Tuesday
Girls Soccer – at Cloquet/Carlton (Section 7AA championship), 4:30 p.m. Match Notes: “The Section Final sets up to be a fun one,” said Hawks coach Nathan Hanson. “Dustin (Randall, head coach) has Cloquet/Carlton playing at an extremely high level and they are always tough to break down. They are a very disciplined team and know how to win games, especially in big moments. We are coming off of what I believe is one of our best halves of soccer this season. Our attack is starting to come together as we put up 18 shots in our last matchup against Grand Rapids. If we can be disciplined on defense and keep the play in front of us, we can go toe to toe with Cloquet/Carlton. I expect it to be a high-paced, back-and-forth matchup. To win our section has been the goal all year and we’ve put ourselves in a great position to do just that.” Previous results: Cloquet/Carlton 3, Hermantown 0; Cloquet/Carlton 2, Hermantown 1. The Hawks (9-8-1) have won three of their last four, including a 2-1 7AA semifinal win at Grand Rapids last Thursday.
Boys Soccer – at Cloquet-Esko-Carlton (Section 7AA championship), 7 p.m. Match Notes: The Hawks (12-3-3) defeated visiting Grand Rapids 2-0 in a 7AA semifinal last Thursday, collecting their fourth consecutive victory. The defending 7AA champion Lumberjacks (14-3-0) defeated Hermantown 4-1 on September 5 in Cloquet and 3-0 on September 28 at Centricity Stadium.
Volleyball – at Cloquet, 7 p.m. Match Notes: The Hawks are 17-4, and the Lumberjacks 12-10. This will be their first match of the 2024 regular season.
Wednesday
Football – at Duluth Denfeld, 6 p.m. Game Notes: Hermantown (6-1) is a slight favorite against Duluth Denfeld (5-2), in a Northeast Red regular season-ending matchup between Up North heavyweights. The Hawks are riding a four-game winning streak, including lopsided wins over Grand Rapids 49-22, Rock Ridge 49-12, Duluth East 56-12 and Esko 56-12. Hermantown’s only loss was at North Branch 48-44 on September 13. Meanwhile, the Hunters feature an explosive running game led by senior halfback Taye Manns, the likely player of the year Up North, and junior Deon Bergner and sophomore Keelijah Thomas (perhaps the brightest prospect in the group). Junior quarterback Lee Brooks is a passing and running threat. Duluth Denfeld is highly vulnerable defensively. Hermantown is led by senior quarterback Alex Schott, the best signal-caller Up North, and rock-star sophomore halfback Martin Sleen, who has ultra-elite speed. Mason Humphreys (6-foot-4, 229 pounds) is a lineman with unlimited potential. Prediction: Hermantown 39, Duluth Denfeld 18.