Team Preview: RHS football

The narrative for the 2024 Rhinelander High School football team could have been much different if not for some untimely injuries and some close losses to rivals on the road.

With a number of starters returning on both sides of the ball and a solid group of underclassmen, the Hodags are hoping to change that in 2025. 

In looking back at what went wrong last year when Rhinelander dropped its final five games following a 3-1 start, head coach Aaron Kraemer said fixing the issues boils down to better roster management early in the season and getting back to what it means to be a Hodag football player. 

“We’re pushing the foundation of our program and what it means to play Hodag football,” Kraemer told the River News following a 2 1/2-hour session Saturday that ended the team’s opening week of practice. “Last year, I think maybe we went away from that a little bit, and we started focusing on the game rather than focusing on who we are as a team, what our identity is. So we’ve really focused on that this week to make sure that we’re prepared to play in those tough games, in those close games.”

Don’t expect much to change offensively as the team is in its third year of running a Wing-T style offense, however, Kraemer noted the team may spread things out more in the passing game this year to get athletes out in space and lighten the box for the ground game. 

“The matchups are going to be key for us this year,” Kraemer said. “We got to make sure that when we get the correct matchups outside, we get the ball to them. We have to have run plays for them, and our run plays obviously have to be quick screens to the edges to them and get bodies out front and let them run too.”

    Abe Gretzinger scrambles during Rhinelander High School football practice in the Hodag Dome Saturday, Aug. 9. Gretzinger, a junior, is slated to take over the starting quarterback position for the Hodags this fall. (Bob Mainhardt for the River News)
  

The Hodags will turn to a junior as their quarterback in Abe Gretzinger. He ascended to the top spot in the lineup after last year’s starter, Truman Lamers, graduated and backup, Chandler Servent, opted not to play this year. Gretzinger, who played some on varsity at receiver last year, was the starting JV quarterback and led that team to some key wins late in the season. 

“He had a great first week, and he really does have arm talent. Now it’s just about trying to figure out how to read defenses, how to get to the speed of the game, because it’s different from JV to varsity,” Kraemer said.

The good news for Gretzinger is he will have an experienced group of backs and wings around him, including three of the team’s top four rushers from last year — seniors Cyrus Leisure, Myles Eagleson and Sam Zwaard. 

Leisure was the team’s leading rusher last year, averaging 8.9 yards per carry, as he ran for 470 yards and three scores. That helped him earn honorable mention in the GNC in the backfield. Eagleson, despite missing the better part of three games due to injury, racked up 311 yards on 54 carries while Zwaard showed flashes with 218 yards and three touchdowns on just 34 carries. Zwaard also had a breakout game catching out of the backfield in the season finale against Merrill, racking up 151 yards and a score on six receptions. Another senior, Ben Olson, figures to be in the backfield mix as well after missing much of last season due to injury.

“Ben and Sam and Cyrus (are) exactly what I expected when they came back. A third year of experience in the offense, and they look like it. And they did a good job at the wing position and we got some guys that are battling out behind them,” Kraemer said. “We need a little more depth that tailback. Myles has been really great. Josh Willoughby had a great Thursday, but he’s been gone since Thursday for a family event. … I think that the good thing is that our wings and our tailbacks are learning all three positions this year, which we’ve never done. So if we need to move a guy in tailback, we can.”

Outside, the Hodags have a couple of big-bodied targets to throw to in the return of 6-5 senior Evan Shoeder and 6-2 junior Rowan Wiczek. Wiczek had a team-high nine receptions last year while Shoeder caught three passes for 51 yards. 

“I’m really excited to have Evan on our team, and really excited to have Rowan. When you have 6-5, 6-2, on one side, both guys that have good body control, both guys that understand how to go up and get the football, that’s something special,” Kraemer said. “And then you got a 6-4 quarterback that can throw it to them, which is really nice.”

On the line, the Hodags graduated all-conference honoree Reid Schultz at right tackle but have three starters returning in center Landon Webster, guard Gage Anderson and tackle Leander Sprecksel. A pair of juniors, Parker McCone and Brock Sternitzky are set to join that group, with seniors Dominic Hakala, Travis Trickey and Sam Caselton adding depth. 

“We have a senior-heavy offensive line and I was just impressed with the way that they’ve molded together this week,” Kraemer said. “(Offensive line) coach (Steve) Zangl has done a great job with that.” 

    Caden Sieker, right, works against Dom Hakala in a defensive line drill during Rhinelander High School football practice in the Hodag Dome Saturday, Aug. 9. Sieker led the Hodags with three sacks and nine tackles for loss last year despite missing three games due to a shoulder injury. (Bob Mainhardt for the River News)
  

Defensively, the Hodags are going to be bolstered by the return of all-conference honoree Caden Sieker. The senior had a team-high nine tackles for loss and three sacks despite missing the final three games of the season with a shoulder injury. While Sieker also played on the offensive line last year, Kraemer said the goal is for him to focus on one side of the ball this year.

“Our goal is to keep him healthy. And so if we can play him on one side of the ball and he can really wreck shop as a defensive end and force teams to run away from him, that helps us tremendously,” Kraemer said.

