MAPLE, Wis. – After going 12–12 last year, the Northwestern boys basketball team has been dominate this year. The Tigers are currently undefeated in conference play and ranked in the top 10 in division three within the state. “We’re about 10, 11 guys deep that I can play at any single time in any single game and that’s a luxury…
SUPERIOR, Wisc. – This month marks five years since turmoil began between Russia and Ukraine. Two players on the UWS men’s hockey team know all about it: Russian Pavel Mikhasenok and Ukrainian Artur Terchiyev. “We’ve know each other for five years because we went to school together back at Everest Academy. And we room together also so we never talk…
TWO HARBORS, Minn. – Jayden Ruberg comes from a basketball family. His dad, aunt and older sister all played for Two Harbors and each left legacies within the program. “They were pretty much the reason I started playing basketball. They’re my role models. I wanted to play like them, be like them, that’s my motivation,” Ruberg said. Ruberg’s sister holds…
DULUTH, Minn. – After birth, Caitlin Breen and Victoria Thorson were both in the same orphanage in Bogota, Colombia, but never met each other. Breen was adopted at two months old and her family moved throughout the US while Thorson was adopted at three months old and came straight to Duluth. When Breen’s family made the move to Duluth and…
DULUTH, Minn. – Quinn Fischer has been playing basketball his whole life and is now finding success early at the collegiate level thanks to his St. Scholastica teammates. “It’s definitely different, going from high school to college, but with all of the upperclassmen showing us what it takes and them opening up a lot of things for me, offensively, defensively,…
CLOQUET, Minn. – Taylor Nelson and Kiana Bender have been key contributors to the Cloquet-Esko-Carlton girls hockey team this season, and their connection goes beyond being linemates. “We met when we were in boys hockey in like squirts or whatever. We were the only two girls on the team so we kind of just had to be friends and we’ve…
DULUTH, Minn. – In the middle of the Northland’s first winter storm of the season, Brandon Myer is still at practice one hour early. “Like all the greats that play in the NBA, they say confidence comes with preparation. If you out-prepare the people you play against, then you’re more likely to do better,” said Myer. Myer says it’s just…
HERMANTOWN, Minn. – Ryan Gray has given Proctor/Hermantown a sense of security in net for the past six years, as she’s climbed from a middle school player on junior varsity to the senior starting goalie. “So she started out, I think in seventh grade, as a JV goalie and played for a few years there and then slowly moved her…
DULUTH, Minn. – Seems like it was just yesterday that we saw Cole Koepke and Jesse Jacques bring state titles to Hermantown. Now their mission is to do the same not too far from home with the UMD bulldogs. “When I saw that he was coming to Duluth, I was excited. And I didn’t even know it was initially this…
SUPERIOR, Wis. – Mac Reykdal is having a breakout year on the court this season; he scored a career–high 27 points in the Yellowjackets loss on Saturday at Minnesota Morris. But Reykdal’s work off the court is standing out more. “Really takes a lot of pride in what he does, both on the court and off the court. It’s something he’s…
DULUTH, Minn. – After transferring from Minnesota Duluth after her freshman year, Alexia Klaas has been a key part of the St. Scholastica women’s hockey program for the past three years. The senior is currently tied for the most goals on the team and is second with 12 points, and has helped lead the Saints to a 7-3-1 record. But…
CLOQUET, Minn. – Makayla Suominen has been a standout on the Cloquet-Esko-Carlton high school swim team for six years, swimming in five state meets, earning eight medals, countless top–five finishes, and even a state title her sophomore year. “Coming in, I knew it was my senior year and taking all of the other years into account and I was pretty…
DULUTH, Minn. – The Duluth East Cheer team has spent most of the year on the sidelines of Friday night lights, cheering on the Greyhounds each week. But over the past month, they’ve been putting in the work for competition season. “We do a lot more performances for our school and then we work on competitions so they only had about…
CARLTON, Minn.- After losing in the section finals last season the Carlton Bulldogs have redeemed themselves and are headed to state for the first time since 2014. A big reason for that is setter Brynne Mickle. “After we lost last year it just hung over our heads the whole season and we used it as fuel to motivate ourselves because we…
