Slap Jack: Hodags run over Wausau East in 28-7 win

If the last three weeks have shown anything about the Rhinelander High School football team, it is that the Hodags’ fate isn’t determined by how they start the game but how they finish it. 

The Hodags had the finishing touch at home Friday night. Truman Lamers threw for a touchdown and came up with three interceptions on defense, Sam Zwaard had an 86-yard touchdown run and Rhinelander raced past Wausau East 28-7 at Mike Webster Stadium.

The Hodags racked up 28 unanswered points after Wausau East scored just three plays into the game. Twenty-two of those points came in the second half as the Hodags gained a season-high 426 yards of offense, including 370 yards on the ground. 

For the third straight week, the Hodags played their best football in the second half. That resulted in a road win at Hayward, nearly a come-from-behind win at Lakeland and now a blowout of the Lumberjacks that got the Hodags back to .500 in the GNC (1-1) and to 3-1 overall.

“I’m starting to get similar feelings to a team that used to do this to me constantly,” Hodag coach Aaron Kraemer said, referencing the 2020 RHS squad that had a penchant for second-half dramatics. “Coming in at halftime, the guys, there was a lot of belief. They came in and they knew whatever we’re going to talk about, there’s going to be an adjustment, there’s going to be a fix and we’re going to play our best second half.”

    Rhinelander’s Truman Lamers intercepts a pass in the end zone during the third quarter of a GNC football game against Wausau East at Mike Webster Stadium Friday, Sept. 13. Lamers intercepted Wausau East quarterback Davis Winter three times in the contest. (Bob Mainhardt for the River News)
  

Lamers made an impact on both sides of the ball in his first game back since sustaining an eye injury in the Aug. 30 win at Hayward. He had 56 yards passing, rushed for another 29 and made three highlight-reel interceptions on defense against Wausau East counterpart Davis Winter.

“Obviously, a scary moment out there in Hayward, don’t want that to happen to anybody,” Lamers said of the injury that sidelined him for the better part of two weeks. “You never think it’s going to happen to you, then it does. Then, sitting out at Lakeland was just one of the most painful things you can do, just watching, not having that time out on the field with your guys. 

“To come back and have a game like this with these guys, I loved it.”

Trailing 7-6 at halftime, the Hodags set the tone for the rest of the night with their opening drive of the second half. Rhinelander marched 60 yards in eight plays but faced a fourth-and-5 from the Wausau East 16. That’s when sophomore Abe Gretzinger, on his 16th birthday, received the ultimate Sweet 16 present. He was left wide open on a busted Wausau East coverage and Lamers found him for a walk-in touchdown that put Rhinelander up 14-7 following a successful two-point pass from Lamers to Logan Schwinger. 

Momentum flung fully Rhinelander’s way later in the third quarter. East thought it had a chance to tie the game after Jesse Napgezek caught a 13-yard pass from Winter in the end zone on third and 3, but East’s top receiver pushed off on a jump ball against Rhinelander Zach Germain and was flagged for offensive pass interference. On the next play, Winter threw a prayer into triple coverage that Lamers snatched away just inside the goal line.

Backed up to the 14 following a holding call on the opening play of the ensuing drive, Lamers tossed to Sam Zwaard and the junior raced around left end, cut back to the right and out-sprinted the Wausau East defense for Rhinelander’s longest play from scrimmage this year. The 86-yard scamper put Rhinelander ahead 20-7 with 3:57 remaining in the third.

“We had big plays for ourselves that shut down their big plays, which is exactly what we needed,” Kraemer said.

East returned the following kickoff into Rhinelander territory, but that drive went for naught as Winter took another deep shot into triple coverage, and Lamers picked off the pass at the Hodag 9.

That set up a clock-churning 15-play, 91-yard drive that ate up 8 minutes, 10 seconds. Zach Germain punched it in from 3 yards out and, after Lamers ran in the two-point try, the Hodags went ahead 28-7 with 6:50 remaining. 

“The long drive at the end of the third quarter to six minutes left to go in the fourth quarter for a touchdown was the drive of the year so far,” Kraemer said. “That’s what we absolutely needed to take the wind out of the game and to put the seed of doubt in their mind.” 

East had one more chance at a comeback, as they drove down to the Rhinelander 9, but Sam Schoppe stripped Winter on a third-and-3 sack. Caden Sieker recovered the fumble and the Hodags ran out the clock for the win.