Hakala and Sprecksel return as starters on the defensive line from the end of last season, though Trickey has seen more reps there with Sprecksel starting on offense. Anderson, who played some at nose guard last year despite being listed at 5-10, 160 pounds, is transitioning back to the linebacking corps this year. Eagleson is the lone starter returning from that unit, though juniors Kaleb Zwaard and Josh Willoughby saw some reps at inside linebacker late last season. 

In the defensive secondary, Wiczek returns this year, moving from the free “Falcon” safety position to the strong “Bandit” safety this year. Leisure moves from corner to safety while Olson and Sam Zwaard have the early track on the cornerback spots. With all of those players slotted into key offensive roles, Kraemer said it will be key to establish depth in the secondary to be able to give them some rest.

“We need to get guys more guys prepared to play the safety and corner position so that, when those guys are playing offense, we can get them blow on defense,” he said. “I’ve been impressed with Weston Kibler at cornerback as a first-year guy coming from a sophomore to a junior. Hopefully we get Chase West back this week. We have some other guys that can spell those guys on defense so that they can be dynamic on offense and then come in, in situations we’ll need them.”  

In general, depth is something Kraemer wants more of this season as the team tries to finish better than it has the past several years. The Hodags started 4-0 in 2023 and 3-1 in 2024 but were a combined 1-10 from Week 5 on in the last two seasons. 

Though this year is different, with a new playoff-qualification model that treats every game — conference and non-conference equally — in terms of making the postseason, Kraemer said the first couple of weeks need to be more about establishing depth and making sure the team has the bodies available to make a late-season push. 

“What we’ve noticed is mostly it’s attrition. Football is a tough game, and we start getting guys dinged and, when that starts to happen, things start going downhill,” he said. “I know that the playoff format every game counts and we need to do the best we can, but the way we’re looking at it is we have to play our best football at the end of September and October.”

As for the GNC, while perennial contenders Medford and Mosinee enter the season as the odds-on favorites, Kraemer said the parity top-to-bottom in the league is as strong as it’s ever been — meaning there will be no easy games on the schedule. 

“Medford and Mosinee for my money, so far since I’ve been coaching here, they’ve always been the toughest and, the games that you know, if you want to win a conference championship, you got to beat them,” he said. “When you look at the rest of the conference, you look at the Tomahawk team last year, that surprised. Wausau East last year, that was really, really good in our conference. Lakeland’s always tough, and they always make a push to the playoffs. I don’t see really a weakness. There’s not a game you go into as a coach and say, ‘Well, we should win this one.’ Every game’s going to be tight. And all of our guys have to prepare to compete every single play, and every single game.”

The good news for the Hodags is they will get all three of their biggest rivals at home this year, hosting Lakeland in the Axe Game to kick off the GNC slate Sept. 5, Tomahawk Sept. 19 and Antigo in the 91st playing of the Bell Game Sept. 26. 

“I think that’s huge for us scheduling-wise. I don’t like that it’s either all three at home or all three on the road. But we get them all at home this year, which I think is nice,” Kraemer noted.

Rhinelander’s non-conference schedule remains the same as last year, opening against former GNC foes Ashland and Hayward. The Hodags travel to Ashland in the opener Aug. 22 before coming home to face the Hurricanes Aug. 29.

Medford will be the opponent for Homecoming Oct. 10. Kraemer said the goal is for the team to navigate through the first six games of the season successful and healthy so they can give Mosinee (away, Oct. 3) and Medford their best shot down the stretch.

“I want to see us pushing for a conference championship pushing for a playoff (spot). I mean, if we’re pushing toward the playoffs, we should be in the hunt for the conference championship,” he said. “I want to see a competitive game against Mosinee late in the year. I want to see a competitive game against Medford late in the year. That’s what I want to see. I want to see us competing against them, to take control of the conference. I don’t want it to be, ‘Well, we have to win this one to get in.’ I want it to be ‘We’re competing to go further. We’re competing to win a conference championship or this is a critical game for us for us to be in the playoffs.’ That’s what I want to see for this group.”

Rhinelander wraps up its second week of practice today with a dress rehearsal in a five-team scrimmage at Antigo. Crandon, Shawano and Wittenberg-Birnamwood are also scheduled to appear. It’s the same five teams that took part in a weather-shortened scrimmage at Crandon last season. 

“We got to get the screens down. We got to get the deep passes down and one more run series,” Kraemer said of this week’s objectives in practice. “Defensively, it’s about the secondary coverage. So we have his zone coverage. Now we got to put in man-to-man. And then we need to start working on more blitzes, more stunts up front, more movement with our defense and defensive line. 

“I know it’s a cliche. We just got to get 1% better every day, and make sure that we’re prepared when you go to Antigo.”  

Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected]. 

TEAM SCHEDULE

Date    Opponent    Time

8/15    Scrimmage at Antigo    11 a.m.

8/22    at Ashland    7 p.m.

8/29    HAYWARD    7 p.m.

9/5    LAKELAND* (Axe Game)    7 p.m.

9/12    at Wausau East*    7 p.m.

9/19    TOMAHAWK*    7 p.m.

9/26    ANTIGO* (Bell Game)     7 p.m.

10/3    at Mosinee*    7 p.m.

10/10    MEDFORD* (Homecoming)    7 p.m.

10/17    at Merrill*    7 p.m.

* Conference games | HOME GAMES IN CAPS