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Let’s not undersell this. The Star Tribune just lobbed a firecracker into the state’s football chatter by handing top billing at running back on its 2025 Dream Team to — wait for it — Hermantown’s Martin Sleen.
Yes, that’s the same Hawks junior who torched Northeast Red defenses last fall while the rest of the state’s football royalty usually received the press. This is not some consolation prize. This is the metro’s flagship paper declaring that the best prep tailback in Minnesota this fall lives in Hermantown. That’s not just a nod, it’s practically a parade.
Take a stroll through the list. The Dream Team is stuffed with familiar power names: the suburban quarterback with three offers before homeroom, the linebacker from a Twin Cities program that plays in front of more fans than the Timberwolves draw on Tuesdays, the wide receiver whose huddle highlight reel looks like a Nike commercial. The kind of roster that usually reads like a recruiting service cheat sheet.
And then — bang — there’s Sleen. A junior. Not a senior with a scrapbook of four-year varsity tape. A junior, and already in the pole position as Minnesota’s top running back. That’s the story here. The Star Tribune has seen enough in just one season to slot him ahead of every senior back in the state.
Hawks coach Mike Zagelmeyer didn’t mince words when I asked him about Sleen’s ceiling. He said flat-out, “He could be the greatest rusher in Hermantown history.” That’s not exactly a safe hedge from a coach who’s seen his share of tough backs roll through. Zags knows what he’s looking at.
This is precisely how the Koi Perich saga began. Esko’s Swiss Army knife was suddenly the kid everyone wanted to talk about, and before you knew it, P.J. Fleck’s staff was tripping over themselves to lock him down. Look at Perich now, already turning heads after his freshman year at Minnesota. Sleen’s rise has that same rocket-fuel vibe — only this time it’s a back who could pound out two bills on the ground without breaking stride.
And the timing? Couldn’t be better. Friday night, Duluth Denfeld comes to Hermantown for the season opener. The stadium would’ve been packed anyway — Gary Bowen, the Hawks’ legendary former coach, is being honored with a flag pole dedication. Bowen himself is expected back, which means a small town’s worth of nostalgia in the bleachers. Now add the “Dream Team” headline and the chance to see Minnesota’s most hyped running back tear off his first carries since making the list? Good luck finding an empty seat.
Here’s what else you should brace for: the suits. Don’t be shocked if a few Division I coaches, even head honchos themselves, start showing up in Hermantown for a first-hand look. You don’t hand a junior this kind of anointment without scouts taking notice. They’ll find him. They always do.
So yes, congratulations to the rest of the Dream Team: the quarterback prodigy from the cities, the defensive end with a Big Ten frame already, the wideout who looks like he’s running routes on Sundays. Fine players, every one of them. But the story that matters from this list is the kid from Hermantown.
Martin Sleen. Junior. Top back in Minnesota. And just getting started.
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KDAL-AM and Midwest Communications will again serve as the radio home for Minnesota Duluth men’s hockey and football this season. All broadcasts will also be streamed free online, allowing fans to listen worldwide. Coverage has expanded this year to include the Iron Range on WNMT-AM 650. Jeff Papas will be calling all of the football games and Bruce Ciskie all hockey broadcasts.
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Skaters from the Duluth Figure Skating Club earned more than a dozen medals at the Minnesota L’Etoile du Nord Challenge on Aug. 16-17. Madeline Manion won the senior women’s division, while Annabelle Strezishar placed first in preliminary girls and Evan Zhou captured the juvenile boys title. In the Mini Championship Challenge, Ayla Pelland claimed the Juvenile Plus crown. Rylie Shaver won the Aspire 4 event and Elin Stecker took Aspire 2. Silver medals went to Svea Stecker, Isabella Bowman, Jolynn Peterson, Audra Theis and Pippa Botnen. Talulah Netland and Leia Opacich earned bronze, while Norah Sweezy and Eloise Petcoff received pewter.
