Hermantown’s offense turned in a performance for the record books Friday night, overwhelming Proctor 89-0 in a Northeast Red Conference game at Corey Veech Field at Centricity Stadium.
The Hawks (2-0, 2-0) scored touchdowns on nearly every possession and built a 65-0 halftime lead. Running back Martin Sleen set the tone with first-quarter touchdown runs of 16, 32 and 16 yards. Quarterback Sawyer Senst added a 33-yard strike to Tanner Homstad in the opening quarter.
By intermission, Hermantown had piled up 303 total yards. Senst connected again through the air, hitting Grant Johnson for a 48-yard score, while Sawyer Johnson raced 51 yards for another touchdown. Eathan McCubbin added an 8-yard run before the break.
“It was a great night for Hermantown football and great to see such a large turnout attendance wise,” Hawks coach Mike Zagelmeyer said. “I thought we came out fast and dominated early. I think the team is building confidence and rising to the challenge. Sawyer keeps doing exactly what he needs to do, our line is giving him time, and our run game is pretty special with Martin leading the way. We are a fun team to watch right now.”
Hermantown finished with 357 rushing yards on 23 carries — a staggering 15.5 yards per attempt. Sleen led the way with 143 yards and five touchdowns on just six carries. Sawyer Johnson added 73 yards on three carries, and Vincent Bolf chipped in with 68 yards, including a 34-yard touchdown run in the third quarter.
Senst completed 3 of 5 passes for 85 yards and two touchdowns. Grant Johnson caught two passes for 52 yards, including his long touchdown grab.
Defensively, the Hawks were nearly flawless. They limited the Rails (0-2, 0-2) to just 22 rushing yards on 29 attempts and minus-8 passing yards, while recording a safety in the third quarter. Proctor managed only one first down all game.
“Obviously, Proctor is in a rebuild mode, so it will take some time to get that program turned around, but it is not for lack of trying,” Zagelmeyer said. “The biggest thing that I took away from the game for us is that we were able to get a ton of players playing time in that environment. For young players to see that crowd, have some success on the field, and begin to understand what a Proctor-Hermantown football game means will only do positive things for us down the road.
“We try to always instill in our players to live in the now, but as coaches, we need to keep looking a couple years ahead. I'm just really appreciative of the community right now. It feels like a lot of momentum is going on in and around the program this year.”
Hermantown visits Duluth East on Friday.
“Duluth East is a much-improved team from last year, so the challenge is up for our guys,” Zagelmeyer said. “No time to pat ourselves on the back. Preparation has already begun and we look forward to heading down to Duluth East and play in that wild environment for our first road game of the season.”