Two Harbors Poised for Season Against Section Heavyweights

Finished 7-3 in 2023 season

TWO HARBORS, Minn.- With many of their top weapons of the 2023 season back in pads, the Two Harbors football team has eyes on competing for the Section 7AAA title.

Over the past five seasons, the Agates have been eliminated in the section semifinals. Yet, with returning stars like quarterback Jacob Carpenter and offensive weapon Tate Nelson, head coach Tom Nelson is cautiously optimistic as he prepares his team for their opener.

“We’ve got a lot of work to do,” Nelson admits. “You know, there’s a lot of good teams that we’re going to go up against. We feel like we can compete, but there’s a lot of good competition out there. When you’ve got guys that are coming back, that helps a ton.”

Tate Nelson, a UMD commit and Coach Nelson’s son, echoed this optimism. “Our core group of guys, I think we’ve gotten a lot better just after last season. We lost a lot on our line, but I think that what we’re bringing back could be just as good or better. We work really hard over the summer, put in a lot of hours, and I think it’s just going to pay off this season with how much work we’ve put in.”

While Coach Nelson acknowledges that Esko and Pequot Lakes will be the teams to beat in their section, he remains hopeful. “We feel like we can compete in every game we’re going to play. Our goal is to always compete for that section championship, and that’s not easy to do. We’ve been there. We’ve done it once in the recent past, but it’s hard to get there. We’re going to keep working towards it,” he added.

Carpenter also believes in his team’s potential. “I think we’ve got the talent. We just got to prepare and execute. You know, make plays.”

The Agates will kick off their 2024 campaign on Friday, August 30th, against the Cloquet Lumberjacks. Their home opener is the following week, September 6, against Mora.