Hawks enter fall with contenders, questions and unfinished business

Hermantown will begin the 2026 fall sports season with championship expectations, not rebuilding excuses.

The Hawks have one of Minnesota’s best running backs, a football team capable of winning Section 7, Class 4A, a girls cross-country program returning nearly everyone from a section championship lineup and enough proven talent in soccer and volleyball to make another busy postseason seem more likely than hopeful.

Official practices begin Monday, Aug. 17, for Minnesota State High School League fall sports. Girls tennis can begin competition Aug. 20, most other sports Aug. 27. Hermantown’s football opener is Sept. 4 at Duluth Denfeld. 

Every preseason evaluation requires a qualifier. Rosters are not final, younger players will emerge during practice and injuries or other circumstances can change the outlook quickly. The returning players listed here are athletes who were underclassmen last fall and remain publicly expected to be eligible this season.

Football will command the most attention because Hermantown has the pieces to take back its section. The Hawks finished 8-2 last fall, scored 430 points and reached the section championship before Grand Rapids ended their season with a decisive 41-0 victory. The Thunderhawks defeated Hermantown twice by a combined 75-20, leaving little question about which program owned the section in 2025.

That is precisely why the Oct. 2 rematch at Grand Rapids is the game everyone will circle.

Senior halfback Martin Sleen returns after rushing for 1,908 yards and 29 touchdowns as a junior, averaging nearly 12 yards per carry despite being the first player identified in every opponent’s defensive game plan. He is one of the best high school running backs in Minnesota, with the speed to score from anywhere and enough strength to run through poor tackling angles.

Owen Simonson gives Hermantown another physical back, while Ethan McCubbin, Jordan Wilcox, Nathan Haedrich and Fletcher Wrazidlo are proven two-way contributors. Wrazidlo recorded 125 tackles last season and should again be the centerpiece of the defense. Lane Holden, Neo Carlson, Grant Sharrow, Lek Paczynski and Jacob Marquardt provide size and experience along the line of scrimmage. 

The significant uncertainty is senior quarterback Sawyer Senst, who is recovering from surgery to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament and meniscus. Senst completed 45 of 83 passes for 709 yards, nine touchdowns and four interceptions last season and added six rushing touchdowns. He hopes to return for the opener, but hope and medical clearance are two different things. His recovery should not be rushed to satisfy a football calendar. 

If Senst returns healthy, Hermantown should be considered a legitimate section championship contender. Until the Hawks prove they can match Grand Rapids physically, however, the Thunderhawks remain the favorite. Hermantown has the star power, experience and improved line play to close that gap. Its challenge is developing the edge required to finish the job.

The strongest Hermantown team may be girls cross-country.

The Hawks won the Lake Superior Conference and Section 7AA championships last fall before placing 10th among 16 teams at the Class AA state meet. Better yet, their leading runners were all underclassmen. Ferrah LaLone, Nora Lucarelli, Kenzie Davis and Zoey Lucarelli finished among the top 10 at sections, while Kara Holst, Avery Beranek and Morgan Panichi completed a remarkably deep lineup.

LaLone placed 50th at state in 19 minutes, 47.5 seconds. She enters her senior season as a three-time All-Lake Superior Conference first-team selection. Nora Lucarelli was only a seventh-grader last fall, while Davis and Zoey Lucarelli were eighth-graders. This is not merely a team positioned to defend its conference and section championships. It is a group capable of climbing substantially from last year’s 10th-place state finish.

On the boys side, Cooper Lucarelli returns for his senior season after qualifying for state for the second consecutive year. He finished fourth at sections in 16:28.6 and 42nd at state in a personal-best 16:26. Matthew Strukel provides another experienced senior runner, and the Hawks have a young group that could begin turning individual strength into improved team results.

Boys soccer must replace significant production, but the Hawks are hardly starting over. Hermantown finished 9-5-4 overall and 7-1-3 in the Lake Superior Conference before losing 4-2 to eventual champion Duluth Marshall in the Section 7A semifinals.

Hunter Nelson graduated after producing 14 goals and 13 assists, an enormous departure from the attack. Defender Quinn Andrews, Brennan Malmstrom and several other experienced seniors also are gone. The good news is that Quinn Raukar returns after matching Nelson with 14 goals and adding five assists. Senior goalkeeper Ethan Aysta also returns after making 151 saves with an .839 save percentage in 18 appearances.

