High School

Lumberjacks Girls Hockey Relying on Experience for 2019 Season

Cloquet-Esko-Carlton returns 17 of 20 plays from last season's playoff roster, including seven seniors, and used that experience to get off to a strong start to this season.

CLOQUET, Minn. – The high school girls hockey season is well underway, which means a clean slate for all teams across the Northland, and that includes Cloquet-Esko-Carlton. The Lumberjacks return 17 of 20 players from last season’s playoff roster including seven seniors. And that kind of continuity makes CEC one of the teams to watch when it comes to who…

Prep Girls Hockey: Northern Stars, Hilltoppers Fall at Home

Jenna Horvat scored her first varsity goal and netted a hat trick on the night for Duluth.

DULUTH, Minn. – Jenna Horvat scored her first varsity goal and also netted a hat trick, but it wouldn’t be enough as Rochester Lourdes got the 8-5 win over the Duluth Northern Stars. Kaelin Cochran and Emma Fellman scored the two other goals for the Northern Stars. Duluth (1-2) will be back in action on Saturday at home against Roseville….

Coaches Corner: Duluth Northern Stars

For this week's Coaches Corner, we sit down with Duluth Northern Stars head coach Jamie Plesha and senior captain Jorja Schooler

DULUTH, Minn. – For this week’s Coaches Corner, we sit down with the Duluth Northern Stars girls hockey team, including head coach Jamie Plesha and senior captain Jorja Schooler. The Northern Stars had a big third period rally to force overtime and eventually get the win in their season opener. Categories: Coaches Corner, Friday Night Frenzy, High School, Sports

Playoff Run Ends at State Semi-Finals for Superior Football Team

Jarrett Gronski scored the lone touchdown in the second quarter for the Spartans.

MERRILL, Wis. – The Superior football team would keep pace for most of the first half. But Brookfield East would pull away in the second half as they win it 34-8 Friday night in Division 2 state semi-finals. Senior quarterback Jarrett Gronski scored from 11 yards out in the second quarter for the lone touchdown on the night for Superior,…

CEC’s Nelson Signs with BSU Women’s Hockey, Bender to UMD Softball

Nelson will be joining the Beavers hockey team, while Bender will play softball for the Bulldogs.

CLOQUET, Minn. – A pair of Cloquet-Esko-Carlton girls hockey stars will be going different ways when they go to college. Taylor Nelson signed her National Letter of Intent to join the Bemidji State women’s hockey team and Kiana Bender won’t be staying on the ice as she signed with the UMD softball team. Last season as juniors, Nelson finished with…

Hawks’ Brita Birkeland Signs NLI to Run for North Dakota State

Birkeland says she will run middle distances for the Bison

HERMANTOWN, Minn. – Friday was Day Three of National Signing Week and we had a big one up in Hermantown as Brita Birkeland signed her National Letter of Intent to run for North Dakota State. Birkeland says she will run middle distances for the Bison and is relieved to get this decision out of the way going into her senior…

Marshall’s Grace Kirk Signs NLI for Brown Women’s Basketball Team

The Hilltoppers guard averaged over 26 points per game last season as a junior, helping Marshall advance to the section final game.

DULUTH, Minn. – Duluth Marshall’s Grace Kirk signed her National Letter of Intent to play basketball at Brown University. The Hilltoppers guard averaged over 26 points per game last season as a junior, helping Marshall advance to the section final game. Kirk says she is glad to get this decision out of the way so she can set her mind…

MIB Football Falls to Hancock in State Semi-Finals

The Owls scored 24 points in the second quarter to stay ahead of the Rangers.

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – Despite getting over 300 yards of total offense, the Mountain Iron-Buhl football team could not stop the high-powered offense of Hancock as the Owls knocked off the Rangers 65-32 in the Nine-Player State Semi-finals at U.S. Bank Stadium. Freshman quarterback Asher Zubich threw for 136 yards and two touchdowns on the day. Senior running back Dillon Drake…

Mirage Excited to Give New Head Coach Emma Stauber First Career Win

The Mirage will be back in action on Friday on the road against South St. Paul.

