Hodags end season with loss to Merrill

There were no final week miracles this year for the Rhinelander High School football team. 

Needing a win and a lot of help to have a chance to sneak into the WIAA tournament, the Hodags were unable to complete the first part of the equation. Merrill’s Callum Wheeler rushed for 154 yards and two touchdowns as the Bluejays defeated the Hodags 30-18 at Mike Webster Stadium.

Merrill (5-4, 3-4 Great Northern) won its way into the WIAA playoffs with the win while Rhinelander (3-6, 1-5) was kept out of the tournament for the second time in last three seasons. Ultimately, injuries and a number of close losses in conference play derailed Rhinelander’s season as the Hodags lost five in a row following a 3-1 start. 

Rhinelander coach Aaron Kraemer admitted it was difficult to say goodbye to the group of 12 Hodag seniors who played their final game at Mike Webster Stadium on Friday night, especially considering what might have been this season. 

“I haven’t had to do it a ton without a playoff game and an extra week. That’s the tough thing,” he said. “Coming into the season the expectations were high for us on my part on what we would be and where we be at this point of the year. Unfortunately, sometimes things don’t go your way. My message to the seniors is this does not define their legacy in our program.”

Truman Lamers threw for a season-high 202 yards and a touchdown for Rhinelander, and also had a pair of touchdown runs, but the Hodags played from behind virtually all night against a determined Merrill squad. 

Wheeler ran in from 23 yards on the Bluejays’ second possession and Merrill never trailed in the contest. Lamers scored on a one-yard run early in the second quarter to bring Rhinelander within 8-6, but the Bluejays answered on a trick play that saw offensive lineman Carson Brooks score from 15 yards with 38 seconds remaining as the Bluejays lead 14-6 at half. 

Merrill then took the opening drive of the third 69 yards, capped off by a Jax Hanson 1-yard run. Lamers scored from a yard out moments into the fourth quarter, but a failed two-point try kept the Hodags down by two possessions, 22-12. Merrill put the game away on the next possession as Wheeler ran it in from 19 yards out to make it 30-12 with 7:46 remaining.

    Rhinelander’s Truman Lamers attempts to tackle Merrill’s Callum Wheeler on a touchdown run during the fourth quarter of a GNC football game at Mike Webster Stadium Friday, Oct. 18. Merrill defeated Rhinelander, 30-18, officially eliminating the Hodags from WIAA playoff contention. (Bob Mainhardt for the River News)
  

“(Wheeler) is a really, really good back and we knew that from last year, but they did a great job of being patient, cutting back against the grain,” Kraemer said. “They had a lot of big plays doing that and, defensively, we just spent too much time on the field tonight. They gashed us late and were able to have a lot of success.”

Sam Zwaard caught six passes for 151 yards for the Hodags and got into the end zone on a 13-yard pass from Lamers with six seconds remaining. 

Merrill outgained Rhinelander 315-302 in the contest and held the Hodags’ running game mainly in check. Rhinelander finished the night with 100 yards rushing on 31 attempts. Junior Myles Eagleson was the Hodags’ leading rusher with 47 yards on nine carries. 

“They played really aggressive on our strong side, so we had to work back to the weak side as much as we possibly could,” Kraemer said. “We did that in the second half and the end of the first half. Offensively for us, it was just too many mistakes, too many penalties, turning the wrong way out from under center, guys running wrong routes, missed blocks.” 

Merrill’s Aiden Lonsdorf threw for 114 yards with a touchdown and an interception — as Lamers recorded his fifth pick of the season on defense during the second quarter. EJ Weix led the Bluejays with 55 yards on three catches. 

Tricky Bluejays

Facing essentially a win-and-in scenario, the Bluejays threw everything at Rhinelander. The Bluejays squibbed the opening kickoff and recovered it after the ball ricocheted off two Rhinelander up men. They ran one play with a heavily unbalanced line — with only one player on the line left of the center — and feigned a fake punt in the third quarter.

But the most effective gadget appeared to be ripped straight from the Detroit Lions’ playbook. After a false start penalty, the Bluejays faced first and goal from the 15 with under a minute to play in the half. Lonsdorf threw a five-yard hook to Aidan Houghton, who then lateraled the ball back to Brooks — the right tackle — for a score that gave the Bluejays a momentum boost going into halftime.

