#GOTW Preview: Hibbing vs Cloquet
Both teams are undefeated and only one will remain that way after Friday night.
CLOQUET, Minn.- This week’s FOX 21 Game of the Week is Cloquet versus Hibbing.
Hibbing football finished the 2017 season 2–6. But this year they have already matched that same number of wins, sitting 2–0 and looking to surpass it. A big reason for the improvement is due to the senior class.
“Their leadership has been outstanding. It’s moved them past what we were doing last year. So it’s a big leadership pro for them,” said head coach Shaun Howard.
“We’ve all be playing together since we were twelve, man. We grew up playing together. We grew up being friends together, being in school together. They’re just all my brothers and we love playing together. We just love playing football,” said wide receiver Anthony Cross.
Now the question is whether or not this strong group of seniors can continue the win streak in their match up against Cloquet?
“For us it’s just go out and play and have fun. That’s what we do every single week. That’s what we have to look forward to. If we do our stuff, things will fall into place,” said Howard.
“We can’t get that bug, we can’t be nervous. We’re 2–0 too and we can’t settle either. We can’t just say that we’re 2–0 and that’s just how it is because Cloquet is 2–0 and they’re not going to let us take over like that. We just have to come out of the gates strong and let them know that we’re a different team this year,” said Cross.
Meanwhile over in Cloquet the Lumberjacks have set their own goals for Friday night.
“It’s to be fundamentally sound. Everyone’s got to do everything right. We’re trying to get up to that level of football, we’re trying to take it up a notch from where we’ve been,” said quarterback Riley Leslie.
“It’s an exciting game. Both teams are undefeated and I know Hibbing has a new coach and it’s clear that he’s brought a new attitude with them. So we’re excited to see that i think. It’s our first home game so that’s always exciting for the kids and the parents and the community,” said head coach Tom Lenarz.
In the 6 quarters that the Lumberjacks have played this season, they have racked up 800 rushing yards. This explosive offense is what makes Cloquet such a dominant force.
“We have some pretty explosive skill guys. With three running backs that can really go the distance any time and a quarterback who, really we haven’t had to utilize a whole lot yet but he’s just as a skilled a runner,” said Lenarz.
“Our running backs, they’ll get hit at three yards and they’ll make it in the ten. They’ve been very, very good this year,” said center Noah Niemi.
The battle of the undefeated Bluejackets and Lumberjacks will go down Friday in Cloquet. Kickoff is at 7 p.m.