PROCTOR, Minn. – After a rough showing in their season opener against Cloquet-Esko-Carlton, the Proctor-Hermantown girls hockey team bounced back in a big way this past weekend, picking up the win against Hopkins Park, the first win ever for their new head coach Emma Stauber. The team says they were very excited to help the former Mirage star get that…

Gronski’s Clutch Play Leads Spartans to State Semi-Finals

Superior will face Brookfield East Friday night at 7 p.m. in Merrill, WI.

SUPERIOR, Wis. – The Superior football team are in uncharted waters this week. The Spartans will be taking part in the Division 2 state semi–finals for the first time since 1990, which was also the last time they won a state title. One big reason for this run is the clutch play of their senior quarterback. Jarrett Gronski has led…

Northland Athletes Sign National Letters of Intent

Local studen-athletes got to officially sign on the dotted line for their colleges.

DULUTH, Minn. – Wednesday was National Signing Day for high school student-athletes across the Northland who officially got to sign with their colleges. Esko’s Dea DeLeon isn’t going too far as she signed her NLI to join the UMD softball team. Cromwell’s Taya Hakamaki will also be going to UMD as she will join the women’s basketball team. Also playing…

Bluejackets Hand Northern Stars First Loss of the Season

Cambridge-Isanti scored three goals in the second period to pull away for the win.

DULUTH, Minn. – A three-goal second period would prove to be the difference as Cambridge-Isanti defeated the Duluth girls hockey team 5-1 Tuesday night at the Duluth Heritage Center. Annika Lindgren scored the lone goal for the Northern Stars, while Sarah Spencer finished with 22 saves on the night. Duluth will be back at home this Friday night as they…

Prep Football: Spartans Rally Late to Advance to WIAA Semifinals; Eskomos Fall in Class AAA Quarterfinals

Down 12 with just three minutes left, Superior pulled off the comeback to take the lead with just 30 seconds left to advance in the state tournament.

SCHOFIELD, Wis. – Down 20-8 in the second half, Superior scored 12 unanswered points to top Kaukauna 22-20 to advance to the WIAA semifinals. Jarrett Gronski ran in a touchdown with just 30 seconds left to tie the game up at 20. Then, Caden Stone ran in the 2-point conversion to give Superior the lead and eventually the win. Superior…

Prep Football: Rangers Advance to State Semi-Finals; Rebels, Tigers Fall in Quarterfinals

The Mountain Iron-Buhl is heading back to the state semi-finals for the second straight year.

DULUTH, Minn. – It was the Dillon Drake Show at Public Schools Stadium in Duluth as the Bemidji State commit ran all over South Ridge to help Mountain Iron-Buhl get the win 42-6 in the nine-player quarterfinals. The Rangers now move on to face Hancock in the state semi-finals Thursday at U.S. Bank Stadium. In other football action, Moose Lake-Willow…

Northern Stars Girls Hockey Rallies, Wins Season Opener in Overtime

Emma Fellman scored the game-winner in overtime for the Northern Stars.

DULUTH, Minn. – Down 2-0 in the second period, the Duluth Northern Stars girls hockey team rallied to force overtime, then scored the game-winner late in overtime to win their season opener 3-2. Quinn Clark and Ava Patrones scored in regulation, with Emma Fellman scoring the game-winner in overtime. The Northern Stars will be back in action on Tuesday at…

Lumberjacks Girls Hockey Upset Mirage on Opening Night

A strong first period was the different as CEC opens their season with a win.

CLOQUET, Minn. – On opening night of the girls high school hockey season, the Cloquet-Esko-Carlton shocked the defending section champs Proctor-Hermantown 4-2 Thursday night at the Northwoods Credit Union. Dana Jones, Taylor Nelson, Dea DeLeon and Bella Harriman each scored in the first period for the Lumberjacks. The Mirage would rally in the next two periods with goals from Megan…

Greenway Volleyball Falls to Top Seed Minneota in State Quarterfinals

The Raiders move on to play in the consolation bracket on Friday.

