Eleven years of waiting ended Wednesday night at Centricity Stadium, where the Hawks turned a halftime deficit into a section championship and delivered one of the program's most significant victories.
Parker Clennon scored the decisive goal late in the second half, and Preston Denee added the insurance goal as second-seeded Hermantown rallied past neighboring rival Proctor 4-2 in the Section 7A boys soccer championship game, sending the Hawks to the Minnesota Class A state tournament for the first time since 2015.
The victory completed a remarkable 24-hour postseason stretch for Hermantown, which defeated Spectrum 4-0 in Tuesday's semifinals before overcoming fourth-seeded Proctor in a championship game that remained undecided until the closing minutes.
And when it mattered most, Hermantown had the answers.
Trailing 1-0 at halftime, the Hawks erupted for four second-half goals against a Proctor team that had already eliminated top-seeded PACT Charter 2-1 in the semifinals. Trevor Arntson started the comeback, Quinn Raukar pushed Hermantown in front, and Clennon delivered the eventual game-winner after the Rails had battled back to tie the score at 2-2.
Clennon's goal came from point-blank range, the kind of opportunity that can decide a championship and define a player's high school career. With the game hanging in the balance, he converted a feed from Raukar to give Hermantown a 3-2 advantage. Denee followed with the Hawks' fourth goal, assisted by Clennon, putting the finishing touch on a comeback that secured the section championship.
The second-half response was particularly impressive considering the circumstances. Proctor had seized the early advantage, scoring the game's only first-half goal and forcing Hermantown to chase the game throughout the opening 40 minutes.
The Hawks did not panic.
Arntson brought Hermantown even early in the second half, and Raukar scored off an assist from Kestan Bradley to put the Hawks ahead 2-1. Proctor answered with the tying goal, setting up the dramatic finish.
Four different Hermantown players scored in the championship game, reflecting the depth and offensive balance that helped carry the Hawks through the section tournament. Clennon finished with a goal and an assist, Raukar contributed a goal and an assist, and Arntson and Denee each scored once. Bradley also recorded an assist.
For Clennon, the championship performance capped an exceptional two-night stretch. He scored three goals and assisted on another in the semifinal victory over Spectrum, then produced two more points against Proctor. His combined postseason production over the two games — four goals and two assists — came when Hermantown needed its most accomplished offensive players to deliver.
But this championship was about considerably more than individual statistics.
A year ago, Hermantown's season ended in the Section 7A semifinals, leaving the Hawks one victory short of an opportunity to compete for a state tournament berth. This fall, they returned to the same stage, eliminated Spectrum decisively and then defeated a determined Proctor team that had established itself as a serious championship threat.
The Hawks also demonstrated something essential to postseason success: the ability to respond when a game turns against them. Their semifinal victory was relatively comfortable, built on two goals in each half and a shutout by goalkeeper Ethan Aysta, who made five saves.
Wednesday was different.
Hermantown had to play from behind, regain control, withstand a tying goal and find enough offense in the closing minutes to finish the job. Four second-half goals answered every question about whether the Hawks could handle the pressure of a section championship game.
The state tournament berth represents a milestone for a program that has spent more than a decade trying to return to Minnesota high school soccer's biggest stage. For this group of Hawks, the achievement is also a measure of how far they have come since last season's semifinal disappointment.
The players who walked off the field a year ago knowing their season was finished now have another tournament to prepare for, another opportunity to represent their school and community, and a place among Minnesota's remaining Class A championship contenders.
The victory also underscored the strength of boys soccer in the Duluth area, with two neighboring programs reaching a section championship game and producing a competitive, six-goal contest with a state tournament berth on the line.
Proctor's run deserves recognition. The Rails entered the tournament as the fourth seed, eliminated top-seeded PACT Charter and carried a halftime lead against Hermantown before the Hawks' second-half rally. Their postseason ended one victory short of state, but not before they helped produce one of the area's most compelling championship matchups.
The Hawks are going to state.