Hodag football tops Hayward 21-7

The Rhinelander High School football team has already had to deal with injuries to key players early in the 2024 season, but nothing could have possibly prepared the Hodags for the adversity they had to overcome Friday night. 

Senior Truman Lamers left the game at the end of the first quarter with an eye injury, but the Hodag defense rallied in the second half, forcing four turnovers as Rhinelander preserved a 21-7 win over Hayward at Rod Lundberg Field.

After Hayward rallied to tie the game at halftime, the Hodag defense took over — forcing four second-half interceptions by Hurricane quarterback Keegan Walsh. Dolan O’Malley retuned the first of those picks 50 yards for a touchdown early in the third quarter for the go-ahead score.

Already down two projected starters in Tyler Chariton (ankle) and Myles Eagleson (shoulder) due to injury, the Hodags somehow found a way to win Friday with backups at quarterback, strong safety and tailback, and their fourth-string options at kicker and punter. 

“I said, ‘this is going to be a season-defining win if you guys can pull this out,’” Hodag coach Aaron Kraemer said of his halftime message to the team. “Because there was every single reason not to. But you have to be disciplined, do the small things and finish the game. We did just that.” 

Up 7-0 at the end of the first quarter, the Hodags’ fortunes turned when Lamers handed the ball off. Game footage shows Hayward defensive end Alex Depew poking Lamers in the eye and then grabbing his facemask while attempting to make a play. Depew was not penalized on the play. Lamers eventually made his way to the sideline before leaving the field for further observation. 

“We’re hoping for the best for him,” Kraemer said afterward. “The hard thing is you have a player that does everything. He’s a kicker, he’s a punter, he’s the quarterback, he’s your strong safety. Not only that, he’s the leader of the team.”

Junior Chandler Servent took over at quarterback in Lamers’s absence, but the Hodag offense struggled in the second quarter, with a lost fumble by Logan Schwinger and a punt. The Hurricanes got the ball back in Rhinelander territory with 3:56 left in the half and marched 44 yards on seven plays, capped off by a 14-yard pass from Walsh to Preston Sullivan that tied the game at 7 with 22 seconds left in the half.

After the Hodags went three-and-out on their opening possession of the second half, the defense came up with the defining play of the game. Walsh looked in the left flat for receiver Jacob Schuck. The ball slipped through Schuck’s hands, into the awaiting arms of O’Malley, who took it the rest of the way for the score.

As O’Malley sprinted down an open sideline, he said his mind flashed back to an interception that he had at the JV-2 level that would have gone the distance had he not been caught from behind by a lineman.

“I was like, ‘I’m not letting that happen again.’ When it fell right in my hands, I was just so thankful. I saw open grass and it was like I’m going to score this, whatever it takes,” he said.

“Dolan’s interception, he’s there, he’s making coverage, the ball gets tipped and he picks it and runs it back. That’s high school football,” Kraemer said. “Dolan’s play, defensively, for the touchdown, it sparked us. After that, we took the ball away multiple times, gave ourselves opportunities.” 

That was the first of four consecutive possessions that ended with an interception. Reid Schultz picked off Walsh in the flat on Hayward’s next possession, only to have Servent give it back on an under thrown ball to Cyrus Leisure that Eric Fish picked off on third and long. Zach Germain came up with a pick on an overthrow and returned it to the Hayward 24 — setting up an eight-play drive capped off by a three-yard run from Sam Schoppe that up Rhinelander up 21-7 with 25 seconds left in the third. 

The Hodags fought off a late scare as a bad snap and an aborted punt gave the Hurricanes the ball at the Rhinelander 30 with 8:05 to play. The Hurricanes got down to the 15 before Walsh threw his fourth interception — a ball that was grabbed by Germain after bouncing off the hands of Depew.

Servent finished the night 1 of 7 passing for 8 yards and had seven carries for three yards in Lamers’s absence. Kraemer said it took a few series for the junior signal-caller to settle in.

“He ran the offense the way that he needed to,” Kraemer said. “Our jet sweeps, he pulled and ran. He’s got to get his feet set in the pocket. That’s the big thing. That’s just going to take reps, time against the No. 1s, time to gain trust in his offensive linemen and it’s going to take time to learn and grow into the position, but he did everything he needed to do tonight to win the game.”

Kraemer showed no fear putting the ball in Servent’s hands on a couple of key third downs late in the game. He hit Rowan Wiczek on a slant to convert a third-and-8 from the Hodags’ own 11. Facing third and 16 later in the drive, Servent delivered an on-target throw over the middle of the field near the first down marker that went through tight end Bo Stott’s hands. 

“You have to be willing to trust in the next guy up. He played a helluva game in the second half. I’m really, really proud of that,” Kraemer said.

Both teams finished with 157 yards of offense in the contest. Ben Olson led the way for Rhinelander its 42 yards on six carries, Schwinger had 36 yards on 12 carries and Leisure added nine carries for 29 yards. 

Walsh, who left the game on Hayward’s final drive with an apparent upper leg injury, finished the night 10 of 24 through the air for 68 yards. He was also the Hurricanes’ leading rusher, with 26 yards on six carries.

“We took the ball away defensively and played as well as we could have,” Kraemer said. “We’re going to have to lean on that and improve offensively if we’re going to beat Lakeland.”

Rhinelander (2-0, 0-0 Great Northern) opens Great Northern Conference play on the road this coming Friday night at Lakeland in the Northwoods Axe Game. The T-Birds improved to 2-0 by scoring 20 unanswered points to rally past Ashland 33-16 this past Friday in Ashland.

With Lamers’s status for the game unclear, Kraemer said his primary objective will be to prepare Servent this week should be called on to start at quarterback.

“We’ve got to get him feeling comfortable in the pocket,” Kraemer said. “He’s going to get the reps this week, barring Truman coming back. We’ve got to get him feeling comfortable and I’m going to work my tail off to make sure he’s ready. He’s a great kid and he’s going to lead the team going forward, if Truman can’t.”

Jeremy Mayo can be reached at [email protected].