ST. PAUL, Minn. – Top seed and defending state champions Minneota swept Greenway 3-0 Wednesday afternoon in the Class A state quarterfinals at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul. Junior Claire Vekich led the Raiders with 26 kills, while Lexi Hammer chipped in with 33 set assists. Greenway moves on to the consolation bracket Friday afternoon where they will…

South Ridge Football Set to Battle MIB in State Quarterfinals

Kick–off for Friday's game between the Panthers and the Rangers is set for 7 p.m.

CULVER, Minn. – With the high school football state tournament just days away, it means most teams will be traveling to their quarterfinal destinations. One team that won’t be going too far is South Ridge. The Panthers are back in the tourney for the first time since 2012 after years of getting so close. But this year’s squad is certainly…

Wade Chiodo Named New Head Coach of Grand Rapids Boys Hockey Team

The Thunderhawks will open their season November 23rd against Benilde-St. Margaret's.

GRAND RAPIDS, Minn. – Two weeks ago, the Northland hockey community was shocked by the news of John Marinucci’s resignation as head coach of the Grand Rapids boys hockey team. But the athletic department moved quickly and already have found their guy for the upcoming season. According to a press release from Grand Rapids High School, Wade Chiodo has been…

Esko Football Preparing for First State Appearance Since 2014

Esko will play Annandale in the Class AAA quarterfinals on Saturday at Brainerd High School. Kickoff is set for 3:00 p.m.

ESKO, Minn. – Last season, the Esko football team won just three games and had trouble closing games out. “That’s been something that we’ve been focused on. Coach Perich has done a good job of talking about that and we talk about it in practice and it just comes up a lot. We want to make sure that we’re finishing…

Spartans Football Team React to Upset Win in WIAA Playoffs

The Spartans move on to face Kaukauna on Saturday at 2 p.m.

SUPERIOR, Wis. – You stack them up and they’ll knock them down. That’s been the mantra of the Superior football team as they knocked off top-seed Pulaski on Friday to keep their run alive in the WIAA playoffs. We spoke with the team Monday about what’s been fueling their magical run. “When we were practicing all week, we had the…

Prep Football: Panthers, Rangers, Warriors, Rebels, Eskomos Learn State Opponents

South Ridge and Mountain Iron-Buhl will play each other in the first round of the class nine-person state tournament.

DULUTH, Minn. – With section finals in the books, local football teams are now turning their attention to the state tournament, as the brackets were released over the weekend. Here are the matchups for Northland teams. CLASS NINE-PERSON QUARTERFINALS South Ridge vs. Mountain Iron-Buhl: Friday, Nov. 8 @ 7:00 p.m. at Public Schools Stadium in Duluth CLASS A QUARTERFINALS BOLD…

Prep Volleyball: Raiders Unseeded in Class A; Vikings Prepare for Repeat in Class AA

Greenway is unseeded in Class A while North Branch is the No. 3 seed in Class AA.

DULUTH, Minn. – After taking down the defending section 7A champions, the Greenway volleyball team is unseeded for the Class A state tournament. The Raiders will take on the defending Class A champions and No. 1 seed Minneota on Thursday, Nov. 7 at 1:00 p.m. at the Xcel Energy Center – Court 2. For North Branch, the defending Class AA…

GNK’s Geno Uhrbom Repeats as Class A Cross Country Champion

The junior runner won his third straight section 7A title last week.

NORTHFIELD, Minn. – Greenway/Nashwauk-Keewatin junoir Geno Uhrbom repeated as Class A cross country champion on Saturday, finishing the course in a personal best 15 minutes, 27.57 seconds. During sections the other week, Uhrbom also set a personal best on his way to becoming the three time Section 7A champ. Uhrbom will now prepare for regions next week, hoping for a…

Prep Volleyball: Raiders Advance to State Tournament, Rails Fall in Section Final

Both Greenway and North Branch won in straight sets to advance to the state tournament.

CLOQUET, Minn. – Cloquet Middle School was home to the section 7A and 7AA volleyball finals on Saturday, where Greenway and North Branch picked up sweeps to advance to state. For Greenway, it was their first time back in section 7A in over a decade, and they made quick work of the defending section champions Carlton, 3-0 (25-15, 25-22, 25-19)…

WI Prep Football: Tigers Roll Past Saints, Spartans Upset Red Raiders

Northwestern and Superior are moving on in the WIAA playoffs.