Slow start

It would have been hard to predict Friday night’s result based on the first quarter of play. East, which has had a knack for big plays on offense, hit two right off the bat on the opening drive. A 28-yard reception by Jayden Garrett, followed by a 41-yard run from Iain Stahel on an option pitch gave Wausau East a quick lead. 

The Hodag offense spun its wheels with three straight 3-and-outs. The Lumberjacks out-gained the Hodags 120-11 in the opening quarter.

Rhinelander finally found traction on its fourth drive, marching 56 yards on seven plays, capped off by a 14-yard score by Schoppe on fourth and 1, to pull within a point with 7:15 remaining in the second quarter. 

Lamers came up with his first pick against Winter with a toe-tapping grab along the sideline at the East 43. The Hodags drove inside the 10, but Schwinger was stopped a yard short on fourth down with 2:07 left in the half.

“If we could start putting together the first half the way we’ve been putting together the second half and just keep building on it, we’re going to be tough,” Kraemer said. “When we’re all healthy, when we’re playing our brand of football, we’re tough.” 

Off-script offense

    Rhinelander’s Sam Zwaard breaks into the clear on an 86-yard touchdown run during the third quarter of a GNC football game against Wausau East at Mike Webster Stadium Friday, Sept. 13. (Bob Mainhardt for the River News)
  

Two of Rhinelander’s biggest plays in the second half weren’t exactly what Kraemer called from the sideline. 

The Hodags had only 10 players on the field as they set up for fourth and 5 on their opening drive of the second half. Missing a receiver, Kraemer sent Gretzinger onto the field late and his appearance went unnoticed by the Wausau East defense. Lamers spotted the missed assignment, which led to the easy score. 

Kraemer said Zwaard’s touchdown run was actually supposed to be a counter going the other direction, but the Hodags ran the toss instead to great effect. 

“Two maybe unscripted plays but plays that ended up being big in this game,” Kraemer said. 

Trainer’s room

After weeks of dealing with injury the Hodags finally got some good news on that front as both Lamers and junior running back Myles Eagleson returned to the lineup. Eagleson, who had been sidelined since injuring his shoulder in a Week 1 win over Ashland, played exclusively on offense Friday and racked up 54 yards on nine carries. 

“Truman got healthy, Myles got healthy and we played really, really well on both sides of the ball, especially in the second half, and we got the win,” Kraemer said.

The Hodags were still without Tyler Chariton (ankle) and Travis Trickey (hand) for the game. Cyrus Leisure left the game late in the fourth quarter with an undisclosed injury and did not return. 

Statbook

Zwaard needed only seven carries to rack up 123 yards, buoyed by his long touchdown run. The junior has become more prevalent in the running game the last few weeks. He scored a touchdown at Hayward and had a score at Lakeland wiped off the board due to a procedure penalty. Kraemer said Zwaard showcased his speed on the long run.

“A big block by Landon Webster on that play downfield which sprung him and Sam is fast. When he gets out in the open field, he’s going to fly,” he said.

Leisure, the team’s leading rusher through three weeks, added 59 yards on nine carries. Schoppe and Schwinger had 46 and 42 yards, respectively, each on seven carries.

Winter threw for 192 yards on 10 of 18 passing for Wausau East. Napgezek finished with five catches for 105 yards. Stahel finished the night with 81 rushing yards on 11 carries.

Up next 

Rhinelander hits the road the next two weeks, beginning with a clash at Tomahawk this Friday.

Kraemer said he’s expecting Tomahawk to be particularly hungry this week, considering Rhinelander rallied from down 21-0 to beat the Hatchets 22-21 in last year’s season opener. Tomahawk fell to 1-3 on the year and 0-2 in the GNC as it lost to Antigo in overtime, 27-21, this past Friday.

“They’re well coached. (Tomahawk quarterback) Rex Reilly is a great player,” Kraemer said. “They’re going to come back and they’re going to be ready to play us next week, especially after the way that the game ended last year. We’re going to have to come in, work, prepare and be ready, early in the game and then finish in the second half.”

Wausau East (2-2, 1-1) will host Mosinee next Friday. The Indians knocked Lakeland from the ranks of the unbeaten with a 26-7 win on Friday. Mosinee and Medford — which routed Merrill 40-0 — are the only 2-0 teams in league play. 

Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].