and I can be a part of this amazing thing, I think that’s kind of grown on our guys, too.”

The Hurricanes, were a playoff team in the GNC a year ago and were picked to finish third by WisSports.net in their new home, the Heart O’ North Conference. However, Hayward didn’t get off on the right foot last week. A special teams touchdown and a couple of big plays in the passing game allowed Lakeland to build an 18-0 halftime lead in a contest they eventually won, 24-3.

The Hurricanes return a number of their starters at the skill positions this year but graduated 19 seniors from 2023, including eight starters on the defensive side of the ball.

Regardless, Kraemer said the Hurricanes are a team the Hodags cannot sleep on if they want to enter Great Northern Conference play, and next week’s Northwoods Axe Game at Lakeland, undefeated.

“Coming back with 11 (seniors), some of them played some of them not, it might be tougher. But one thing I know is this is not going to be a game that you walk in and just win,” he said. “It’s a hostile environment you’re going into and a tough team that’s well-coached. That’s what we’re planning for.”

Airing it out

The Hurricanes run a spread attack and appear more pass-happy than usual with junior signal caller Keegan Walsh. 

Walsh took over the starting job from Alex Depew midway through last season, completing nearly 58% of his passes for 819 yards with seven touchdowns and seven interceptions. He was held to 86 yards on 14 of 25 passing last week at Lakeland. 

Depew, a senior who has shifted to tight end, was the starting quarterback when the Hodags faced the Hurricanes last September at Mike Webster Stadium. Whereas Depew was more of a dual threat quarterback, Walsh is more of a prototypical pocket player who will look to pick the Hodag defense apart in the passing game.

“The one thing we need to focus on this week is the communication between our defensive backs and who’s covering who. We can’t allow open receivers,” Kraemer said. “(Walsh) can throw it. He’s accurate. He can put it in place. We also have to be aware of the single receiver too, because the way we like to play it, we’ll have to get some help to our corner — whether that’s from our outside backer or our safety. They’re dangerous not only to their multiple receiver side, but the single-receiver side.”

Aside from Depew, Walsh has senior Xzavier Stojek at his disposal, Stojek caught 15 passes for 217 yards and four touchdowns last year. Cade Schlapper added 11 catches for 120 yards and two scores. The Hurricanes also returning their leading rusher from last year, Brock Chucka, who had 302 yards and two scores on the ground. 

Have the answers

The Hodags will see a different defense this week as Hayward likes to employ a 4-4 defense. The eight-man box will try to slow things down for the Hodags in the run game while changing the line responsibilities for the Hodags compared to the five-man front they faced last week against Ashland.

This week, Kraemer lauded his line’s ability to communicate effectively, which will be key this week as it adjusts to Hayward’s defense.

“Teams that play 4-fronts, they like to stack up your guards and make it hard for you to pull. We have calls for that,” Kraemer said. “Teams that like to shift one way or the other, we have ways to attack that too. It’s really about the communication on the line and knowing the possibilities then, up in the booth, talking down about what’s going on and where we can attack. That’s the most important thing this week.”

Offensively, Kraemer said he’s hoping to expand the playbook a bit more this evening.

Hayward was the first team to slow down the Rhinelander offense last year, holding the Hodags to 207 yards and 13 points in a Week 4 contest that was a precursor to a tough second half of the year for the team. The Hurricanes bring back only three starters off that unit — defensive take Micha Butler, inside linebacker Kayden Kennel and cornerback Kyle Gajewski. Kennel led the Hurricanes with 118 tackles last year and received honorable mention in the GNC.

Trainer’s room

It’s unclear if either senior Tyler Chariton (ankle) or junior Myles Eagleson (shoulder) will be able to go in tonight’s contest. According to Kraemer, a lot was to be determined at practice on Wednesday, which concluded after press time.

On Monday Kraemer was non-committal about the status of both players and talked about the conundrum of balancing the want to get both back on the field as soon as possible with the need to make sure they are as healthy as possible for the Great Northern Conference games ahead that will carry much more weight in regard to the Hodags’ postseason chances. 

“If they’re healthy and feel like they can go, I want to give them that opportunity but, at the same time, it’s about measuring that we have a seven-game conference season ahead and, God willing, the playoffs to contend with,” he said. “As a coach, it’s a double-edged sword. You want your best players out there so you can win the game you’re currently playing, but also you have to look at the long run. I think it’s a mix between both. It really depends on how the player’s feeling.”

‘Schwing’ player

    Rhinelander’s Logan Schwinger carries the football during a non-conference football game against Ashland at Mike Webster Stadium Friday, Aug. 23. Schwinger was Rhinelander’s second leading rusher last week with 58 yards and a touchdown on eight carries. He could he featured prominently in the backfield again tonight. (Bob Mainhardt for the River News)
  

Kraemer said if there is one silver lining to the injuries to Chariton and Eagleson — which have left the team thin at tailback, linebacker and in the kicking game — it’s that it has forced other players to step up. 

In particular, Kraemer commended the effort of senior Logan Schwinger, who moved to tailback during the second half of last Friday’s game after Eagleson went down and finished as Rhinelander’s second-leading rusher with 59 yards and a touchdown on eight carries. Schwinger added five tackles in the win in the linebacking corps. 

“I can’t tell you how proud I am of Logan Schwinger,” Kraemer said. “Last year, he was a guy that knew the offense but he was behind some guys that maybe had a little more talent than he did. Now he’s one of the most talented players on our team and also one of the most versatile. He can play outside linebacker, he can play inside linebacker, he can play wing and he can play tailback. He knows all of those positions well enough to teach the guy who’s going to play that position if he’s not that guy.” 

Don’t sweat it

One of Kraemer’s mantras since taking over the program — event plus response equals outcome (E+R=O) — was put to the test early this week as the Hodags had to modify their practice plan Monday due to high heat and humidity. That turned he day into essentially a walkthrough with no on-field time. 

That was one of several unique challenges the Hodags will face this week. The team practiced on the grass field outside the Hodag dome Tuesday and Wednesday in front of one of only two games during the regular season the team will play on grass — the other being the Bell Game Sept. 27 at Antigo.

At roughly 2 hours, 20 minutes and 124 miles, the jaunt to Hayward will also serve as the team’s longest road trip during the regular season. Kraemer said the key this week is to stand up to the challenges.

“You hit it head on with those guys and talk about strategies of how to respond instead of react, how to not use the event as a way to put yourself off the hook to the things you actually have to do,” he said. “I think as the week went on, things started to click for our players and they saw they can control how they respond.” 

Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].