Hermantown’s defense turned a brisk fall night on the Iron Range into another statement win Friday, forcing six turnovers and pounding out a 34-8 Northeast Red victory over Rock Ridge.
The Hawks (6-1, 5-1) never trailed, scoring in every quarter while holding the Wolverines (2-5, 2-4) scoreless until the final quarter. Behind a patient, power-running offense and a disciplined defense, Hermantown rolled up 284 total yards and 17 first downs while holding Rock Ridge to just 203 yards and one late touchdown.
Quarterback Sawyer Senst directed the attack, completing 5 of 10 passes for 56 yards and rushing for 18 yards and three short touchdowns. He connected with Hudson Folen twice for 40 yards, including a 33-yard strike that set up a second-quarter score.
Senior Corban Peterson, overcoming nagging injuries, delivered his best outing of the season with 107 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries, earning postgame praise from legendary Hawks coach Mike Zagelmeyer.
“Corban was probably our player of the game on that side of the ball,” Zagelmeyer said. “He’s been battling some nagging injuries the entire year, but he really rose to the occasion. He led our rushing attack and that’s what we were looking for — someone to step up. His senior leadership came through when we needed it most.”
Hermantown’s ground game spread the wealth. Junior Sawyer Johnson, making his first varsity start at halfback, added 56 yards on 15 carries, while Bryson Eischen scored once on a 14-yard run and finished with 33 yards on six carries. The Hawks ran the ball 46 times for 228 yards, controlling possession and tempo throughout the night.
The victory came with standout running back Martin Sleen, the team’s leading rusher and workhorse, sidelined as a healthy scratch. Sleen, who touched the ball 35 times in last week’s win over Esko, was fully suited but held out for precautionary reasons.
“Martin was fully dressed and ready to go if needed, but he had some general soreness coming off the Esko game, so we just held him out for precautionary measures,” Zagelmeyer said. “We know we’re going to be in quite the game this upcoming week — a rematch of last year’s section final against North Branch — and we want everyone to be a full-go.”
Zagelmeyer added that sitting Sleen created opportunities for younger players.
“Holding Martin out allowed some of our younger guys to get valuable experience, especially since our JV game was canceled this past week,” he said. “It was great to see some of them step up and contribute.”
Defensively, the Hawks were relentless. They limited Rock Ridge to 1.9 yards per carry (54 yards on 29 attempts) and intercepted four passes.
Hermantown’s linebackers — Fletcher Wrazidlo (13 tackles), Kyle LaValley (10) and Grant Johnson (10) — controlled the middle, while sophomore Easton Cherney, in his first varsity start, turned in a stunning debut with four tackles, two interceptions and a fumble recovery.
“Quite the coming-out party for Easton,” Zagelmeyer said. “Our defense once again played very well… we were able to turn them over six times, which is quite remarkable in a high school football game. We held them to 203 yards total offense. I thought our linebackers played really well and really led the way.”
Zagelmeyer also highlighted unheralded two-way players LaValley and Neo Carlson for their consistency.
“They don’t get a ton of press and are integral pieces of our team,” he said. “Neo, at defensive end, was once again a solid run defender and came up with an interception on a pass he deflected up in the air and then caught himself — a very athletic play on his part.”
Rock Ridge quarterback Frank Toman completed 9 of 23 passes for 86 yards with four interceptions before giving way to Jacob Coombe, who went 3-for-3 for 70 yards and a late touchdown. The Wolverines’ lone score came midway through the fourth quarter after Hermantown had built a 27-0 lead.
The Hawks controlled the game’s rhythm with 26:37 of possession, committed only two penalties for 15 yards, and converted on 36 percent of third downs. Their only turnover came on an interception early in the second quarter.
“We were focused and handled ourselves very well throughout,” Zagelmeyer said. “Rock Ridge had senior night, so there was a little extra energy in the stadium. They have quite the facility with an awesome video board — pretty cool what they can do up there. But our guys stayed locked in from start to finish.”
Hermantown will now turn its focus to Wednesday’s home showdown with North Branch, a matchup that doubles as Senior Night and the team’s Tackle Cancer game. A first-round playoff bye is on the line.
“Happy to be back home and looking forward to Wednesday,” Zagelmeyer said. “It’s always been a great, hard-fought, close football game between us and North Branch over the past eight years. We’ll need everyone full-go for this one.”