CLOQUET, Minn. – If you’ve attended a Cloquet football game at all this season, you’ve definitely heard the name Markus Pokornowski blare over the stadium speakers. His success on the field goes beyond natural athleticism. “Obviously he’s a good athlete but he’s really coach-able. He’s worked hard to get better at things when he doesn’t have the football. He’s a…
SUPERIOR, Wis. – Hannah Norlin is a UWS senior playing the game that has taught her invaluable life lessons. “Basketball has been a huge role because of all the time spent. It is something that really helps with your work ethic. You are constantly working and trying new things, learning new skills and not giving up,” Norlin said. Her work…
MAPLE, Wis.- The last time the Northwestern Tigers went 9–0 was back in 2010 and if you ask anyone for a reason behind their success they’ll give you one name: Reagan Ruffi. “Teams that have a record similar to ours, they’ve got some exceptional players and that’s what Reagan is. He is an exceptional player. But he leads not only on…
DULUTH, Minn.- If you’ve set foot inside the Duluth Denfeld gymnasium in the past four years, you’ve probably witnessed Caitlin Schneeweis absolutely killing it on the volleyball court. But she admits it hasn’t always been this way. “I always played basketball so my mom wanted me to do something in the off-season to get ready for basketball. I just decided…
DULUTH, Minn.- William Francis entered his senior season at Duluth East with hopes of break the school record as leading goalscorer for the Greyhounds and just last week he made that happen. “I kind of had it in the back of my mind before the season started. Every game I just tried to make an appearance in the game, tried…
DULUTH, Minn.-Maddie Rooney is rejoining the Bulldogs after taking time off to backstop Team USA to victory in the 2018 winter Olympics. The redshirt junior’s game has reached new heights and she’s ready to make it known. “Over the past year I’ve definitely matured a ton as a player. All the experiences I’ve had, my game has developed so much…
CLOQUET, Minn.- Kendra Kelley has been a key member of the Cloquet–Carlton girls soccer team long before she even began high school. “I’ve been playing at this varsity level since seventh grade. I’ve just grown so much as a person, as an athlete. I’m really close with these girls and with my coach as well. It’s a great family and…
DULUTH, Minn.- Denfeld football recorded only one win last year. But in game one of the 2018 season they matched that record and a main part of that was senior wide receiver Wryott Gerson who believes that this is the year of the Hunters. “We kind of got that in our mind set that we can do good this year….
DULUTH, Minn.- Former Esko football wide receiver is entering his senior season at St. Scholastica. “I love St. Scholastica. I’m super glad I came here. It’s a small school, kind of a small team, private team. We should win the conference every year. They’re a winning team so that’s why I pretty much came here and I wanted to win,”…
DULUTH, Minn.- Joe Yernatich is entering his 12th and final season of his football career. “It feels weird. I’ve been playing football since fourth grade. This is the last time i’ll strap it up, last fall i’ll be able to play so it’s weird,” said Yernatich. Since the age of 14 the Duluth native had envisioned himself as a UMD…
DULUTH, Minn.- For as long as he can remember, Tim Pokornowski has been a three sport athlete. But when it came down to his future there was one game that he knew he needed to continue playing. “It was a dream of mine ever since I was a kid to play college football somewhere and it just feels great to…
DULUTH, Minn.- Ben Pedersen is a junior pitcher for Duluth Marshall baseball. Standing at 6 foot 5 and weighing in at 235, there’s no question that this guy is a force to be reckoned with in every aspect of the game. “Ben is probably the most important player in our program in terms of his athletic ability on the mound…
ESKO, Minn.- From the mound, to the plate, to the dugout, Emilee Wilson is performing at her highest level. The Esko senior takes on every task with the people she cares about in mind. “Just giving my team the best chance to win and just working ahead and just kind of playing my level of softball. And it usually has good…
SUPERIOR, Wis.- Mady Stariha is a junior member of the Superior softball team serving as the star pitcher for the Spartans, dominating the mound any chance she gets. But getting to this point didn’t come easy. Before this season, Stariha had barely seen any playing time. “The first two years were an adjusting period coming in as a freshman and having…
DULUTH — Steven Neutzling is a four year member and captain of the St Scholastica baseball team. Since high school Neutzling has been known for his tremendous performance at the plate. Which is why it came as no surprise when he achieved his 200th career hit just a few weeks ago. “It was kind of a little bit of a relief I…