“That hook-and-ladder play was a really, really great play,” Kraemer said. “I was in the process of telling (cornerback) Cyrus (Leisure) to move up and to press and they got it off before I could tell him to press and they got the hitch out and the hook and ladder. It was a really nice play for them.” 

Finishing strong

The Hodags had nothing but pride left to play for when they took over from their own 9 after turning the Bluejays away on downs with 2:24 remaining, but went to the air and went down swinging. Lamers went 5 of 8 on the final drive, including first-down passes of 18 and 29 yards to Zwaard. Facing fourth and 15 from the Hodags’ 39, Lamers found Zwaard again a catch and run to the Bluejays’ 27, which became the 13 after Merrill was flagged for a horse collar tackle. Lamers hit Zwaard one more time for the score.

“I enjoyed that last drive with our guys. It’s unfortunate that it wasn’t for much but, at the same time, it mean a lot to what we were trying to do to pick our seniors up and build into something special for next year,” Kraemer said.

    (Zwaard runs between Merrill’s Avery Voermans (89) and Jayden Grapp (9) during the fourth quarter of a GNC football game at Mike Webster Stadium Friday, Oct. 18. Zwaard finished the night with six catches for 151 yards and a touchdown for the Hodags. (Bob Mainhardt for the River News)
  

Zwaard flashed ability in the passing game all night long and, after penalties, had 94 yards receiving on the final drive alone. That was one more yard than Rhinelander’s leading receiver, Rowan Wiczek, had through the first eight games of the year. 

“That drive was a momentum drive and, on that drive, you saw a lot of our youth making plays,” Kraemer said. “I’m impressed by Sam Zwaard. I’m impressed by Cyrus and those guys can only get better. Myles, you saw him featured on a lot of drives running the ball hard. You saw some pieces to the offense that are going to be coming back next season that can make us really exciting. That’s really good to have.” 

Playoff hopes

As it turned out, a win would have not been enough to get the Hodags into the WIAA playoffs anyway. 

Rhinelander got a key piece of the puzzle as Wausau East defeated Antigo 40-21 to bolster the Hodags’ strength of victory, but needed a win, and at least 32 other games featuring teams at 2-4 in their conferences to fall their way to have a chance to sneak into the tournament at 2-5. Only 30 did, meaning that it required a 3-4 conference record to get into the field of 224.

Saying goodbye

Kraemer said it was particularly difficult to say goodbye to this year’s group of 12 seniors, some of whom were pressed into starting duty as sophomores during the Hodags’ injury-plagued 1-8 campaign in 2022. 

“The way that they’ve grown is unbelievable, not only as players but as human beings,” he said. “These guys have been the backbone of the program the last several years as they’ve grown into their leadership roles. It’s really, really hard for me to say goodbye. 

“They’re going to take the hard work, the effort, all the blood, sweat and tears they put in, they’re going to do that with the things that they are passionate about moving forward — whether that’s college or trades — they’re going to use that life skill. They’re going to use their teamwork and build each other up, the leadership they brought this season and showing us what we could be, they really led as a senior group and they did a great job of that. I’m really proud of all of their efforts. I’m proud of what they were able to accomplish.” 

What’s next

It was also a senior class snake bit by injuries. Of the 12 members, seven missed at least one game this year due to injury. Mathias Fugle (knee) missed the finale. Logan Schwinger (ankle) and Bo Stott (leg) suited up, but got only a couple of ceremonial snaps due to the extent of their injuries. 

In that lies the lesson for 2025 and beyond, Kraemer said. He called on the juniors and underclassmen to build from the bottom up so that the Hodags have a deeper squad moving forward.

“I hope our juniors take a little lesson from the group we just had and the team we just had and I hope that they realize that it takes an entire team to be something very, very special,” he said. “We had our seniors working their tails off and a lot of injuries. When that happens it’s about who’s the next guy coming in. 

“We have to compete in the offseason. It’s just as simple as it can be. Our young guys have got to take the lessons they’ve learned from the seniors and they have to compete. They have to build a bond, a brotherhood, that is unbreakable on the field. I think that’s our challenge going into the offseason, who’s going to take up the leadership roles that are left by the seniors and who is going lead the competition amongst the group and build bigger and better next season.”

Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].