Legendary-eligible Hermantown football offensive coordinator Greg Aker on the Hawks’ high-octane offense: “My background as a player and coach was in the pass game, and I wanted to bring a passing game dimension to what Hermantown had done effectively for so long with the Wing-T. We really try to be balanced on offense. In this part of the state, most teams are pretty run-dominant and we like to bring a true sense of balance to make us harder to prepare for offensively. I like our ability to throw the ball in situations where a running play would be the tendency, and vice versa. Our Achilles heel on offense has been finishing our drives early in the football game. We need to make sure to come away with points when we are in plus territory. Our quarterback and skill guys have been exceptional all season. I like to throw it on first down, throw it on second and short and not to be predictable. (Peyton) Menzel, a UMD Bulldogs commit, has the skill set to play at the next level. He has a chance to surpass the 1,000-yard plateau which would be quite the achievement from a pass catching standpoint. He currently has 52 catches for 802 yards and 10 touchdowns. I like to get the ball in his hands as much as possible, due to his playmaking abilities. He’s a polished route runner with excellent lateral quickness that translates well to the next level. It is often difficult to game plan for defenses, not knowing the type of added attention they will give him. The work is ahead of him and if he dedicates himself to it, he will have a great future at the next level. Our elite junior quarterback, Alex Schott, has thrown for 1,616 yards and has 21 TDs, 17 passing and four rushing. He’s very cerebral, with a high football IQ, very competitive and takes the losses harder than anyone on our team. He’s a tremendous team leader and a sophomore by age. He has a bright future in football.”
Aker on North Branch, the Hawks’ opponent Friday night in the Section 7AAAA championship – “North Branch is very good at keeping offensive possession, which means our offense can’t give them extra possessions. We would prefer to play with a lead to make them play a bit uncomfortably. In our first game (a 28-21 loss at Centricity Stadium on Sept. 14) we were very efficient throwing the ball, but we can’t be too one-dimensional.”
SCOUTING NORTH BRANCH
The Vikings (8-1) pummeled Grand Rapids 28-0 in a Section 7AAAA semifinal last Saturday, after exploding to a 21-0 halftime lead. Junior halfback Carter Drill had two short second-quarter touchdown runs for the Vikings.
Northeast Red champion North Branch has won eight straight after losing 42-28 to nonconference Pequot Lakes in the 2023 season and home opener.