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Hermantown showed up at Ordean Stadium like they owned the joint. And by the time Martin Sleen had finished stomping around the turf, they did.
Three touchdowns. 308 yards. Twenty-three carries. The junior speedster could’ve run to Cloquet and back and still have had gas to stiff-arm a Greyhound defender.
“Martin amazes our coaching staff every week and he did it again this week,” Hawks coach Mike Zagelmeyer said following his team's impressive 42-22 Northeast Red victory Friday night, to improve to 3-0 overall and in the conference. “When he touches the ball you can absolutely feel everyone holding their breath… and he usually doesn’t let people down.”
Sleen even coughed one up, watched it go the other way for six, and shrugged.
“I really like how he responded after the turnover,” Zagelmeyer said. “Martin is learning that every time he touches the ball might not be a touchdown. He is learning he might have to live for the next play.”
Imagine being the rest of the conference and realizing this is Martin learning patience. Good luck.
Quarterback? Calm as a librarian. Junior Sawyer Senst — the kid nobody thought could replace three-year starter Alex Schott — is out there looking like he’s playing 7-on-7 in July.
“I really love, and am so proud of, the way Sawyer is playing,” Zagelmeyer said. “There was a lot of pressure on Sawyer, but he hasn’t let any of that phase him. He has always been so calm and collected, which you need from your quarterback.”
Two darts to Grant Johnson. Five completions in seven tries. That’s efficiency with a side of swagger.
“Coach Aker and Coach Fenske have done a great job bringing him along,” Zagelmeyer said. “Not necessarily slowly, but in a way Sawyer is not overwhelmed. He leaned on Grant Johnson on Friday night, which is what East was giving us.”
And don’t forget the big linemen, who have been spotted bench-pressing Volkswagons during summer training.
“I really have enjoyed watching our guards pull on offense,” Zagelmeyer said. “Whether it is Neo Carlson, Kyle LaValley, or Jack McCaffrey they have caused some issues for opponents. It’s fun to coach coachable kids.”
Imagine that — coachable linemen in 2025. Miracles never cease.
The Greyhounds? They hung around for a half. Sophomore QB Issac Emerson threw for 199, including a 61-yard bomb to Kingston Lew, who can catch anything within zip code range. But East ran for 46 yards total. That’s not a typo. Forty-six. On 25 attempts. You could get more yards in a conga line.
Hermantown led 28-14 at the break, tacked on a couple more touchdowns, and called it a night. Hawks went 60% on third down. East went 2-for-9. End of story.
Not that Zagelmeyer’s buying his players Dairy Queens yet.
“I thought it was another great atmosphere for high school football at East,” he said. “I wondered how our team would respond with it being our first away game, and I thought we passed the test.”
Then came the nudge: “Some of our juniors got a little bit of a wake-up call, which is good heading into the gauntlet we are about to run moving forward.”
That gauntlet? Starting at Cloquet (0-3, 0-2 Northeast Red) next Friday, 7 p.m kickoff.
“They gave North Branch all they could handle,” Zagelmeyer said of the Jacks, who fell 30-16 against the host Vikings on Friday night. “It will for sure be a battle. But again, cliché as it sounds, we really need to focus on ourselves. Some concerns showed up, but they need to be addressed, and they will be. I’m certain our guys will respond.”
Translation: Hawks are flying high and still nitpicking the paint job. That’s how you know they’re dangerous.