Jack Johnson had five assists last season, Parker Clennon contributed two goals and four assists, and Eyan Winkelman, Liam Sundell, Keegan Bradley, Kestan Bradley, Owen Dennee and Emmett McDonald provide experience throughout the lineup. The Hawks will not replace Nelson with one player, but Raukar and Aysta give them established standouts at the two most important ends of the field.

The girls soccer team presents a different evaluation. Its 7-9-2 record looked ordinary, but its postseason was anything but ordinary. The fifth-seeded Hawks defeated North Branch 3-1 and stunned top-seeded Cloquet-Esko-Carlton 1-0 before losing 1-0 in overtime at Grand Rapids in the Section 7AA championship. It was Hermantown’s second consecutive appearance in the section final.

Graduation removed a strong senior group led by Avea Harriman, Brooke Wiese, Cambriia Thomas, Danika Bolf, Claire Niksich, Gianna Schinigoi and Mya Gunderson. The rebuild begins with senior forward Bryden Giesen, who scored six goals last season and delivered the winner against Cloquet-Esko-Carlton. Vienna Kolenda returns after recording three goals and a team-high six assists.

Goalkeeper Lucy Critchley received valuable experience while sharing the position with Thomas and made eight second-half saves in the section semifinal. Riley Holmgren, Audrina Daniels, Eilee Gunderson, McKenna Johnson, Payton Holt and promising young attacker Harper Nelson give the Hawks enough returning structure to remain competitive. Still, replacing that many experienced seniors will require patience, particularly early in the season. 

Volleyball may be positioned for the largest improvement. The Hawks were young and inconsistent last fall, showing flashes of high-level play but never sustaining it long enough. Their season ended with a 3-1 loss at Cloquet in the Section 7AAA quarterfinals.

Most of the important pieces return. Senior Sophie Schulz was a second-team All-Lake Superior Conference selection, while junior Lilah Conley received honorable mention. Conley emerged as a productive two-way player who could score at the net and handle substantial defensive responsibility. Setter Anna Bergerson, Audra Schott, Kylee Stokke, Kadyn Kimpling, Kenzie Zagelmeyer and Riley Woinarowicz also gained extensive varsity experience.

The question is no longer whether Hermantown has enough talent. It does. The question is whether a year older will mean a year more consistent. If the Hawks pass well, reduce empty rotations and develop another reliable finisher alongside Schulz and Conley, they should advance beyond last season’s early playoff exit. 

Girls tennis faces a more substantial transition after a senior-heavy roster ended its season with a section playoff loss to Hibbing. Evie Sullivan, Rylee Kalkbrenner, Sophia Piede and other veteran players occupied prominent positions in the singles and doubles lineups, leaving coach Jessica Worden with several important openings.

The Hawks are not without experience. Alee DeVlieger and Nevie Homich played regularly in singles, while Chloe Gustafson and Jillian Ritsche formed a productive doubles combination. Rylie Giesen, Cadence Godmare and several younger players also received varsity opportunities late in the season. Hermantown may not possess last year’s senior depth, but its younger players will not be encountering varsity tennis for the first time. 

Hermantown athletes also compete with Proctor in girls swimming and diving. Grand Rapids won the 2025 Section 7A championship with 313 points, followed by Two Harbors with 297, and the section appears more open after several leading swimmers graduated.

Proctor-Hermantown returns senior Laney Gunderson, who placed fourth in both the 200-yard individual medley and 100 butterfly at sections. Senior Samantha Herron placed sixth in the 200 and 500 freestyle races. They give the co-op two dependable scorers, although additional depth must develop for it to challenge Grand Rapids, Two Harbors and Mesabi East. 

That is the broad Hermantown picture entering Aug. 17. Football and girls cross-country should expect to contend for section championships. Boys soccer and volleyball return enough proven talent to make deep playoff runs realistic. Girls soccer must replace a substantial senior class but has become a postseason problem nobody should dismiss. Boys cross-country, girls tennis and the swimming co-op have established leaders around whom younger lineups can develop.