MAPLE, Wis. – Collin Trautt would score twice in the early going as the Northwestern football team blow by St. Croix Falls 42-7 in Level II of the WIAA playoffs. The Tigers move on to face #2 seed Stratford next week in Maple. Down in Pulaski, the Superior football would complete the upset with a comeback win over the top-seeded…

MN Prep Football: Warriors Win Section 7A Title, Hawks Fall in 7AAAA Finals

Deer River wins their second straight section title.

ESKO, Minn. – In the Section 7A championship game, it would be Deer River rolling past Braham 36-0 to win their second straight section title. And down in North Branch, the Hermantown football team would rally late, but in the end, Chisago Lakes would hold on for the win 28-16 to win the championship for Section 7AAAA. Categories: Friday Night…

Panthers Football Clinch Second State Tournament Appearance in School History

South Ridge wins the section 5 nine-player title, its first section title since 2012.

ESKO, Minn. – No. 1 seed South Ridge scored early and often to knock off 2-seed McGregor 57-20 to win the section 5 nine-player title and advance to state for just the second time in school history. Connor Bushbaum ran in four touchdowns, all in the first quarter, while Nick Larson ran in three. The Panthers will play Mountain Iron-Buhl…

Proctor to Meet Defending State Champs North Branch in Volleyball Section Finals

The Section 7AA championship will take place Saturday at 6 o'clock at Cloquet Middle School.

PROCTOR, Minn. – The Proctor volleyball team is riding a hot streak, getting past Virginia and Esko in the section semi–finals. Now, if they want to make it down to the state tournament, they’ll have to knock off the defending state champs in Class AA, North Branch. “It’s going to be all mental for us. It hopefully will be a…

Rangers Clinch Second Straight Trip to State Tournament

Mountain Iron-Buhl is heading back to the state tournament.

ESKO, Minn. – Asher Zubich, Dillon Drake and Aidan Bissonette all found the endzone as the Mountain Iron-Buhl football knocked off Silver Bay 34-14 Thursday night at Eskomos Stadium to win the Section 7 Nine-Player championship. The Rangers move on to the state quarterfinals where they will face the winner from Section 5 between South Ridge and McGregor. Categories: High…

Rebels Roll Past Giants for Third Section Title in Four Years

The dynasty continued on for the Moose Lake Willow River football team.

ESKO, Minn. – Moose Lake-Willow River scored early and often as they rolled past Mesabi East 36-8 Thursday night at Eskomos Stadium to win the Section 7AA championship. The section title is the third for the Rebels in the past four season and 13th in the past 15 seasons. ML-WR will now await the seeding announcement for the Class AA…

Eskomos Top Gobblers in Section 7AAA Championship Thriller

The Esko football team won their first section title since 2014.

DULUTH, Minn. – Senior wide receiver Preston Lowe would score all four touchdowns for the Esko football team as they hang on to defeat Aitkin 29-28 Thursday night at Malosky Stadium to win the Section 7AAA championship. This is the Eskomos first state title since 2014 and the first for head coach Scott Arnston. Esko now awaits seeding for the…

Prep Volleyball: Vikings, Rails Advance to Section 7AA Title Game

North Branch and Proctor will face off in the section finals on Saturday.

CLOQUET, Minn. – The defending Class AA state champs North Branch took care of business against Hermantown, sweeping the Hawks 3-0 in the Section 7AA semi-finals Wednesday night at Cloquet Middle School. The Vikings will face Proctor, who won their semi-final game against Esko 3-1. That match will take place Saturday night at 6 p.m. at Cloquet Middle School. And…

Hermantown High School Receives Donation for Turf Field

The school board will act on the issue at their next meeting on November 12th.

