Down 21 points in the third quarter, Hermantown mounted an epic comeback to defeat top-seeded North Branch 35-28 in the Class 4A, Section 7 prep football championship game on Friday night at Marv Heikkinen Field in West Duluth.
Hawks defeat North Branch, advance to state 4A prep football quarterfinals
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Howie: Let's support our hometown Monsters, the best team in the prestigious AF1
“The city of Duluth embraced this team when they were the Duluth Harbor Monsters. Going to all these games — for me to take that away from them would have been selfish.” -- New Minnesota Monsters owner Jacob Lambert
Hermantown Sports Notebook
Hermantown delivered a three-sport statement Friday night, with the Hawks’ boys hockey, boys basketball and girls basketball teams all turning in convincing wins. The Class A top-ranked Hawks hockey team knocked off host Maple Grove 7-4. Defenseman Gabe Swenson had five assists. Bryce Francisco stopped 25 shots in goal for
Howie: Monsters to move to Amsoil
Duluth has always supported teams that show up honestly and invest consistently. The formula hasn’t changed. Don’t overpromise. Don’t disappear when things get hard. Build something people can recognize as theirs. When that happens, this city responds — not with blind loyalty, but with earned trust.
Howie: Hermantown girls hoopsters keeping pedal to the floor
Leadership has mattered during the uneven stretches. Senior captains Bailey Hermanson and Aurora Decker have been the stabilizers — not just when the Hawks are rolling, but when they’re searching.
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NAPLES, Fla. — On a cluster of pristine fields along Florida’s Gulf Coast, far from the draft rooms and television glare of the NFL, hundreds of football players arrive each January chasing a simpler proposition: one more chance. The National Scouting Combine, held Jan. 6–9 at Paradise Coast Sports
Obit: Steven Kuehn
Steven John Kuehn, age 72, of Knife River died on December 19, 2025 surrounded by an army of loved ones. He was born in Duluth, MN on January 22, 1953 to loving parents, Howard and Marjorie (Kymala) Kuehn. Growing up, Steve enjoyed running cross country, biking, basketball, and of course,
Howie: Arena football’s future won’t be won on cable, but on access
AF1’s real challenge is not production quality or rule tweaks or even competitive balance. It is relevance. And relevance, in 2026, is earned by showing up — consistently, freely, and without friction — in the lives of people who didn’t know they were fans yet.
Howie: Let's support our hometown Monsters, the best team in the prestigious AF1
“The city of Duluth embraced this team when they were the Duluth Harbor Monsters. Going to all these games — for me to take that away from them would have been selfish.” -- New Minnesota Monsters owner Jacob Lambert