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Week 2 of Northeast Red prep football is here. Nobody’s winning a state title in September, but reputations are already being shredded like a Cloquet punt return team.
Duluth East (1-0)
Last week: Stole Rock Ridge’s lunch money, erasing a 29-12 deficit with 22 unanswered to win 34-29.
This week: Home vs. Brainerd, 6 p.m.
Snark: The Greyhounds finally found the gas pedal last Friday. Now they face Brainerd, which is like celebrating sobriety with a brewery tour.
Grand Rapids (1-0)
Last week: Routed Cloquet 46-8, proving the Thunderhawks don’t mind a little early-season lumberjack demolition.
This week: At Bemidji, 7 p.m., on the big stage at Bemidji State.
Snark: Rapids looked crisp everywhere. Tonight’s the test: contenders, or just the best bully in a weak hallway?
Hermantown (1-0)
Last week: Dropped 52-7 on Denfeld like it was a JV scrimmage.
This week: Home vs. Proctor in the annual Hammer Game, 7 p.m.
Snark: Proctor loves to call it a rivalry. Hermantown calls it cardio. Martin Sleen runs wild.
North Branch (1-0)
Last week: Smothered Two Harbors 22-10.
This week: Hosts Hibbing, 7 p.m.
Snark: If you love three-yards-and-a-cloud-of-dust football, the Vikings deliver. If you love actual forward passes, bring a book.
Cloquet (0-1)
Last week: Took a 46-8 beating from Rapids.
This week: At Esko, 7 p.m.
Snark: Cloquet’s reward for that opener? A neighbor that would love nothing more than to saw the Lumberjacks down to stumps.
Denfeld (0-1)
Last week: Got flattened 52-7 by Hermantown.
This week: Plays Two Harbors at TCO Stadium in Eagan, 7 p.m.
Snark: Nothing screams “Northland football” like bussing three hours to play NFL practice bubble.
Rock Ridge (0-1)
Last week: Blew a 17-point lead to East in the fourth quarter.
This week: Hosts Pequot Lakes at Raduenz Field, 7 p.m., Tackle Cancer night.
Snark: A noble cause off the field, but unless the Wolverines actually tackle on the field, Pequot might have this wrapped by halftime.
It’s Week 2, and the Northeast Red already feels like a carnival ride — loud, dizzy, and guaranteed to keep at least one team still winless before it’s over.
