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HERMANTOWN — Hermantown has spent the first three weeks of the high school football season turning games into track meets. Cloquet, after a disastrous opener, has spent the past two proving it can recover quickly.
Those two trajectories meet at 7 p.m. Friday, when the unbeaten Hawks host the Lumberjacks in a Northeast Red Conference homecoming game at Centricity Stadium. Hermantown (3-0) enters as one of northeastern Minnesota’s most productive offensive teams, while Cloquet (2-1) arrives with consecutive convincing victories and an opportunity to establish itself as a conference contender.
Hermantown has scored at least 48 points in every game, opening with a 48-13 victory at Duluth Denfeld, following with a 50-8 rout at Proctor and defeating Duluth East 48-27 in its home opener Friday night. The Hawks have outscored their three opponents 146-48, an average margin of nearly 33 points, and their 48.7-point scoring average reflects an offense that has created explosive plays without abandoning its physical identity.
Senior running back and defensive back Martin Sleen is the clear headliner. He scored six touchdowns against Duluth East, including a kickoff return for a score, in one of the most commanding individual performances of the young season. Sleen’s speed can punish a defense on the perimeter, but his value goes beyond open-field running. Hermantown can use motion, misdirection and multiple backfield looks to force defenders to hesitate, and even a brief delay has been enough for Sleen to break into the secondary.
The Hawks rushed for 309 yards on only 29 carries against East, an average of 10.7 yards per attempt. They completed five passes for 62 yards, but the modest passing total was less a weakness than a reflection of how little Hermantown needed to leave its ground game. The Hawks scored 48 points despite producing no passing first downs, converted all three of their fourth-down attempts and repeatedly turned routine runs into scoring threats.
That performance followed a similarly one-sided night at Proctor, where Hermantown rushed for 235 yards on 22 attempts — again averaging 10.7 yards per carry — in the 50-8 victory. Through three games, the Hawks have shown they can overwhelm opponents with pace, field position and a running attack that does not need a high volume of plays to control a game.
Hermantown’s offensive line will be central again Friday. Seniors Nate Haedrich, Lane Holden and Neo Carlson give the Hawks experience and size near the line of scrimmage, while senior linebacker Devan Zembo and two-way players such as Blake Amundson and Fletcher Wrazidlo help set the physical tone. Senior Gus Skur and junior Hudson Folen give Hermantown options on the perimeter, and senior Kole Lendzyk provides another receiving target when opponents commit extra defenders to the box.
Cloquet’s season has been more volatile, but its response to adversity has been impressive. The Lumberjacks surrendered 56 points in a season-opening 56-14 loss at Grand Rapids, then returned home and defeated Esko 41-18 and North Branch 35-8. Cloquet has outscored its past two opponents 76-26 and allowed only eight points in its most recent game, a dramatic defensive improvement from opening night.
The Lumberjacks have scored 90 points and allowed 82 through three games. Those totals are distorted by the Grand Rapids loss: Over the past two weeks, Cloquet has averaged 38 points and allowed 13. The turnaround suggests coach Tom Lenarz’s team has stabilized on both sides of the ball and will arrive in Hermantown with more confidence than its overall point differential might indicate.
Junior quarterback Keith Diver, a 6-foot-3, 195-pound athlete, is an important player to watch in Cloquet’s offense. Senior Jacob Parks can contribute at running back and cornerback, while junior Adeolu Banjo brings size at 6-2 and 193 pounds as a running back and outside linebacker. Junior Milo Wilson, listed at 6 feet and 210 pounds, offers another physical option at running back and middle linebacker.
Cloquet also has experienced two-way personnel on the edges. Senior Davis Snesrud is listed at defensive end and wide receiver, and senior Caden Larsen can work at tight end and defensive end. Seniors Lucas Hyry, Braylon Goette and Carter Oswald give the Lumberjacks veteran strength in the interior, an area that will be tested throughout the night by Hermantown’s downhill running game.
The central question is whether Cloquet can prevent the kind of rapid scoring bursts that have separated Hermantown from each of its first three opponents. The Lumberjacks cannot afford missed fits, poor pursuit angles or breakdowns on special teams against Sleen. They also must create sustained possessions of their own, keep Hermantown’s offense on the sideline and avoid giving the Hawks short fields.
Hermantown’s defensive challenge is different. Cloquet’s 41-point response against Esko and its 35-point performance against North Branch show that the opener at Grand Rapids did not define the Lumberjacks. The Hawks must control Cloquet’s bigger backs, account for Diver’s ability to direct the offense and prevent the Lumberjacks from dictating tempo with their two-way veterans.
Recent history favors Hermantown. The Hawks defeated Cloquet 41-21 last season, but Friday’s meeting carries its own weight. It is Hermantown’s homecoming game, a Northeast Red matchup and the Hawks’ final test before an Oct. 2 trip to Grand Rapids. Cloquet returns home Oct. 2 to face Mora.
Hermantown has been the more complete and explosive team through three weeks. Cloquet, however, has already demonstrated that it can absorb a hard defeat and change the direction of its season. If the Lumberjacks can slow Sleen and make the Hawks earn points through sustained drives, the game could become Hermantown’s first four-quarter test. If they cannot, the homecoming crowd may see another showcase for one of the region’s fastest and most punishing offenses.
