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Hermantown boys' soccer coach David Thompson wants his players to focus on winning Lake Superior Conference and Section 7AA championships this season.
“My expectations for this year are high,” he said Tuesday morning before the team held its second official workout of the season. “We return plenty of talented players and the culture of teamwork and hard work is evident.”
The Hawks will open the 2024 season on Friday, August 23, at Mesabi East Area. Hermantown defeated the visiting Giants twice a year ago – 9-0 in the regular season and 6-1 in a Section 7AA quarterfinal.
Hermantown was 7-9-1 last season and lost to host Grand Rapids 4-1 in a Section 7AA semifinal.
The Hawks will be led by elite attacker Owen Landrigan and fellow captains Evan Ogston (MF) and Gabe Wiita (D).
“Our strengths are depth in the midfield and a sense of urgency to compete,” said Thompson. “I have no concerns about this team back to front.”
PREP FOOTBALL
Look for the Hawks football team to win the Northeast Red this season, and to be a major contender for a Section 7AAAA championship.
Last season, Hermantown finished 4-2 in the conference (third-place behind champion North Branch, 6-0, and Duluth Denfeld, 5-1) and fell to North Branch 28-21 in the 7AAAA championship.
The Hawks are led by senior quarterback Alex Schott, who passed for 1,616 yards and 17 touchdowns last season, and 6-foot-4, 265-pound senior offensive and defensive lineman Mason Humphreys. Both are college prospects.
Hermantown opens at home against Proctor on Friday, August 30, before playing host to Cloquet on Friday, Sept. 6. The Hawks then play consecutive road games at North Branch and Grand Rapids.
BULLDOGS MEN'S HOCKEY
Junior Joey Pierce (D), sophomore Aaron Pionk (D), and freshmen Ty Hanson (D), Max Plante (F) and Zam Plante (F) of Hermantown will be key regulars for the Bulldogs men’s hockey team this season.
Pierce and Pionk played top-six minutes last season, with Pionk regularly quarterbacking the power play. Hanson’s minutes might be limited at the season's outset, and the Plante brothers figure to earn top-nine and PP minutes.
The Bulldogs will begin a competitive rebuild this season and feature one of their strongest freshman classes in several years.
