Hermantown’s fall sports schedule accelerates this week, with the Hawks carrying an unbeaten football record into Proctor, both soccer teams facing multiple Lake Superior Conference tests and volleyball and girls tennis teams working through demanding early-season schedules.
The headline game comes Friday night when Hermantown travels to Proctor for a 7 p.m. football game at Terry Egerdahl Field. The Hawks opened the season with a 48-13 victory at Duluth Denfeld, immediately establishing themselves as a factor again in Section 7, Class 4A. Proctor opened with a 50-0 loss at Mora.
Hermantown’s offense produced 48 points in its opener after entering the season with senior running back Martin Sleen, quarterback Sawyer Senst and linebacker Landon Wrazidlo among the experienced players around which the Hawks expected to build. Sleen rushed for 1,908 yards and 29 touchdowns last season, while Hermantown advanced to the Section 7AAAA championship game before losing to Grand Rapids.
The Proctor game begins another important stretch for Hermantown. The Hawks will return home to face Duluth East on Sept. 18 and Cloquet on Sept. 25 before traveling to defending section champion Grand Rapids on Oct. 2.
Boys soccer begins the week Tuesday when Hibbing visits Centricity Stadium for a 6:30 p.m. Lake Superior Conference match. The Hawks have been one of Hermantown’s strongest teams through the opening portion of the season, including a 4-1 victory over defending Section 7A champion Duluth Marshall and a 4-0 victory at Proctor.
Trevor Arnston scored twice against Marshall, while Finn Johnson and Quinn Raukar also scored as Hermantown controlled a rematch against the team that eliminated the Hawks from last year’s section tournament. Hermantown will have little opportunity to settle in this week. After playing Hibbing on Tuesday, the Hawks travel to Cloquet for a 7 p.m. match Thursday.
The girls soccer team has been equally effective early. Hermantown improved to 3-0 with a 2-0 victory over Proctor on Thursday after opening with victories over North Branch and Duluth Marshall. Kaija Markovich and Kaitlyn Patterson scored against Proctor, while goalkeepers Ava DeTray and Isla Radzak combined for the shutout.
That unbeaten start will be tested twice at home before the Hawks finish the week on the road. Coon Rapids visits Centricity Stadium at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, followed by Hibbing at 6:30 p.m. Thursday. Hermantown then travels to Cloquet for a 4 p.m. match Saturday.
Volleyball faces one of the most demanding portions of the week. Hermantown, 1-2 after consecutive losses to Esko and unbeaten Princeton, travels to Duluth East for a 7 p.m. match Tuesday. East enters the week 3-0, providing the Hawks another significant early-season test.
Hermantown returns home Thursday for a 7 p.m. Lake Superior Conference match against Proctor. That match carries additional significance after both teams began conference play with victories. Proctor has also opened the season strongly overall, making the first Hawks-Rails meeting an early opportunity to establish position in the conference race.
The volleyball week does not end there. Hermantown is scheduled to compete in the North Branch Invitational beginning at 9 a.m. Saturday, giving the Hawks three competition dates in five days.
Girls tennis returns home after an early September road swing. Hermantown hosts Cloquet at 4 p.m. Tuesday and Superior at 4:15 p.m. Thursday. Senior Alee DeVlieger has led the singles lineup, while seniors Jillian Ritsche and Chloe Gustafson entered September unbeaten at No. 1 doubles. Nevie Homich has provided another experienced presence near the top of the singles order.
The two home matches give Hermantown an opportunity to settle back into a more normal rhythm after playing Grand Rapids, Rock Ridge and Duluth Denfeld on three consecutive road dates last week. With section competition still several weeks away, the Cloquet and Superior matches provide another measure of how effectively a lineup replacing several experienced players is developing.