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Hermantown spent the first month of the season feeling a little out of sorts, like a team searching for itself. Flash one week, finesse the next, but not that old Hermantown brand that used to make opponents wince.
On Friday night at Esko, the Hawks finally remembered who they were. They rolled their sleeves, put their shoulders down, and flattened Esko 31-6 in a nonconference matchup that felt more like a statement than another win.
Junior running back Martin Sleen, sick with the flu all week, carried the Hawks on his back anyway. He ran for 213 yards and three touchdowns, pounding his way through a defense that prided itself on tackling.
His scores came from 8, 5 and 11 yards, including back-to-back runs in the fourth quarter that buried the Eskomos.
Junior quarterback Sawyer Senst had the first touchdown on a 1-yard plunge, then later connected on a 37-yard strike to Tanner Homstad, part of a steady night where he ran for 45 and threw for 50.
“I had some questions about where our minds would be coming off that emotional homecoming loss to Grand Rapids last Friday,” Hermantown coach Mike Zagelmeyer said afterward. “And without hesitation, I’m incredibly proud of how we responded. Huge life lesson there on how to respond to adversity and disappointment. It was essential to flush that game and not let it drag into the Esko game.
"A great job by our coaching staff to get them refocused and on point as we had to enter Esko’s homecoming game. We have had some unbelievable crowds to play in front of and great weather this year for high school football. It was another awesome environment to play in again at Esko.”
The Hawks weren’t interested in putting on a show but in putting on pads. They ran 62 plays to Esko’s 33, converted 8 of 10 third downs, and controlled the clock, the line of scrimmage, and the entire mood of the night.
“I thought we were the most physical we have been this season,” Zagelmeyer said of the rout. “I feel we controlled the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball, and obviously, if we do that, that is a pretty good recipe for success. I know we didn’t get much for style points, but that was my kind of football selfishly. I was proud of how our guys battled throughout the game without letting off the gas as far as our physicality.”
And for once, they weren’t leaning on highlights. They were leaning on leadership.
“I thought Sawyer Senst from a leadership perspective was the best he has been this season,” Zagelmeyer said. “We asked some guys to step up this game, and he comes to mind immediately. He got some hard yards on a couple of quarterback keeps… not because we forced him to do, but because he wanted to do it. Those were on his own, and he understood that was what the defense gave us. So kudos to him.”
Then there was Sleen, pounding away like legendary Hawks fullback Steve Schilling from the 1970s.
“Martin didn’t get his signature long TD runs, but he played unbelievably,” Zagelmeyer said. “I thought if there were any questions about him being physical as a ball carrier, we could put those to rest now. He ran really hard against an excellent tackling defense, which I thought had some excellent linebackers that shot gaps and wrapped up really well.”
That was the difference. Hermantown hasn’t been missing talent — they’ve been missing identity. At Esko, the old identity walked back in.
“I thought Adan Sandoval-Luna really anchored our line and was the leader of that group on both sides of the ball,” Zagelmeyer said. “Fletcher Wrazidlo returned to making tackles like we need and expect him to do. He flowed well and didn’t get caught up in traffic like in the past few weeks.”
And the youth movement got involved, too.
“The other part we are really proud of is that we have some young guys starting to step up,” Zagelmeyer said. “Bryson Esichen made great contributions at fullback, George Belmore probably had the hit of the night on special teams, and I thought Hudson Folen played extremely well, both as a corner and on special teams. So there were a lot of positives to take out of the game.”
Esko managed one late score on a 1-yard plunge from quarterback Easton Harker, who finished with 58 passing yards and 19 on the ground. By then, the outcome had been long settled, and Hermantown’s sideline was already buzzing with the feeling of a team that finally looked like itself again.
“Great to see the players’ smiles and energy after the game,” Zagelmeyer said.
And that’s the story here. For one night, Hermantown looked like Hermantown again. A program built on toughness and control, not polish and style points. That’s the kind of football that travels in November, when pretty plays go into the ditch and the teams that survive are the ones who still want to hit somebody.
For one night in Esko, the Hawks reminded themselves who they were — and reminded everyone else, too.