DULUTH — “I remember getting the call late that evening. I’m hearing about it. I couldn’t sleep. I couldn’t believe it had happened,” head coach Scott Wishart recalls. “We were all just kind of shocked because he was almost untouchable to us. He was just that kind of guy,” Kale Mosiniak said. “It was definitely super hard to really wrap…
SUPERIOR — Jack Johnson, Haydn Suske–Funk and Isaak Hopp. These three are coming off a great performance last week in the men’s gymnastics regional competition down in Des Moines, Iowa. The event features the best athletes from several states. But it was Jack, Haydn and Isaak who took first place, thanks to their work that began at a very young…
DULUTH — “I just knew I was going to go into it working hard. Put my head down and work hard. I didn’t know what to expect. I knew I was seen as the third goalie there in the beginning and I knew I was going to get a shot and to just capitalize on my opportunity and it kind…
Categories: College, Northern Star, Sports, University of Minnesota – Duluth
Categories: Northern Star, Professional Sports, Sports
Categories: College, Northern Star, Sports, University of Minnesota – Duluth
Categories: High School, Northern Star, Sports
Categories: High School, Northern Star, Sports
Categories: High School, Northern Star, Sports
Categories: High School, Northern Star, Sports
Categories: Features, High School, Northern Star, Sports
DULUTH, Minn- The middle of January 2018 comes with heavy hearts for the UMD hockey community. “He always had the biggest smile on his face, I’d say. He was just an awesome guy, he was positive, he would do anything you wanted him to do, he never had anything bad to say about anyone.” Kind words used by UMD Sophomore…
DULUTH, Minn- It was a season that started with some uncertainty. Being the only non–senior starter returning from last season, UMD point Guard Sammy Kozlowski knew leading this year’s team would fall on her shoulders. Which required adjusting her game, to help facilitate those around her, and the chance has paid off, UMD is 7 and 2 heading into their winter…
Categories: College, Features, Northern Star, Sports
VIRGINIA, Minn- The 2017 football season marks the Mesabi Range Norsemen’s first winning record since 2010, and at the heart of the program’s turnaround is former Denfeld Hunter and Proctor Rail Terrance Wenzel. This past May, Wenzel’s life was forever altered. He was involved in a car accident with a drunk driver, taking the life of his friend, 19–year–old, Axton…
DULUTH, Minn.- Levi and Willy Stauber couldn’t be more different but a couple things they have in common are their name and their work ethic. “I remember like it was yesterday when they first started in ninth grade with us and we could tell right away these Staubers were hockey players. You know what you’re going to get when you…
Whether it’s the World Curling Championships, or the Winter Olympics its nothing new for John Shuster. The Chisholm native has now his sights set on yet another milestone, a 4th winter Olympic games, with a team that’s been training together for years. But Shuster didn’t start with the Olympics in mind, it started as a hobby that grew into a…
ESKO, Minn- Ground and pound offenses are typical for many northland high school football teams. However, for the Eskomos of Esko, it’s all about the big air. Which is just fine for senior wide-receiver Branden Matteen. After a setback in 2016, Esko looks back to from this season, boasting an undefeated conference record and just a single loss all year. That’s…
DULUTH, Minn- For the past four years, UMD’s captains have been home grown right here in the Northland and this season there will be no change to that as Esko native Karson Kuhlman takes over. “He’s had votes for three years, certainly a very deserving leader for us and the guys have a lot of respect for him,” said Head…
CROMWELL, Minn- If speed kills you might call Cromwell–Wright’s Nic Johnson an assassin. Originally from St.Cloud, Nic showed promise from a young age, and had a breakout season as a high school junior, becoming one of the Cardinals deadliest offensive receiving weapons. In 2016 along with standout QB Zion Smith, Nic helped lead last year’s Cardinals through the gates of U.S….
WRENSHALL, Minn- High school football teams are often described as a band of brothers, and for Wrenshall brothers Jared and Tyler Kelley the saying rings a little truer. Playing together since they were young, the two have always dreamed of showcasing their talents on the varsity gridiron. However, in 2015 when the wrens had to forfeit their varsity season it seemed…
