Hermantown boys tennis coach Jessica Worden said she checks nearly every day to see how quickly the snow is melting on the team's new outdoor courts on campus.
“Currently, someone has built seven snowmen on them,” she said recently.
The Hawks finished second in the Section 7AA team tournament a year ago, and the players and coaches are eager to begin the 2023 season.
“We should be just as strong as last year,” said Worden of her team. “We have great senior leadership led by our two captains, Sam Swenson and Aaron Evjen. The players this year are extremely competitive, and I am excited to find out where everyone falls in the lineup. We are elite from top to bottom in singles and doubles.”
Hermantown is scheduled to open the season Monday at Superior (see schedule below).
“Hopefully we’ll be outdoors on our new tennis courts later this week before our season opener,” said Worden. “This will be the first season the boys team will be able to use them.”
The Hawks will also face Lake Superior Conference powers Cloquet, Denfeld and Superior in home-and-home matches, along with a regular season-ending home match against Pine City.
2023 HAWKS BOYS TENNIS SCHEDULE Apr. 11 — Cloquet Apr. 13 — at Cloquet Apr. 17 — at Superior Apr. 18 — at Denfeld Apr. 25 — Aitkin Apr. 27 — Hibbing Apr. 28 - Cloquet May 1 — Denfeld May 2 — at Grand Rapids/Greenway May 8 — Superior May 9 — Rock Ridge May 11 — at Duluth Marshall May 15 — Pine City
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Senior-strong Hermantown has one of its strongest baseball teams in several years this spring, and features five players who have already signed National Letters of Intent to begin their college careers a year from now.
The Hawks return their entire starting lineup and top pitchers from last season, when they finished 14-6 overall and lost to Chisago Lakes 10-8 in the Section 7AAA semifinals.
Hermantown is scheduled to open its season Friday, April 14 at North Branch.
Dawson Rannow, a hard-throwing lefty, anchors a Hawks pitching staff that also features righthanders Cruz Runyan and Wylee Arro.
Centerfielder Wyatt Carlson and shortstop Garron Opsahl, both seniors, are ultra-elite players, both defensively and offensively.
Sophomore catcher River Freeman is another returning standout to watch.
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The Hawks softball team has its sights set on winning a Lake Superior Conference championship this spring.
Hermantown returns top pitchers Natalie Vitek ad Lindsay Ewer, third baseman Jadyn Lind, catcher Mikayla Sweeney and Bailee Edwards.
The Hawks are scheduled to open their season Saturday, April 15 vs. Chippewa Falls in Superior, Wis.