HERMANTOWN, Minn. – Some big news out of Hermantown High School as the athletic department has received a special donation from Centricity Credit Union to build a multi-purpose turf field at the site of the Corey Veech Memorial Field. According to Hermantown superintendent Kerry Juntunen, the field will be used for physical education classes, football, soccer, lacrosse and possibly softball…

Esko Football Team Get Set for Emotional Section Final

Kickoff for the secction 7AAA final between Aitkin and Esko is set for 7:00 p.m. on Thursday.

ESKO, Minn. – The Esko football team got past Proctor in the semi–finals this past weekend and now have to battle with Aitkin on Thursday night in the section 7AAA finals. The Eskomos defeated the Gobblers a few weeks back, which gives them some extra confidence going into the game. “They sent a lot of pressure, and we’ll probably expect…

Historic Playoff Run Continues for Spartans Football Team

Superior will travel to Pulaski for Level II of the WIAA playoffs on Friday night.

SUPERIOR, Wis. – The Superior football team is still buzzing after Friday’s big win over Marshfield. The Spartans knocked off the Tigers to pick up their first playoff win since 2014. The team spoke about what it meant to them to be a part of the program’s history. “We talk about legacy and we talk about leaving the program in…

Prep Football: Hawks, Eskomos Advance in Section Playoffs

Esko will play Aitkin in the section 7AAA final, while Hermantown will play Chisago Lakes in the section 7AAAA final.

HERMANTOWN, Minn. – Section semi-finals took place on Saturday for high school football around Minnesota. In section 7AAAA, two-seeded Hermantown took down three-seeded North Branch, while in section 7AAA, top-seeded Esko outlasted fifth-seeded Proctor. Here are all of Saturday’s scores from around the Northland. SECTION 5 NINE-PLAYER  #4 Hill City/Northland 16, #1 South Ridge 24. South Ridge will play #2…

Prep Football: Tigers, Spartans Advance in WIAA Playoffs

Northwestern shut out Nekoosa while Superior held off Marshfield for its first playoff win since 2014.

MAPLE, Wis. – The undefeated and top-seeded Northwestern football team continued to dominate, defeating Nekoosa 41-0 in the first round of the division five playoffs. The Tigers will face Saint Croix Falls in the next round. In division two, fourth seeded Superior ended on top of a back-and-fourth battle, defeating Marshfield 44-37 for its first playoff win since 2014. The…

Prep Volleyball: Bulldogs, Rails, Hawks, Eskomos Advance to Section Semi-finals

The Elite Eight was whittled down to the final four in section 7A and 7AA.

CARLTON, Minn. – The Carlton volleyball team rolled at home as they swept South Ridge 3-0 Friday night. The Bulldogs will face Floodwood, who defeated Cromwell-Wright 3-2. On the bottom of the Section 7A bracket, Ely topped Cherry 3-1 and Greenway swept Chisholm 3-0. The Raiders will face the Timberwolves Wednesday in Hibbing. And in Section 7AA, Proctor, Hermantown, Esko…

Highlights and Results from the Section 7A/7AA Cross Country Championships

The four races were hosted by the Cloquet Country Club.

CLOQUET, Minn. – Thursday afternoon, the Cloquet Country Club hosted the 2019 cross country section championships. Here are the final results: SECTION 7A GIRLS Top Teams: Pequot Lakes, Mesabi East Top Runner: Calia Chaney, Pequot Lakes Individual State Qualifiers: Keegan McAuliffe, Duluth Marshall Emaleigh Olesiak, Cromwell-Wright Liz Nelson, Mountain Iron-Buhl Kate Nelson, Mountain Iron-Buhl Alex Wercinski, Virginia Natalie Fultz, Eveleth-Gilbert…

Cloquet-Carlton Girls Soccer Falls in State Quarterfinals

The comeback would fall short for the Lumberjacks girls soccer team.

LINDSTROM, Minn. – The Cloquet-Carlton girls soccer team would battle back from a 3-0 deficit, but the hole would be too deep to dig out of as they fall to Academy of Holy Angels 4-3 in the Class A state quarterfinals. Alexa Snesrud scored twice while Hannah Biedl also found the back of the net for the Lumberjacks, whose season…

Prep Volleyball: Bulldogs, Panthers, Hawks, Eskomos Move On in Section Playoffs

The first round continued Wednesday night in the high school volleyball sectionals.

