Sieker signs to play football at Winona St.

A recurring shoulder injury kept the Rhinelander High School football team from seeing Caden Sieker’s full potential over the last couple of seasons, but the times he was healthy enough to play have allowed him a chance to play at the next level.

Sieker signed Wednesday to play collegiately at Winona State University, a NCAA Division-II program in Winona, Minn. 

“I just want to thank all the coaches, all my coaches and family, obviously, for getting me to where I am today,” Sieker said during a signing ceremony at RHS. “Thank my parents for getting me everywhere and camps, all that. It’s special, so I’m very, very excited. Excited for the next four years.” 

The 6-foot-2, 245-pound defensive end was a first-team All-Great Northern Conference selection this past fall despite missing the final three games of the season due to a shoulder injury. It was the same shoulder he injured as a junior, which prompted him to miss the majority of the second half of the 2024 campaign.

    In this Sept. 26, 2025 file photo, Rhinelander’s Caden Sieker wraps up Antigo’s Owen Medo for a loss during the third quarter of the 91st Bell Game against Antigo at Mike Webster Stadium. Sieker signed a National Letter of Intent Wednesday, Feb. 4 to play college football at Winona State University, a NCAA Division II school in Winona, Minn. (Bob Mainhardt for the River News)
  

Despite missing time, Sieker was an impact player on defense for the Hodags. He was tied for fifth on the team with 29 tackles this past season, and led the team with 10 tackles for loss and 3 1/2 sacks. He had nine tackles for loss and three sacks in 2024 and was honorable mention in the GNC as a defensive end that season.

“Defensively, he is a stud, and I can’t wait to see what he’s able to do as he goes into college because he’s going to learn a lot more and get a lot better as a player, but he’s already special,” Hodag football coach Aaron Kraemer said. “Watch out is what I’m thinking. And I can’t wait to see him play D-II, can’t wait to follow his career as he moves forward. I’m really, really proud of him.”

Sieker said the shoulder injury was a bit of a handicap in the recruiting process, especially following his junior season. However, he said he was still able to garner interest from Winona along with several in-state Division III programs. 

“I had a little bit of film, but I didn’t have as much as some of these other guys. So I definitely had to work in the offseason and winter and stuff, getting back,” he said. “Junior year is kind of that big jumping point, so I really had to work hard at camps over the rehab and getting stronger in the offseason and, running tracking faster, working on stuff just to be able to come back strong and show coaches and stuff what I could do.”

Sieker noted he had settled on Winona State by the time he reinjured his shoulder in a Week 7 loss at Mosinee this past fall. He had drawn interest from the Warriors during a college prospect camp in Eau Claire over the summer. 

“They saw me. I liked the coaches a lot. I liked it at Winona. I really liked the coaches and they’re great people there. I’ve met some of my teammates and I really do like them. It’s just higher competition. I think it’s kind of pushed me there,” he said. “They were obviously upset that I had to get surgery again, which sucked. But, they were very understanding, and I was very, very happy that I still had the opportunity to play.”

Kraemer credited Sieker’s leadership, even while he was sidelined, as an intangible that helped the Hodag football program and said he has the potential to excel at the next level. 

“He’s got some things to learn defensively yet that are going to make him a superstar. But when he learns those things — and he will — man, is he going to be fun to watch defensively,” Kraemer said. “If they wanted to use him on the offensive side of the ball too, I mean, he can block, he can drive, he can do his thing. So whatever they decide to do with him, I think he’s going to be fun to watch and I can’t wait to see him play.”

Winona State went 6-5 last year, with a 6-4 mark in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference. Sieker is part of a 26-athlete signing class announced by the Warriors and head coach Brian Curtin on Wednesday. Eleven of those players hale from Wisconsin. 

“We are excited to welcome our 2026 recruiting class to the Warrior Family,” Curtin said in a statement regarding the program’s recruiting class. “Our staff worked extremely hard to make sure we found student-athletes that were the right fit for Warrior Football. We have always been a recruit and develop program built on high school recruiting. Today we believe we continued that tradition. We were able to add some great young men to our program that will lead our program into the future.”  

Sieker said he will enter college undecided on an academic major but is leaning toward pursuing a business degree. He credited Kraemer and the Hodag football coaching staff for helping him reach the next level.

“I had coaches pushing me and every day getting in the weight room, doing stuff, and then on the practice field, obviously pushing me to do better and always try my best and, you know, give 100% of that effort that I needed to succeed,” he said. 

Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].