Hermantown blitzed Rock Ridge 21-0 in a Section 7AAAA football quarterfinal on Tuesday night at Centricity Stadium in Hermantown. The third-seeded Hawks (6-3) advance to face No. 2 seed Duluth Denfeld (7-1) in a 7AAAA semifinal at 2 p.m. Saturday at Marv Heikkinen Field in West Duluth.
Grand Rapids defeated visiting Cloquet 48-22 in a second 7AAAA quarterfinal. The fourth-seeded Thunderhawks (5-4) will travel to face top-seeded North Branch (7-1) Saturday.
"I thought our defense and us having the ability to run the football was the story of the game," legendary Hawks coach Mike Zagelmeyer said of the convincing win over the Wolverines. "Defensively, we were able to get them off the field on third and fourth down which is obviously key to any team's success. I thought we pressured their quarterback enough to where he was mechanically not doing the things that have made him successful in the past. We didn't allow him to step into his throws much at all. They were not able to run the ball much at all because of our front four. It was a fun game to watch for anyone who likes defense.
Offensively, I thought we ran the ball pretty well, which has been a struggle for us at times during the season. I thought Zach Thorsten gave us a great effort as he surpassed 100 yards in the game."
Hermantown fell to visiting Duluth Denfeld 31-29 in the final game of the regular season on Oct. 18.
"As far as Saturday goes, we look forward to the challenge of playing Denfeld again. It should be a heckuva game," Zagelemer said. "We need to play mistake free, turnover free football. I guarantee it will be a physical game."