Sophomore halfback Martin Sleen calls fellow Hawks seniors Alex Schott, Mason Humpheys and Aidan Adamski “ultra-elite superstar teammates.”
“All three were elite leaders, their football IQ’s are through the roof, and they drive our bus,” Sleen said of the Hawks’ rock-star starting quarterback/defensive back, two-way lineman and fullback-defensive end. “Alex is the best QB up north, Mason is a motivated beast and Aidan is a man’s man.”
Hermantown’s Big 3, Sleen and their talented, highly-physical teammates will be asked to play perhaps their best games of their careers Thursday night, when second-seeded Hawks (9-1) battle Osseo (8-2) in the Class 4A state quarterfinal in Alexandria.
Hermantown advanced to its first state playoff game since 2018 by virtue of a 35-28 come-from-behind win against North Branch in the Class 4A, Section 7 championship game last Friday night in West Duluth.
The Hawks lost to the Vikings 48-44 on a last second play earlier in the season in North Branch, so the victory was sweet revenge.
“The North Branch loss left a very sour taste in our mouths, and we had something to prove Friday night,” said Sleen, who has rushed for over 1,000 yards and 16 touchdowns in the last six games, all Hermantown victories. “North Branch was a heartbreaking loss, something none of us wanted to feel again. But we used it as a motivator.”
The Hawks blitzed Duluth Denfeld 41-21 in a 7AAAA semifinal earlier last week at Centricity Stadium, when Sleen rushed for 230 yards – on only 18 carries, for a 12.8 yards per-rush average – and three touchdowns.
Schott also rushed for a touchdown and was 5-of-7 passing for 101 yards and a score, for a 153.3 passer rating.
Speedy, sure-handed wide receiver Landon Berg had two catches for 75 yards and a touchdown.
“Our overall execution on both sides of the ball since the North Branch loss has improved greatly, and it’s been crazy to see our wide receivers making pancake blocks down field,” said Sleen of the Hawks’ impressive week-to-week improvement. “We’ve built chemistry, while sharing the pain and workload.”
Sleen, a 5-foot-11, 162-pound game-breaker, appreciates his role in the Hawks’ explosive offense.
“I’m not afraid to put my head down when I have to, and speed and vision are my God-given strengths,” he said.
Legendary Hawks coach Mike Zagelmeyer said Sleen is a fun player to watch and “has the ability to take it to the house in a split second.”
“Martin is a tremendously nice and humble kid who wants desperately to have a future in football, and I think there are definite possibilities for him there,” said Zagelmeyer. “He is a special back who is already starting to draw comparisons to some of the greatest running backs that have come through Hermantown. And we have had a ton of them. Remember, we used to run the ball at lot at Hermantown.”
Sleen maintains a 3.95 grade point average (on a 4.0 scale) and is taking a Lake Superior College composition class online.
“The goal is to graduate high school with an A.A. degree,” said Sleen. “I want to continue to play football, until I can’t, and plan to get a bachelor’s degree in business and possibly be a real estate agent.”