CARLTON, Minn. – Cook County would put up a good fight, but in the end, the defending section champions Carlton would sweep the Vikings 3-0 Wednesday night. The Bulldogs move on to face South Ridge, who came back to beat Barnum 3-2. That match will take place Friday night in Carlton. And in Section 7AA, Hermantown sweeps Two Harbors behind…

Grand Rapids Boys Hockey Coach Chris Marinucci Resigns

The district will be posting the head coaching position by the end of the week.

GRAND RAPIDS, Minn. – We are about three weeks away from the start of high school hockey practices, and a month away from teams taking the ice for the regular season. But Tuesday night, we already had some big news for a team up in the Iron Range. Chris Marinucci has resigned as head coach of the Grand Rapids boys…

Prep Football: Rails, Mariners Move On To Section Semi-Finals

Proctor and Silver Bay each opened their playoff runs with wins.

TWO HARBORS, Mich – A Ben Harnell field goal and Trevor Lindberg touchdown would be the difference as the Proctor football team held on to defeat Two Harbors 10-6 Tuesday night in the Section 7AAA quarterfinals. The Rails now move on to the section semi-finals as they will take on top seed Esko Saturday at 2 p.m. In nine-person action,…

Lumberjacks Girls Soccer Set to Battle Holy Angels in State Quarterfinals

That match will take place Thursday night at 7:30 p.m. on the campus of Chisago Lakes High School.

CLOQUET, Minn. – The Cloquet-Carlton girls soccer team are getting set for their first trip to the state tourney since 2012. The Lumberjacks are coming off an emotional overtime win in the section finals last week. And the team says the celebrating is over and now it’s time to focus on how they can pull off a deep run in…

Panthers Volleyball Dominates in First Round of Section Playoffs

South Ridge opened the section 7A volleyball with a sweep at home.

CULVER, Minn. – The South Ridge volleyball team dominated on Monday night, breezing past Fond du Lac Ojibwe High School 3-0 in the first round of the section 7A playoffs. The third-seeded Panthers will take on fifth-seeded Barnum on Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. in the next round. Categories: High School, Sports

Northern Star: Peter Soumis

For this week's segment, meet the starting quarterback for the Hermantown football team and UMD men's basketball commit.

HERMANTOWN, Minn. – Hermantown basketball standout Peter Soumis committed over the summer to play college ball right here at the Univeristy of Minnesota Duluth. “I just wanted to stay home, stay close to the family, so that was a big thing. The coaches, the coaching staff, they’re all super nice and I could relate to them a lot with our…

Prep Football: Tigers, Spartans Ready to Begin Postseason

The Wisconsin high school football brackets were released Saturday and Northwestern and Superior will see their 2019 season continue

DULUTH, Minn.- The Wisconsin high school football brackets were released Saturday, and two local teams will see their seasons continue. Northwestern, fresh off their undefeated season for the second year in a row, will host a first round playoff game Friday night as they will take on Nekoosa in Division 5 action. The Tigers aren’t the only ones playoff bound…

Prep Football: Tigers, Spartans Win Big in Season Finales

The final night of high school football in Wisconsin took place on Friday.

MAPLE, Wis. – In the final night of the Wisconsin high school football season, Northwestern rolled all over Chetek-Weyerhauser 56-7, securing their second straight undefeated regular season. Elsewhere, the Superior football team scored early and often against Rice Lake as they Spartans topped the Warriors 36-7. Both teams await seeding announcements this upcoming weekend from the WIAA. Categories: Friday Night…

Jameson Sends Lumberjacks Girls Soccer Team to State Tournament

Cloquet-Carlton wins their first section title since 2012.

NORTH BRANCH, Minn. – In a match that needed two overtime periods, sophomore defender Olivia Jameson scored the game-winner as the Cloquet-Carlton girls soccer team outlasted Chisago Lakes 3-2 Thursday night. Katie Turner scored in the first half for the Lumberjacks, which tied the game at halftime. The Wildcats would take the lead with less than two minutes to go….